The Penguin was the breakout villain in Batman ‘66. He was so popular that the producers always had a Penguin script on-hand and would shoot one every time Burgess Meredith had the free time to film an episode.
WOW.I didn't know that,good info amigo,Penquin has always been my least favorite Batman villian,never thought he was a-REAL-threat for the-BATS-either.
Joker will kill you for fun, Luthor will do it while saying youve failed him for the last time. Penguin....has canonically paid for his guys hospital fees.
Penguin's biggest strength, and the reason he's basically DC's version of the Kingpin(or I suppose the other way around), is that while he can be petty and angry, at the end of the day, he's in the game for entirely understandable reasons. He wants money and power. He's not trying to make some grand point, make the world's hardest riddle. He's not psychotic or otherwise mentally ill. He's just an eccentric gangster. Who's *very* good at knowing which way the wind is blowing. On top of that, he runs a tight ship. The only other figure remotely comparable to him *might* be Black Mask, and on a good day he's only *half* as likely as the Joker to shoot you for looking at him the wrong way.
@@RaptorJesus came to say this! In one of Scott Lang's Ant-Man comics a con says Kingpin rewarded his loyalty for doing a stint rather than out him by paying daughter's way through college. I forget which Batman story it is, but Penguin has also paid college fees for his goons saying "Rewarding loyalty by enhancing society with education seems apt".
@@RaptorJesus If nothing else, Penguin understands that if you're going to run organized crime in Gotham City of all places, you've got to *really* mean the 'organized' part to make a profit, and your employment incentives have to outweigh the high likelihood of being Batmanned in the line of duty if you want to keep the competent ones around.
Didn’t he (in the Arkham City game) leave his men to die trapped with armed Joker thugs? I believe his exact words were “Try and take some of them down before you die, son.” Not all incarnations are as evil as Arkham Penguin, but he’s always been one devious bastard
To me what makes the Penguin great is that he's the perfect example of the "tipping point" in Gotham. The middle-ground between the traditional mafia and gangs, and the super-villains who would replace them. Like all of Batman's best villains, he's a dark reflection. Bruce Wayne deals with the civilian world, seen as a loveable eccentric, while Batman engages in the super-heroics. Oswald Cobblepot is much the same. Oswald deals with the civilian world, another "loveable eccentric", with his Iceberg Lounge and almost-but-not-quite comical suits. And then there's the Penguin, who deals with super-villainy. One of the most ruthless, and yet still *fair and reasonable* crimelords in Gotham.
@@euansmith3699 As much as I loved that show, and that version of Oswald, I still dislike the fact they sent him to Arkham. Like, Penguin's whole schitck is more or less that he's the biggest name in Batman's Rogues Gallery who *doesn't* go to Arkham.
The parallels between Bruce and Oswald don't end there. Both come from privileged backgrounds, and yet both have suffered - Bruce by losing his parents to a gun wielded by a "lesser" man, Oswald by the loss of his family's social status. (It's honestly hard to determine which of the two has suffered more.) Both are former pillars of society who have devolved into monsters - but they're monsters on opposite sides of the law. Tim Burton also adeptly portrayed the shift in Gotham City from "mafia" to "circus" in the 1989 film. The Joker is memorably wacky, but his origin is very serious. While Jack Napier was always insane, he managed to portray himself as someone who was relatively normal until his body and hair changed colors. Burton gives us only a few hints of what's to come: the joker card Napier carries around, of course, but also the eerie photos of white-faced, red-lipped women on the walls of Jack's apartment. (Jack also calls Harvey Dent a "clown," which makes his fate not only funny, but practically karmic.)
I saw at least three references to Burgess Meredith in the first episode of the Penguin. Oz's love of purple(or plum, as he prefers), Burgess Jewelry store in the scene where Oz is watching Sofia from across the street, and finally the very last shot where Oz and Vic are in front of a very familiar red building. It's slightly altered but that's Mickey's gym from the Rocky movies. And who played Mick?
You left out the best Penguin actor in your lineup at the end there. Robin Lord Taylor's Oswald Cobblepot gets to touch on nearly all of these interpretations of the Penguin over the five seasons of the Gotham TV show. As the co-host of the Gothamites podcast, I had to speak up for him!
I'm fond of Batman TAS's "Birds of a Feather" with Paul Williams' underrated take of The Penguin. In this version he's not shown as powerful, but an almost pathetic wannabe member of high society...but still quite dangerous...and oddly sympathetic in a way that Danny DeVito's version never could truly pull off. Also his bits in "Almost Got 'Em" is all gold with his avian-themed scheme to murder Batman with different types of birds while rattling off many 10-cent words in the process. That version needs more love and Paul Williams always brought the gold on B:TAS.
