Batman: Caped Crusader showrunner Bruce Timm recently explained his decision behind the gender-swapped Penguin in the series.
The hit Prime Video animated series notably made major changes to some of the iconic villains such as Penguin, who is introduced as a female version named Oswalda Cobblepot. She is voiced by actress Minnie Driver.
The character's gender-bent version received polarizing responses among fans as some of them welcomed the change while some believed that it was unnecessary and felt that it was pandering.
Batman: Caped Crusader's Gender-Bent Penguin Addressed by Bruce Timm
In a recent interview, Timm opened up about his decision to reimagine the Penguin as a woman in Batman: Caped Crusader.
He shared that they came up with the idea when they realized that there is a lack of good female villains in the Batman universe.
"[Fellow executive producer] James [Tucker] and I were talking about the overview of the show, and we said, 'One of the problems with Batman, as he is, is there’s a lack of good villains. You’ve got Catwoman, you’ve got Poison Ivy, you’ve got Harley Quinn. But it would be really good to have more female villains,'" the showrunner explained.
"And off the top of my head, I said, 'We never really could figure out exactly what to do with The Penguin, what the gimmick for The Penguin would be. What if we gender-flip The Penguin?'"
Tucker added, "When he said 'Maybe we can gender-flip Penguin,' I just got this flood of ideas. I was thinking of Marlene Dietrich in her tuxedo and Cabaret the musical and the art form of cabaret, and I just started drawing."
"I instantly got a flood of ideas. Also, I was thinking a little bit of Harvey Fierstein and Hairspray and Divine. It just was like I knew instantly what it could be."
Whether you agree with the decision or not, you still have to commend Timm and his team for trying to do a fresh take on the iconic Batman characters, and, even with the changes, they still made them recognizable for long-time fans.
Batman: Caped Crusader is available to stream on Prime Video.
What do you think of Timm's explanation? Let us know in the comments!
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