The Penguin has been adapted time and again over the decades of Batman’s existence, and his backstory always has him as a washed-up, former wealthy citizen of Gotham who turns to crime to take back what’s his.
When it comes to the Penguin series though, they’ve tossed out the wealth and given “Oz” more humble beginnings, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be the next Kingpin of Gotham City. As it turns out, the ‘coming from wealth’ backstory didn’t work for this version of the character.
Oz and Missing Cobblepot Fortune
In a recent featurette for the series, the showrunners and producers talk about how they developed the show and wanted to make it a ‘rise to power’ story for Oz, who starts out as a middle-man when audiences first meet him in The Batman.
Showrunner Lauren Lefranc said about the character, “In the comic books, Penguin comes from money. His family is very important. In what Matt [Reeves] created, it was apparent to me that Oz shouldn’t be that type of character. You want more, and you’re hungrier for things if you have less.”
This drive for Penguin to get more is very apparent in the series, and his ‘call to adventure’ happens at the end of The Batman when Carmine Falcone is shot and a power grab between the gangs becomes imminent.
By introducing Penguin as more of a grounded worker, he’s now become more of an underdog, and he even takes pity on others who are disabled like him. Colin Farrell describes the character, “He’s lived in close proximity to great wealth. He’s driven by that sense of exclusion and that sense of unfairness. It’s one of his greatest weapons that people don’t take him serious, and so he can act in the shadows in a way that if people were fearful of him and watching him closely, he wouldn’t have got the chance to operate in the way that he does.”
Penguin in Other Media
As compared to Penguin in the comics, a popular version of his backstory was that he was a member of the Cobblepot Family which was said to be on the same level as the Waynes; a huge difference though, was that they had lost their fortune over time, and Penguin’s main driving forces for villainy to get back what’s his.
Besides looking like a literal Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot is always portrayed as a ruthless gang leader, ready to sacrifice any of his henchmen to get the upper hand. He’s also frequently designed with a dapper suit, complete with a top hat and umbrella that may or may not be loaded with hidden weaponry.
For the series Penguin though, Oz’s main drive is that he wants to be loved and respected; and his chummy nature with people makes him great to watch. He also comes off a bit psychotic when he forces someone to hide a body for him, then he just starts talking about his fancy new air freshener.
He may seem like a Tony Soprano clone now, but maybe Oz Cobb has something more unhinged hiding beneath the surface.
Catch The Penguin Sunday nights on Max.