Good video Steve. I liked how that last story's ending has an element of "Penguin's untouchable now," like he's wised up or shielded himself, unlike his silver age incarnation who is always directly involved and caught. It changes the power of Gotham in that Penguin will always be around, rather than occassionally breaking out, like the Joker. I quite liked the Arkham games version of the character, an international weapons smuggler/arms dealer and perverse trophy collector, and, despite the show's flaws, the actor from Gotham did a great job switching between weak and helpless to powerful and sadistic on a dime. You can kind of feel Gotham's influence on the HBO show
I just wanna add that to me the best penguin was the one in the Gotham Series. I really liled his first season plotline starting as the Umbrella holder of another mobboss and starting a brutal gang war to exploit everyone and advance to the top.
i genuinely let out a maniacal giggle when he rocked up to that place with a rocket launcher said a quippy one-liner and then just casually fired a rocket like it was nothing and walked away
I feel like the version from Gotham deserves recognition for Robin Lord Taylor's great portrayal and for the show's brilliant decision to cast Paul Reubens (again) as his dad.
It occurs to me now that the original incarnation of the Penguin, before they went hard on gimmick umbrellas and bird themed crimes, seems modeled on Arsene Lupin: The suave, well-dressed gentleman thief who always keeps two steps ahead of the authorities via a convoluted plan. I would’t mind seeing that version make a comeback someday.
My favorite Penguin story is always going to be his issue of Joker's Asylum, where the fine feathered fink seems to find love. But deep down, Oswald Cobblepot will never be anything more than a cruel, ruthless animal.
Burgess Meredith's Penguin and Frank Gorshin's Riddler are the two DEFINING Batman villain actors for my imagination ever since childhood watching reruns on TV Land in the early 2000s. Still personal favorites because of them
How good was Gorshin? The Riddler had been in THREE comics stories EVER (two in the 40s, one in 1965) before the '66 show. Gorshin made him one of the central Batman villains.
Fan of Colin's take on the Penguin, especially the New York-like accent, as I've read Gotham was inspired by New York City. I also like how this series is focusing on the gang aspect, rather than the super villain angle.
Maybe a hot take but I prefer the classic "gentleman thief" Penguin over the modern mobster. I think Penguin is more interesting when he's this over the top pompous criminal mastermind who, deep inside, is a bitter vengenful man, traumatized by all the bullying he suffered in his childhood due to his apperance. His "gentleman persona" is just an act to hide his insecurites, very similar to how Batman uses his "billionaire playboy" persona to hide his true self from the public.
Gotham really had a lot going for it. The writing was pretty much soap opera on drugs, but the casting, production design, music, it got away with so much on vibes. Even the schlocky writing became a feature instead of a bug. And Robin Lord Taylor was a great Penguin.
@@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout Maybe. And they probably reused the same establishing shots a lot, but that's called getting your money's worth. Just like when Star Trek shows the ship exterior against s starry background. It's a quick and easy way to make the set feel like it's somewhere other than a soundstage. But yeah, there is such a thing as doing it ad nauseum.
Danny DeVitto's Penguin always confounded me. Born very different, abandoned, picked up by the circus, a circus of crime, lived in the sewers, bit a guy's nose off. It sounds like someone wanted to write a Killer Croc movie first, before getting The Penguin mandated and shoved into the script by a studio head, kind of like what happened to Venom in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. I imagine some cigar-smoking, fast-talking, J Jonah Jameson type barking orders to the writer. "Kids love Venom. Venom's popular! Put Venom into the script." And Penguin got the same treatment, all because of Bergess Meredith.
Really appreciate this look at Penguin, just as I've been quite liking the show. He seems to have been getting a slight renaissance in recent years, with his representation as a key character in Gotham, his quite interesting portrayal in the Telltale game (rather different, but still a great version), to this version by Colin Farrell, which is my favourite since Burgess Meredith (not sure which I prefer, they're very different beasts). I'm glad, as the character has a lot of potential to be maybe not Batman's biggest enemy, but an excellent thorn in his side, and a powerful figure in the Gotham underworld.
There are very few changes that were made in the 1990s and 2000's that I liked. Turning Penguin into a crime boss/nightclub owner was one of them. That and Riddler going straight were great ideas in several decades of dreck.
For me it's incredible that, even though, as You've mentioned, the aesthetics around him changed a bit, his first appearance introduced not only visual elements, but also story elements that would stay with him to this day. Like, from what You're telling, it introduced not only umbrellas and top hats, but also him climbing a ladder in organized crime from a simple goon to de facto leader and his never-ending ambition. If you look at the TV show's Penguin (who is the most modern iteration of this character), even though the former aesthetics are gone, the latter is still present
Interesting video. I would definitely agree that Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin is near-mythical and certainly a big reason the character was elevated to A-list status. I really liked the Arkham games' version of Penguin as well. That iteration of him came across as a guy who was mostly a brutal crime lord who *wanted* to be seen as classy but couldn't quite make it stick. Although he was definitely cunning!
For me, I tried to convince folks that Penguin on the big screen should extremely resemble Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character in Mission Impossible III. That actor was also my fancast to play the Penguin, too. Sadly, we have been denied that possibility.
