ThesupervillainPenguin, created byBob Kane andBill Finger,[1] made his first appearance inDetective Comics #58 (December 1941). Since then, he has been adapted into other forms of media, including feature films, television series, and video games.
The Penguin appears inBatman (1966), portrayed byBurgess Meredith. This version possesses a "quacking" laugh, which covered a cough caused by cigarette usage.[2]
The Penguin was set to appear inChallenge of the Superfriends as a member of theLegion of Doom. However, due to the development ofThe New Adventures of Batman, the Penguin was removed.[8]
The Penguin appears in television series set in theDC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced byPaul Williams.[9] This version's initial design is visually inspired by theBatman Returns incarnation before he was redesigned to more resemble his comic counterpart.
The Penguin first appears inBatman: The Animated Series (1992), where he is served by several henchmen - Jay, Raven, Eagleton, Falcone, and Sheldrake - as well as trained birds.
The Penguin appears inThe New Batman Adventures, in which he has founded theIceberg Lounge and seemingly reformed while secretly continuing his criminal activities.
The Penguin appears inThe Batman (2004), voiced byTom Kenny.[9] This version turned to crime to rebuild his wealth and re-establish his family name. Additionally, he is aided by two silent henchmen, the Kabuki Twins, whom he recruited during a trip to China, and has history withAlfred Pennyworth's family.
The Penguin appears in the first two seasons ofHarley Quinn, voiced byWayne Knight.[9] This version isJewish, has a nephew named Joshua (voiced bySean Giambrone), and appears as a member of the Legion of Doom in the first season and theInjustice League in the second season. In the latter season, he and the League take overGotham City after theJoker destroys it beforeHarley Quinn kills him in retaliation for being excluded from the League.
Oswalda Cobblepot, a gender-flipped incarnation of the Penguin, appears in theBatman: Caped Crusader episode "In Treacherous Waters", voiced byMinnie Driver.[11] She is the mother of Aaron and Ronald Cobblepot (both voiced byPaul Scheer) and a rival ofRupert Thorne.
TheBatman (1966) incarnation of the Penguin appears in the series'film adaptation, portrayed again by Burgess Meredith.
Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin appears inBatman Returns, portrayed byDanny DeVito. As an infant, this version was left for dead by his family due to birth defects before he is found by penguins from a condemned Gotham City zoo. As a child, he joined the Red Triangle Circus Gang as part of their freak show before eventually taking over. DeVito's portrayal as the Penguin was largely praised, though some considered him inferior toJack Nicholson'sJoker inBatman (1989). Additionally, DeVito was suggested for the role by his friend Nicholson followingBatman (1989)'s success.[12] According to DeVito, "It was four-and-a-half hours of makeup and getting into the costume. We got it down to three hours by the end of the shoot".[13] Uncreditedscript doctor,Wesley Strick, recalled, "When I was hired to write [Batman Returns], the big problem of the script was the Penguin's lack of a 'master plan'."[14] He took inspiration from aMoses parallel that had the Penguin killing the firstborn sons of Gotham. A similar notion was used when the Penguin's parents threw him into a river as a baby.[14] While this Penguin retained many trademarks, such as his top hat, a variety of trick umbrellas and the use of amonocle, he was given a dramatic visual makeover. Where the comic version varies between having a balding head of short cropped hair and varying degrees of thinning, this Penguin is still bald at the top but with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. His hands are flippers with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingersfused together. An unidentified thick, dark greenbile-like liquid sometimes trickles from his nose and mouth. Instead of a tuxedo, he wears a moregothic,Victorian-style outfit with ajabot as opposed to a bow tie. In certain scenes, he also wears black boots, adickey, and aunion suit. He also has a penguin-like appetite, as shown in a scene where he devours a raw fish, and uses a vehicle shaped like a giantrubber duck to move around the sewers and the city.Janet Maslin inThe New York Times described DeVito as "conveying verve".[15]Peter Travers inRolling Stone wrote that "DeVito's mutant Penguin — a balloon-belliedRichard III with a kingdom of sewer freaks — is as hilariously warped as Jack Nicholson's Joker and even quicker with the quips."[16]Desson Howe inThe Washington Post wrote that the Penguin holds court in a penguin-crowded,Phantom of the Opera-like sewer home. He also described DeVito as "exquisite".[17]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times compared the Penguin negatively with the Joker of the first film, writing that "the Penguin is a curiously meager and depressing creature; I pitied him, but did not fear him or find him funny. The genius of Danny DeVito is all but swallowed up in the paraphernalia of the role."[18]Jonathan Rosenbaum called DeVito "a pale substitute for Jack Nicholson from the first film" and felt that "there's no suspense inBatman Returns whatsoever".[19]
Oswald "Oz" Cobb / The Penguin appears inThe Batman (2022),[7] portrayed byColin Farrell, who received DeVito's blessing for the role.[20] This version acts as the right-hand man of crime lordCarmine Falcone and resents his "Penguin" nickname, given to him in mockery of hisclubfoot.[21][22]
The Penguin appears in theBatman Unlimited series of films, voiced again by Dana Snyder.[9] This version is the leader of the Animilitia who possesses a robotic monocle.
A Feudal Japan-inspired incarnation of the Penguin appears inBatman Ninja, voiced byChō in the Japanese dub and again by Tom Kenny in the English dub.[25][26][27][9]
The Penguin appears inBatman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, voiced again by William Salyers.[9] This version is a professor and explorer who helped found Gotham City centuries prior and gained longevity through dark magic. In the present, he embarks on an expedition toAntarctica, coming to live with its penguin population after the deaths of his crewmates.
The Penguin appears inBatman: The Telltale Series, voiced byJason Spisak as an adult and byCole Sand as a child.[9] This version is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne and a member of the Children of Arkham terrorist group whose name is derived from a beak-shaped gas mask he wears during his crimes. Additionally, he seeks revenge on the Wayne family after Bruce's fatherThomas Wayne had the Penguin's mother Esther drugged, rendered psychotic, and forcibly committed to Arkham Asylum for refusing to sell land she owned to him. Due to his friendship with Bruce, the Penguin attempts to warn him about the Children of Arkham's plans before helping them attack Gotham City, during which he may scarHarvey Dent depending on the player's choices, before he is eventually defeated by Batman.
The Penguin was set to appear as a playable character inInjustice 2, but was cut for unknown reasons.[31]
The Penguin appears inGotham Knights, voiced byElias Toufexis.[9] After years imprisoned in Blackgate, Cobblepot has given up his villainous ways and starts a business at the Iceberg Lounge, however he is kept under the watchful eye of theCourt of Owls, which his mother is secretly a member.
The Penguin appears in theBatman: Arkham franchise, voiced primarily byNolan North and byIan Redford inBatman: Arkham VR.[34][9] This version's monocle is part of a broken glass bottle that was shoved into his face and became lodged too deeply to safely remove. He also speaks with an East London dialect, which is heavily implied to be an attempt at making himself more intimidating to his followers.
The Penguin first appears inBatman: Arkham City as a criminal kingpin of the titular city prison until he is defeated by Batman and imprisoned byMr. Freeze.[35]
A young Penguin appears inBatman: Arkham Origins as a weapons dealer based in a refitted cruise liner called theFinal Offer until he is arrested in theCold, Cold Heart DLC following a failed alliance with Mr. Freeze.
^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeaf"Penguin Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery",Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 93.
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