Matt Reeves' The Batman Universe Officially Changes The Penguin's Real Name
by Joe Roberts · /FilmThis post contains spoilers for episode one of "The Penguin"
HBO's "The Penguin" has plunged fans into the heart of Gotham City, with a show that focuses on the travails of Colin Farrell's Penguin. The series expands the universe established by Matt Reeves in 2022's "The Batman," focusing on Penguin's power grab following the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone in the film. But Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight won't be showing up in this series, which is, as showrunner Lauren LeFranc previously explained to SFX, focused much more on "the grit and the muck and the grime" of Gotham City.
There's certainly plenty of that in the gothic industrial decay first seen in "The Batman." With that film, Reeves, production designer James Chinlund, and cinematographer Greig Fraser crafted a Gotham that felt simultaneously decrepit and somehow alluring, frequently lit by a warm tungsten glow that helped establish a suitably moody atmosphere. Now, following the major flooding caused by Paul Dano's Riddler, Gotham is even more dilapidated and mired in tumult than ever, and Farrell's aspiring mafia boss is on a mission to leverage the chaos and claim ownership of the beleaguered city.
But aside from introducing us to new facets of Reeves' Gotham, episode one of "The Penguin" is also concerned with introducing us to new facets of its lead character. From the outset, the show further differentiates its version of the infamous Batman rogue by making a subtle name change — emphasizing how the villain at the heart of this story is both the same as previous versions yet different in important ways.
The Penguin makes a subtle change to Oz's name
"The Penguin" takes place one week after the events of 2022's "The Batman," and episode one sees Colin Farrell's mob lieutenant immediately advertising his unscrupulous and self-serving nature. The first scene finds Penguin looting the late Carmine Falcone's safe, located in a hideout above the Iceberg Lounge club. While pillaging the riches therein, The Penguin is confronted by Falcone's son, Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), who accuses him of doing exactly what he's doing: stealing from Alberto's deceased father.
But Penguin manages to talk his way out of being gunned down like his former boss, assuaging Alberto's suspicions before convincing him to sit down for a drink. It's during this meeting that Alberto mentions Penguin's full name for the first time: Oswald Cobb. After Oz tells Alberto a story about Rex Calabrese — a mobster who he revered growing up — Alberto mocks Oz for his ambitions to be remembered like Calabrese. "You really think people would make a float of your dumb face," he taunts, "and march it down the street chanting your goddamn name? 'Oh Oswald Cobb, remember him? What a guy!'"
Of course, The Penguin is more commonly known as Oswald Cobblepot. When the character first appeared in "Detective Comics" #58 back in December of 1941, he was known only as The Penguin. But a 1946 Sunday newspaper strip revealed his real name, by which he's been known in all major incarnations of the character since.
Burgess Meredith's Penguin in the 1960s "Batman" TV show never revealed his true name, but Danny DeVito's version of the villain in 1992's "Batman Returns" embraced the Cobblepot name as part of mission to win the hearts of Gothamites and become mayor. Robin Lord Taylor played a version of The Penguin in the "Gotham" TV series, whose real name was also Oswald Cobblepot. So, "The Penguin" altering the character's name, even slightly, is still a fairly big deal.
The Penguin's subtle but significant change
An HBO press release from March 2024 previously confirmed that Colin Farrell would be playing a character named "Oz Cobb" in "The Penguin," but now we know for sure that this was not just an abbreviation. Perhaps as the season goes on, Oz will adopt the new name in an attempt to match whatever status he acquires on his mission to take over Gotham. For now, though, he remains Oz Cobb.
Speaking with SFX Magazine (via Comic Book Movie), "The Penguin" producer Dylan Clark explained some of the reasoning behind the name change. Clark mentioned there's precedent for this, since "The Batman" changes the Riddler's real name from Edward Nigma to Edward Nashton. "By doing that they grounded the character," Clark said, adding:
"We had a lot of conversations with DC Comics and with Jim Lee [President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer]. They had thought about changing his name at some point but had never done it. Matt asked, 'Can I call our character Oz Cobb?' And Jim said, 'Absolutely!' So we got a blessing from the king himself. That small change of the name allowed us to look at this character in a grounded way."
"The Penguin" showrunner Lauren LeFranc also added: "It felt like in the Gotham City that Matt created in his film, Cobblepott seemed less of a real person in the way that Cobb is a real last name. He's a gangster and it just kind of felt more correct."
On top of all this, it's important to remember DC Studios head James Gunn is gearing up to launch his new DC Universe, and we know a "Brave and the Bold" movie will be part of that new project. Gunn has previously confirmed that the film will introduce a new Batman, and that Matt Reeves' films will exist in their own universe outside of the larger DC Studios continuity. So, if Gunn sticks to his word, the Batman of his universe will likely be different actor to Robert Pattinson, meaning we'll also be getting a slew of new actors playing the Dark Knight's various rogues. With Colin Farrell's character being known by a slightly different name to that of The Penguin's original full name, that will help differentiate the two, should a new Penguin character arrive the DC Studios universe.
Interestingly enough, this isn't the first revision of the Penguin character we've seen in 2024. Prime Video's animated "Batman: Caped Crusader" series actually gender swaps The Penguin, renaming the character to Oswalda Cobblepot and depicting her as a old Hollywood-style cabaret star/mob boss. "The Penguin" hasn't exactly reinvented the character in quite the same way with it's subtle name-change, but who knows where the series will go. Considering "The Penguin" also officially makes Dolly Parton part of Robert Pattinson's Batman universe, anything could happen.