I love your channel so much One day "The penguin is one of my favorite batman characters" The next "Donald Trump should be locked up for the rest of his life" Its a nice juxtaposition and both styles really entertaining and informative
7:06 If I had a nickel for every time I casually heard "Dickensian street urchin" on RUclips, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice, right?
I've definitely heard 'Dickensian orphan' more often in conversation, but at least from my POV it's arguably weirder that it has *only* happened twice, Doofenschmirtz references aside.
Thanks to Burgess Meredith in the '66 movie, I can't hear a reference to the Penguin without mentally declaring something about his terrifying arsenal of "penguin gas".
The Penguin is a perfect example of how no villain concept is too stupid to work. His whole thing is being a gangster who kinda looks like a penguin and loves umbrellas. He could have easily been thrown into the pile of forgotten silver age villains. Also, seeing that early appearance makes me appreciate the HBO show a little more. They got the character spot-on with Oswald being a cunning gangster who takes advantage of the fact people underestimate him because of his appearance.
I'm a sucker for almost-redemption stories, so I enjoyed the Penguin story in BTAS "Birds of a Feather", where Penguin attempts to go clean, and almost befriends Bruce Wayne, but ends up falling back into crime as a result of Gotham's upper crust being awful people.
I am loving this Penguin renaissance. I always thought the character was a bit of a joke, but this new show has really embraced that public opinion and turned him into an underdog of the criminal world. It's awesome. I definitely hope this inspires more Penguin-centric stories in future Batman comics!
We are like kindred spirits. I'm a Democrat, a concerned citizen, a huge Batman and McGyver fan (not Trek sadly), and an appreciator of thought provoking presentation, or oration. I just want to say thank you. Truly .... Thank you. This channel brightens my day.
What I see as the two main recurring themes of the Penguin are self-entitlement and status symbols. He wants to be fancy and well respected, and for reasons that may vary, feels that it's owed to him. That he's *meant* to have those things. When he's not already in a position of high status, he will lean into the low status and make himself useful to those who have it until he can maneuver himself into a higher position, but it's all in the name of getting what he thinks is owed to him.
A recent coincidence with me confirming an appointment with a client with "same bat time, same bat channel" and them asking "what that ment" and me explaining about me, watching re-runs of the old 1960's and very campy Batman TV show after school and that being the sign off till tomorrow (for me tomorrow) for the next show... I've come to understand that I probably used that phrase because of the new Penguin show but I usta commute with a guy in the late 80"s and when I'd drop him off everyday he'd confirm same time tomorrow with that phrase to me
Your Batman content is awesome. I for one cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the Knightfall event. Whether you liked it or not, I am sure the analysis you present will be as thoughtful as usual, and laced with your trademark witty tactical snark throughout. Great stuff once again, sir.
Part of me wishes that instead of just the monocle thing, the entire umbrella thing was just Penguin trying to fuck with Batman's head and he never tried to steal anything that episode.
Ostrander had the market cornered on revitalizing villians in that time period. He had the Penguin in his Suicide Squad run planning missions for the team.
Graham Nolan never really stood out to me as a Batman artist; however, following Steve's praise of him, I looked him up online; and "Monster Island" is right up my alley.
I do like how the character has changed and become much more successful, but I do still enjoy the absurd hijinks of the old version with his trick umbrellas.
Hey Steve! Been a fan of the channel for a while. It was neat to see you also pop up over on Dollemore's channel. Hope that got you bit of a bump over here. Anyway, always love your videos. Keep up the good work.
It's interesting what basic elements of the Penguin remain the same in the highlighted stories a guy in a tuxedo who hatches (eh!) elaborate schemes to achieve basically straightforward robbery. The differences are ones of style and manner, sometimes he's more of a straight gang leader, sometimes he's bird obsessed, sometimes he has pretentions of high society refinement, sometimes he's more a background operator and mastermind etc. I always thought "the Actuary" would make a great name for a hitman, I was imagining someone who kills people in ways made to look like whatever the most common mode of death would be with someone in their demographic profile, making the death as unsuspicious as possible. Good to know that I'm not the only one who saw some potential in it. Actuaries are a lot like hitmen in that an essential component of their job involves placing a dollar value on human life.
My general distaste for the modern Penguin isn't making him a gangster, that's fine. But I still want him to, somehow or another, be Old Money. Firstly, otherwise pitting him against Bruce tends to, at best, criticize the nouveau riche, and at worst could fall into antisemitic tropes. Secondly, because if he is Bruce's Old Money peer, he actually becomes a perfect foil. What if Bruce had never experienced tragedy and, instead, just puttered away developing a number of hobbies to a degree of expertise until he just got so bored he felt the need to start animal themed adventuring? Of course, with no real purpose, he just devotes his intellect and dedication to material pursuits, petty revenge, and self-aggrandizement.
The Penguin has always been an undeserved villain. The version portrayed in the series Gotham finally portrayed him as a dangerous character to be taken seriously.
