Why Is Penguin a Woman in Batman: Caped Crusader?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1.

The new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader caused a stir when it announced Minnie Driver’s casting as the traditionally male baddie, the Penguin. So, why is Penguin a woman in Batman: Caped Crusader?

Why Penguin Is a Woman in Batman: Caped Crusader, Explained

Batman: Caped Crusader‘s co-developers, Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J.J. Abrams, haven’t publicly addressed the decision to make Penguin a woman. That said, it’s fully in keeping with the show’s overall emphasis on reinventing aspects of the Bat-mythos. Harley Quinn is now a cooly cerebral figure with no ties to the Joker. Harvey Dent is a less-than-upstanding district attorney before his transformation into Two-Face. Catwoman is a skint socialite who turns to crime to fund her lifestyle. And the Penguin is Oswalda Cobblepot, a cabaret-singing gangster.

Minnie Driver defended Caped Crusader‘s gender-swapped Penguin at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (per Variety), insisting the character’s spirit remains intact. “Here’s the thing: If it hadn’t been so beautifully imagined or reimagined, if it had somehow just been shoehorned in to tick some box of ‘Oh, we have to now have a fluidity around characters,’ that’s not it. The essence of the Penguin is the essence of the Penguin,” Driver explained. “She’s properly evil. She really does some terrible things, and I hope that she will be embraced as the villain that she always has been.”

“The essence of this show is quintessentially Batman,” Driver continued. “Make no mistake, and the fact that the Penguin is a really terrifying woman speaks volumes about the imagination of Bruce [Timm] and the whole team.”

Related: How to Watch Batman: Caped Crusader

Has Penguin Ever Been a Woman in the Batman Comics?

Nope, the Penguin has always been a guy in the Batman comics. This includes the various alternate universe incarnations of the supervillain that have appeared over the years. The closest we get to a lady version of Penguin are his female sidekicks, who sometimes emulate their boss’s top-hat-and-tails look. That said, there’s probably at least one reality in the DC multiverse where Penguin is female; we just haven’t visited it.

Related: Is Batman: Caped Crusader a Spinoff of Matt Reeves’ The Batman?

Penguin isn’t a woman in any other Bat-media besides Caped Crusader, either. From Burgess Meredith to Colin Farrell, Oswald Cobblepot’s always been a dude on the big and small screens. The same goes for the many Batman video games, including Rocksteady’s Arkham series. So yes, Batman: Caped Crusader‘s female Penguin breaks new ground for the franchise – which is exactly what Timm, Reeves, and Abrams set out to do!

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.