Batman writer explains controversial decision behind new TV series
It’s not uncommon for characters in the comic universe to have skin or gender swaps, which can often cause a stir in the community and the recent Batman animated series is no exception.
Batman: Caped Crusader launched on Amazon’s Prime Video service and in many ways pays homage to the classic Batman: The Animated Series of the 1990s. I’m a few episodes in to the new DC series and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve watched so far.
Check out the Batman: Caped Crusader trailer below!
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In our review of Batman: Caped Crusader, GAMINGbible’s Dan Lipscombe said: “It’s smart, looks great, sounds even better, and establishes that every character is as important as Batman, while still keeping the spotlight on the Dark Knight. It’s essential watching for fans of the long-running hero.”
However, there was a gender swap that didn't sit well with some fans and that was changing the iconic Penguin villain, Oswald Cobblepot to Oswalda Cobblepot. The way I see it, almost everything is fair game, within reason, in the world of comic books, especially with the concept of multiverses and whatnot.
That being said and without giving too much away, at least from the perspective of Batman: Caped Crusader, changing Penguin from male to female at least makes more sense as it better suits the narrative of her being a parent, in my humble opinion.
As reported by GamesRadar, in an interview with the Emmys, series creator Bruce Timm and executive producer James Tucker believed that due to the Batman franchise having a “lack of good villains”, was a motivation to flip Penguin from male to female.
Now, those above words could be taken out of context, because I think that most Batman fans would agree that the franchise does not lack good villains, as there are plenty. However, they were referring to the lack of female villains.
They did mention during the interview the likes of Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman, but Timm and Tucker wanted more to fill the apparent void, hence why Penguin became Oswalda Cobblepot.
“James 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.'” Timm recalled. “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. And off the top of my head, I said, 'What if we gender-flip The Penguin?'”
“When he said 'Maybe we can gender-flip Penguin' I just got this flood of ideas," Tucker added to the conversation. “I was thinking of Marlene Dietrich in her tuxedo and Cabaret the musical and the art form of cabaret, and I just started drawin. 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.”
All episodes of season one of Batman: Caped Crusader are available to stream now on Prime Video.