"For a blind man, you see pretty good." Wow, way to be ablest, Robin. "It's like wrestling with flying eels." That's....oddly specific. Does Batman know something about eels that we don't? Also, the casual way Batman just chucks the vase at the Penguin is weirdly funny. "A good old-fashioned flying umbrella chase ensues." 🤣 Gotta love those flying umbrella chases. Much more engaging than regular car chases. I'm trying to picture modern day Batman doing any of the wacky stuff he does in these first two comics, and the cognitive dissonance is a heck of a trip.
Penguine is actually my favourite villain, even more tyan the joker. There's just a very grounded fee with his character, a level of irony within his prrsonality and i like that
On the Super Hero Stuff You Should Know podcast one of the makers of Batman Returns said they had no idea about the Batman 66 Penguin running for mayor plot etc
Penguin feels like the only sane criminal left in a City full of Maniacs. Who needs Money if you have the Mad Hatter? But I wish they would not remove his 🎩 and Umbrella 🌂
I do think it's funny that the penguin has slowly gained a limp over the years. Originally he was the Penguin because he had a big nose and dressed in a tux, but in recent years they've had to come up with a new reason for the nickname, and a limp seems to be the go-to.
Unbelievable transformation from Collin. I had to look to see if there was another Collin Farrell until I saw the make up test. Cobblepot had some good character development in the Arkham games and kinda became an ally in the Gotham Knights game.
I'd have to put Riddler above Penguin. He actually figured out Batman's identity, that has to put him in the top 3. Hugo Strange is another person who falls into that category, but I'd put him behind Penguin in the villains department. I might have to put Bane above Penguin as well, given the significant impact he had on Batman. Hush would be above Penguin as well for the same reason as Bane if they'd have found a way to make him a regular villain instead of a one off.
The Penguin was the breakout villain in Batman ‘66. He was so popular that the producers always had a Penguin script on-hand and would shoot one every time Burgess Meredith had the free time to film an episode.
He even got 2 3 part plots the zodiac crimes and penguin is a girl’s best friend
WOW.I didn't know that,good info amigo,Penquin has always been my least favorite Batman villian,never thought he was a-REAL-threat for the-BATS-either.
Joker will kill you for fun, Luthor will do it while saying youve failed him for the last time. Penguin....has canonically paid for his guys hospital fees.
Penguin's biggest strength, and the reason he's basically DC's version of the Kingpin(or I suppose the other way around), is that while he can be petty and angry, at the end of the day, he's in the game for entirely understandable reasons. He wants money and power. He's not trying to make some grand point, make the world's hardest riddle. He's not psychotic or otherwise mentally ill.
He's just an eccentric gangster. Who's *very* good at knowing which way the wind is blowing. On top of that, he runs a tight ship.
The only other figure remotely comparable to him *might* be Black Mask, and on a good day he's only *half* as likely as the Joker to shoot you for looking at him the wrong way.
@@RaptorJesus came to say this! In one of Scott Lang's Ant-Man comics a con says Kingpin rewarded his loyalty for doing a stint rather than out him by paying daughter's way through college.
I forget which Batman story it is, but Penguin has also paid college fees for his goons saying "Rewarding loyalty by enhancing society with education seems apt".
@@RaptorJesus If nothing else, Penguin understands that if you're going to run organized crime in Gotham City of all places, you've got to *really* mean the 'organized' part to make a profit, and your employment incentives have to outweigh the high likelihood of being Batmanned in the line of duty if you want to keep the competent ones around.
Lmao he has still killed people bud
Didn’t he (in the Arkham City game) leave his men to die trapped with armed Joker thugs? I believe his exact words were “Try and take some of them down before you die, son.”
Not all incarnations are as evil as Arkham Penguin, but he’s always been one devious bastard
To me what makes the Penguin great is that he's the perfect example of the "tipping point" in Gotham. The middle-ground between the traditional mafia and gangs, and the super-villains who would replace them. Like all of Batman's best villains, he's a dark reflection. Bruce Wayne deals with the civilian world, seen as a loveable eccentric, while Batman engages in the super-heroics.
Oswald Cobblepot is much the same. Oswald deals with the civilian world, another "loveable eccentric", with his Iceberg Lounge and almost-but-not-quite comical suits. And then there's the Penguin, who deals with super-villainy. One of the most ruthless, and yet still *fair and reasonable* crimelords in Gotham.
Gotham's versions of Penguin and Riddler are my favourite incarnations of the characters.
@@euansmith3699 As much as I loved that show, and that version of Oswald, I still dislike the fact they sent him to Arkham.
Like, Penguin's whole schitck is more or less that he's the biggest name in Batman's Rogues Gallery who *doesn't* go to Arkham.
The parallels between Bruce and Oswald don't end there. Both come from privileged backgrounds, and yet both have suffered - Bruce by losing his parents to a gun wielded by a "lesser" man, Oswald by the loss of his family's social status. (It's honestly hard to determine which of the two has suffered more.) Both are former pillars of society who have devolved into monsters - but they're monsters on opposite sides of the law.
