‘The Batman’ villain the Penguin reimagined in new series

“The Penguin”, a show centering on the DC character Penguin, premiered Thursday.
The new limited series from HBO stars Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb, or the Penguin, per USA Today.
“The Penguin” is a continuation of the 2022 movie “The Batman” where audiences first saw Farrell as this version of the character.
This is not the only time the Penguin has made an appearance’ the character has appeared in a number of TV series, comics and movies over the years.
According to DC Database, Oswald Cobblepot, or Penguin, has been a character in the DC universe since his first appearance in comics in 1941, and has mainly served as an enemy to Batman. The Penguin was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
The new series has changed the character’s name from Oswald Cobblepot, as he was in previous media, to Oz Cobb.
Cobblepot received his nickname, the Penguin, because of his physique and bird-like profile.
“The Penguin is a Gotham City crime lord with a deformed physical appearance who is a frequent enemy of Batman,” per DC Database.
Oswald is often presented as a gentlemen of crime who develops elaborate schemes while presenting himself as innocent. He is also one of Batman’s oldest enemies.
In modern adaptations Oswald is often shown as the manager of the popular nightclub the Iceberg Lounge, which acts as a front for some of his illegal activities, per Batman Fandom.
The standard weapon of this villain is an umbrella with different gadgets, lethal and otherwise, hidden inside of it.
According to DC Database, he is also known for a love of ornithology — or the study of birds — with some of his weapons and devices taking the form of birds.
“This is a villain fueled by a pathological rage that compels him to turn his odd physique, bird-like profile and awkward waddle into a well-dressed force for fear. No one knows more about what the evil forces of Gotham are up to at any given moment than he and he uses that information to blackmail, intimidate and corrupt anyone he can, especially when it’s in the service of bringing down Batman,” per DC Database.
In different media over the years the Penguin has been a part of the Injustice League, Suicide Squad and Secret Society of Super-Villains.
The Penguin first appeared in Detective Comics #58 in 1941, according to DC Database.
Aside from making appearances in a variety of comics over the years, this villain also has his own sets of comics, “Penguin: Pain and Prejudice” which had five issues from 2011 to 2012 and “The Penguin” had 13 issues from 2023 to 2024.
The Penguin was also featured in comics such as “Batman: Penguin Triumphant (1992), “Joker’s Asylum: Penguin #1″(2008) and “Batman Vol 2 #23.3: The Penguin”(2013).
The most recent appearance of the Penguin was in “The Batman”.
Danny Devito also plays an adaptation of the Penguin in the 1992 movie “The Batman Returns” starring Michael Keaton as Batman, per Deadline.
Cobblepot has also appeared in a variety of animated TV shows such as “Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-1995), “Justice League Action” (2016-2018) and “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” (2008-2011).
There are also live-action TV shows that feature the Penguin. Robin Lord Taylor plays a younger version of the character in “Gotham” (2014-2019), and in the series “Batman” (1966-1968) Cobblepot was played by Burgess Meredith.
The Penguin also makes a brief appearance in “The Lego Batman Movie” (2017). This isn’t the only Lego adaption of the penguin; the character even makes an appearance in the “Lego Batman” video games.
“The Penguin” premiered Thursday at 7 p.m. MDT on HBO and is available to stream on Max, according to USA Today.
After the first episode premiere, new episodes will premiere Sunday nights at 7 p.m. MDT with the second episode releasing on Sunday Sept. 29.