Tim Burton also adeptly portrayed the shift in Gotham City from "mafia" to "circus" in the 1989 film. The Joker is memorably wacky, but his origin is very serious. While Jack Napier was always insane, he managed to portray himself as someone who was relatively normal until his body and hair changed colors. Burton gives us only a few hints of what's to come: the joker card Napier carries around, of course, but also the eerie photos of white-faced, red-lipped women on the walls of Jack's apartment. (Jack also calls Harvey Dent a "clown," which makes his fate not only funny, but practically karmic.)
A lot of Batman villains are just gangsters with theming.
I saw at least three references to Burgess Meredith in the first episode of the Penguin. Oz's love of purple(or plum, as he prefers), Burgess Jewelry store in the scene where Oz is watching Sofia from across the street, and finally the very last shot where Oz and Vic are in front of a very familiar red building. It's slightly altered but that's Mickey's gym from the Rocky movies. And who played Mick?
You left out the best Penguin actor in your lineup at the end there. Robin Lord Taylor's Oswald Cobblepot gets to touch on nearly all of these interpretations of the Penguin over the five seasons of the Gotham TV show. As the co-host of the Gothamites podcast, I had to speak up for him!
I agree , he was great. All the villians were tremendous on Gotham
The idea of a villain leaving fake clues so the hero can come up with a caper for them is an amazing idea to me!
I'm fond of Batman TAS's "Birds of a Feather" with Paul Williams' underrated take of The Penguin. In this version he's not shown as powerful, but an almost pathetic wannabe member of high society...but still quite dangerous...and oddly sympathetic in a way that Danny DeVito's version never could truly pull off. Also his bits in "Almost Got 'Em" is all gold with his avian-themed scheme to murder Batman with different types of birds while rattling off many 10-cent words in the process. That version needs more love and Paul Williams always brought the gold on B:TAS.
I still occasionally think about the Bat-Man comic where Penguin crashes a museum event, riding on a mechanical pterodactyl.
As one does.
Good video Steve. I liked how that last story's ending has an element of "Penguin's untouchable now," like he's wised up or shielded himself, unlike his silver age incarnation who is always directly involved and caught. It changes the power of Gotham in that Penguin will always be around, rather than occassionally breaking out, like the Joker.
I quite liked the Arkham games version of the character, an international weapons smuggler/arms dealer and perverse trophy collector, and, despite the show's flaws, the actor from Gotham did a great job switching between weak and helpless to powerful and sadistic on a dime. You can kind of feel Gotham's influence on the HBO show
"and a good old-fashioned flying umbrella chase ensues."
There's a phrase I didn't think I'd hear today.
I weirdly earned two nickels today.
I just wanna add that to me the best penguin was the one in the Gotham Series. I really liled his first season plotline starting as the Umbrella holder of another mobboss and starting a brutal gang war to exploit everyone and advance to the top.
i genuinely let out a maniacal giggle when he rocked up to that place with a rocket launcher said a quippy one-liner and then just casually fired a rocket like it was nothing and walked away
@@sinswhisper9588 Also Butch is a best buddy!
He got his kneecaps busted in the pilot episode... which is why he waddled like a penguin!
I feel like the version from Gotham deserves recognition for Robin Lord Taylor's great portrayal and for the show's brilliant decision to cast Paul Reubens (again) as his dad.
That panel of Batman grinning with a twinkle in his eye at 23:43 is so good
In Batman Returns, when Penguin is running for Mayor the advertising tries to make him look more like Burgess Meredith.
Insofar as Batman's villains represent aspects of his shadow, the Penguin represents his role as president and CEO of Wayne Enterprises
It occurs to me now that the original incarnation of the Penguin, before they went hard on gimmick umbrellas and bird themed crimes, seems modeled on Arsene Lupin: The suave, well-dressed gentleman thief who always keeps two steps ahead of the authorities via a convoluted plan. I would’t mind seeing that version make a comeback someday.
I love the look of those old comics
Username and image check out 😄👍
I want a gritty version of Batman punching random umbrellas with no other bad guys around
My favorite Penguin story is always going to be his issue of Joker's Asylum, where the fine feathered fink seems to find love. But deep down, Oswald Cobblepot will never be anything more than a cruel, ruthless animal.
Oswald killing the gangster boss reminds me of how the Joker kills Carl Grissom in the 1989 movie .
I’m gonna join the choir and say I miss when the Penguin actually looked a bit like a penguin
he still does, now. In the comics. Just not the Robert DeNiro/Tony Soprano "version" in the tv show
@@robinmohamedally7587 which is the version most people talk about. Shame they’re not letting Batman characters be weird anymore
Burgess Meredith's Penguin and Frank Gorshin's Riddler are the two DEFINING Batman villain actors for my imagination ever since childhood watching reruns on TV Land in the early 2000s. Still personal favorites because of them
Totally agree, though I also put Cesar Romero's Joker up there. Props to a man who refused to shave his moustache and instead just had makeup over it.
How good was Gorshin? The Riddler had been in THREE comics stories EVER (two in the 40s, one in 1965) before the '66 show. Gorshin made him one of the central Batman villains.
@@Tuaron 😂 I was about to say that!
@@michaelramon2411 Gorshin came back to voice other characters, too, in the animated DC's
How could you not mention ma boy, Robin Lord Taylor?
His portrayal of the character on _Gotham_ made half the show!
I hope this is not a case of Steve looking down his nose at Gotham... the way he does at Lower Decks and Robin Hood: Men In Tights!
When written right, he's both. The contrast isn't as stark as you wishing it is
Fan of Colin's take on the Penguin, especially the New York-like accent, as I've read Gotham was inspired by New York City. I also like how this series is focusing on the gang aspect, rather than the super villain angle.
Danny DeVito was an incredible Penguin
He played the role that was written for him very well. That role was a bad adaptation of the character, but he still acted the hell out of it.
Two videos in one day?! What a joyous day!
Maybe a hot take but I prefer the classic "gentleman thief" Penguin over the modern mobster. I think Penguin is more interesting when he's this over the top pompous criminal mastermind who, deep inside, is a bitter vengenful man, traumatized by all the bullying he suffered in his childhood due to his apperance. His "gentleman persona" is just an act to hide his insecurites, very similar to how Batman uses his "billionaire playboy" persona to hide his true self from the public.
Woke up this morning
Got yourself a bird...
I didn't know how much I needed a panel of Robin punching an umbrella.
I think if I had to pick one word to define Pengun's core character, it would be "petty". Dude is always just super petty.
People gotta stop leaving Robin Lord Taylor out of the conversation.
Best... Penguin... ever!
Gotham really had a lot going for it. The writing was pretty much soap opera on drugs, but the casting, production design, music, it got away with so much on vibes. Even the schlocky writing became a feature instead of a bug. And Robin Lord Taylor was a great Penguin.
@@Swenglish Totally agree! But...could've used fewer tracking shots over the city.
@@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout Maybe. And they probably reused the same establishing shots a lot, but that's called getting your money's worth. Just like when Star Trek shows the ship exterior against s starry background. It's a quick and easy way to make the set feel like it's somewhere other than a soundstage. But yeah, there is such a thing as doing it ad nauseum.
BURGESS MEREDITH is why I know Penguin & Grumpier Old Men ... the outtakes from Grumpier Old Men is on RUclips 😂 🤣🤣😅
yes my boy, i love him so, in all his forms, “waaaah waaah waaahh!” burgess meredith penguin laugh
I kind of liked the Penguin in _Gotham._
"Dickensian street urchin" lol
Danny DeVitto's Penguin always confounded me. Born very different, abandoned, picked up by the circus, a circus of crime, lived in the sewers, bit a guy's nose off. It sounds like someone wanted to write a Killer Croc movie first, before getting The Penguin mandated and shoved into the script by a studio head, kind of like what happened to Venom in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. I imagine some cigar-smoking, fast-talking, J Jonah Jameson type barking orders to the writer. "Kids love Venom. Venom's popular! Put Venom into the script." And Penguin got the same treatment, all because of Bergess Meredith.
Really appreciate this look at Penguin, just as I've been quite liking the show. He seems to have been getting a slight renaissance in recent years, with his representation as a key character in Gotham, his quite interesting portrayal in the Telltale game (rather different, but still a great version), to this version by Colin Farrell, which is my favourite since Burgess Meredith (not sure which I prefer, they're very different beasts). I'm glad, as the character has a lot of potential to be maybe not Batman's biggest enemy, but an excellent thorn in his side, and a powerful figure in the Gotham underworld.
There are very few changes that were made in the 1990s and 2000's that I liked. Turning Penguin into a crime boss/nightclub owner was one of them. That and Riddler going straight were great ideas in several decades of dreck.
For me it's incredible that, even though, as You've mentioned, the aesthetics around him changed a bit, his first appearance introduced not only visual elements, but also story elements that would stay with him to this day. Like, from what You're telling, it introduced not only umbrellas and top hats, but also him climbing a ladder in organized crime from a simple goon to de facto leader and his never-ending ambition. If you look at the TV show's Penguin (who is the most modern iteration of this character), even though the former aesthetics are gone, the latter is still present
I HAD NO IDEA Clash of the Titans came out in 1981 A.D. ⚔️ 🗡️ I thought it was as old as Jason & The Argonauts!
No comment about Robin Lord Taylor's take on him in "Gotham"?
Interesting video. I would definitely agree that Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin is near-mythical and certainly a big reason the character was elevated to A-list status.
I really liked the Arkham games' version of Penguin as well. That iteration of him came across as a guy who was mostly a brutal crime lord who *wanted* to be seen as classy but couldn't quite make it stick. Although he was definitely cunning!
For me, I tried to convince folks that Penguin on the big screen should extremely resemble Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character in Mission Impossible III. That actor was also my fancast to play the Penguin, too. Sadly, we have been denied that possibility.
Oooh, that's a solid choice and a good idea about the character. Sad we won't see it (nobody make an AI version, I don't want that).
Old Penguin's trick umbrellas gimmick reminds me of Green Arrow's trick arrows. The fact that both have old money backgrounds is another similarity.
i know this is a divisive choice but i enjoyed The Penguin's portrayal in the Gotham tv series
I love your channel so much
One day "The penguin is one of my favorite batman characters"
The next "Donald Trump should be locked up for the rest of his life"
Its a nice juxtaposition and both styles really entertaining and informative
7:06 If I had a nickel for every time I casually heard "Dickensian street urchin" on RUclips, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice, right?
I've definitely heard 'Dickensian orphan' more often in conversation, but at least from my POV it's arguably weirder that it has *only* happened twice, Doofenschmirtz references aside.
Thanks to Burgess Meredith in the '66 movie, I can't hear a reference to the Penguin without mentally declaring something about his terrifying arsenal of "penguin gas".
I like the touch of the new penguin is based out of Burgess Jewelry Store
The Penguin is a perfect example of how no villain concept is too stupid to work. His whole thing is being a gangster who kinda looks like a penguin and loves umbrellas. He could have easily been thrown into the pile of forgotten silver age villains.
Also, seeing that early appearance makes me appreciate the HBO show a little more. They got the character spot-on with Oswald being a cunning gangster who takes advantage of the fact people underestimate him because of his appearance.
I'm a sucker for almost-redemption stories, so I enjoyed the Penguin story in BTAS "Birds of a Feather", where Penguin attempts to go clean, and almost befriends Bruce Wayne, but ends up falling back into crime as a result of Gotham's upper crust being awful people.
I am loving this Penguin renaissance. I always thought the character was a bit of a joke, but this new show has really embraced that public opinion and turned him into an underdog of the criminal world. It's awesome. I definitely hope this inspires more Penguin-centric stories in future Batman comics!
While he's not quite as bird like as Burgess Meredith or Danny Devito's Penguin, I think Paul Williams take on the character is VERY underrated.
We are like kindred spirits. I'm a Democrat, a concerned citizen, a huge Batman and McGyver fan (not Trek sadly), and an appreciator of thought provoking presentation, or oration.
I just want to say thank you. Truly .... Thank you. This channel brightens my day.
What I see as the two main recurring themes of the Penguin are self-entitlement and status symbols. He wants to be fancy and well respected, and for reasons that may vary, feels that it's owed to him. That he's *meant* to have those things. When he's not already in a position of high status, he will lean into the low status and make himself useful to those who have it until he can maneuver himself into a higher position, but it's all in the name of getting what he thinks is owed to him.
A recent coincidence with me confirming an appointment with a client with "same bat time, same bat channel" and them asking "what that ment" and me explaining about me, watching re-runs of the old 1960's and very campy Batman TV show after school and that being the sign off till tomorrow (for me tomorrow) for the next show... I've come to understand that I probably used that phrase because of the new Penguin show but I usta commute with a guy in the late 80"s and when I'd drop him off everyday he'd confirm same time tomorrow with that phrase to me
No mention of the best Penguin, Robin Lord Taylor.
Your Batman content is awesome. I for one cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the Knightfall event. Whether you liked it or not, I am sure the analysis you present will be as thoughtful as usual, and laced with your trademark witty tactical snark throughout. Great stuff once again, sir.
Speaking as a Brit, it's perfectly acceptable to parody an accent from a country that has done colonialism, and Italy did occupy Ethiopia
Im glad someone is discussing this!
Part of me wishes that instead of just the monocle thing, the entire umbrella thing was just Penguin trying to fuck with Batman's head and he never tried to steal anything that episode.
Ostrander had the market cornered on revitalizing villians in that time period. He had the Penguin in his Suicide Squad run planning missions for the team.
Graham Nolan never really stood out to me as a Batman artist; however, following Steve's praise of him, I looked him up online; and "Monster Island" is right up my alley.
I do like how the character has changed and become much more successful, but I do still enjoy the absurd hijinks of the old version with his trick umbrellas.
Steve is funny. I’m not super into comics but his narrations keep me interested and invested
I am enjoying this series 👏 👏
Wait a minute, you're not Huggbees!
Hey Steve! Been a fan of the channel for a while. It was neat to see you also pop up over on Dollemore's channel. Hope that got you bit of a bump over here. Anyway, always love your videos. Keep up the good work.
I can't wait to hear your review of the new Joker movie.
As a former Peter David fan (I'm not crazy about his latest work but I loved it in the 90s) I loved the referece.
I'm still sad he's not involved in the new 2099 books, they were his babies at one point, and the world just doesn't work that well without him.
I always said I enjoyed Danny DeVito's, interpretation of Killer Croc as the penguin to be, uh, Interesting, and inspirational
It's interesting what basic elements of the Penguin remain the same in the highlighted stories a guy in a tuxedo who hatches (eh!) elaborate schemes to achieve basically straightforward robbery. The differences are ones of style and manner, sometimes he's more of a straight gang leader, sometimes he's bird obsessed, sometimes he has pretentions of high society refinement, sometimes he's more a background operator and mastermind etc.
I always thought "the Actuary" would make a great name for a hitman, I was imagining someone who kills people in ways made to look like whatever the most common mode of death would be with someone in their demographic profile, making the death as unsuspicious as possible. Good to know that I'm not the only one who saw some potential in it. Actuaries are a lot like hitmen in that an essential component of their job involves placing a dollar value on human life.
My general distaste for the modern Penguin isn't making him a gangster, that's fine. But I still want him to, somehow or another, be Old Money. Firstly, otherwise pitting him against Bruce tends to, at best, criticize the nouveau riche, and at worst could fall into antisemitic tropes. Secondly, because if he is Bruce's Old Money peer, he actually becomes a perfect foil. What if Bruce had never experienced tragedy and, instead, just puttered away developing a number of hobbies to a degree of expertise until he just got so bored he felt the need to start animal themed adventuring? Of course, with no real purpose, he just devotes his intellect and dedication to material pursuits, petty revenge, and self-aggrandizement.
This was hilarious. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Thank you. And yes, I am enjoying the Colin Farrell Penguin series.
Gotham's penguin was also a gangster & was my introduction to that version of him. He also had a limp to give him the Penguin name.
The Penguin has always been an undeserved villain. The version portrayed in the series Gotham finally portrayed him as a dangerous character to be taken seriously.
"For a blind man, you see pretty good." Wow, way to be ablest, Robin.
"It's like wrestling with flying eels." That's....oddly specific. Does Batman know something about eels that we don't? Also, the casual way Batman just chucks the vase at the Penguin is weirdly funny.
"A good old-fashioned flying umbrella chase ensues." 🤣 Gotta love those flying umbrella chases. Much more engaging than regular car chases.
I'm trying to picture modern day Batman doing any of the wacky stuff he does in these first two comics, and the cognitive dissonance is a heck of a trip.
Penguine is actually my favourite villain, even more tyan the joker. There's just a very grounded fee with his character, a level of irony within his prrsonality and i like that
Colin F is doing the character justice
gritty,ruthless,cutthroat and low key hilarious
BEYOND THE WHITE KNIGHT, and CURSE OF THE WHITE KNIGHT are huge parts of Azreal's legacy
Nothing to say of Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin?
On the Super Hero Stuff You Should Know podcast one of the makers of Batman Returns said they had no idea about the Batman 66 Penguin running for mayor plot etc
Waak, waak, waak.
I never knew that Copplepot is Afrikaans?!
Penguin feels like the only sane criminal left in a City full of Maniacs. Who needs Money if you have the Mad Hatter? But I wish they would not remove his 🎩 and Umbrella 🌂
I do think it's funny that the penguin has slowly gained a limp over the years. Originally he was the Penguin because he had a big nose and dressed in a tux, but in recent years they've had to come up with a new reason for the nickname, and a limp seems to be the go-to.
Unbelievable transformation from Collin. I had to look to see if there was another Collin Farrell until I saw the make up test. Cobblepot had some good character development in the Arkham games and kinda became an ally in the Gotham Knights game.
Enjoyed your recap.
As far as I am concerned Burgess Meredith is the one and only Penguin!!!!
I love this channel,I couldn’t disagree more politically but you’re a kindred spirit
BTAS actually gave The Penguin a certain amount of Dignity and Now HBO has made him into a Tony Soprano figure on the lower level side
I was thinking the second guy was the inspiration for Father Guido Sartucci.
This video makes me want to pick up those omnibus reprints of this golden age era
I have a lot of fun reading Batman comics of the Dixon/Nolan era.
In defense of the penguin makeover, who on earth are we gonna get to play Danny devito as the penguin?
My first impression on seeing the new Penguin was "Hey, is that Tony Soprano? He looks rough." 😁
Ah, a comic book history lesson, I approve
The Actuary: the most unassumingly deadly supervillain you've never heard of.
Neat.
Pengy always a good villain. I loved Merediths version but the modern crime boss works best.
Joker is Batman's greatest enemy. Nothing will change that. Penguin is third. Ras Al Ghul is second... 🐧 😏
I'd have to put Riddler above Penguin. He actually figured out Batman's identity, that has to put him in the top 3. Hugo Strange is another person who falls into that category, but I'd put him behind Penguin in the villains department. I might have to put Bane above Penguin as well, given the significant impact he had on Batman. Hush would be above Penguin as well for the same reason as Bane if they'd have found a way to make him a regular villain instead of a one off.