Batman: Caped Crusader's Female Penguin Explained

Minnie Driver's Oswalda Cobblepot debuts in the DC series' first episode.

By Jenna Anderson

Batman: Caped Crusader made its debut on Prime Video earlier this month, introducing fans to a whole new interpretation of the Batman mythos. One of the most buzzed-about elements of the series prior to its premiere was the news that it would be genderbending Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin — and now, we have a bit more insight into her role in the show. Spoilers for the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader below! Only look if you want to know! The first episode of Caped Crusader introduces Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) to Oswalda Cobblepot (Minnie Driver), a cabaret performer who runs the Iceberg Lounge, a floating club that is a secret front for a criminal enterprise. While she only appears in this debut episode, Driver's casting definitely caught fans' attention.

"When we first meet her, she's singing, she's performing in this great, lousy, beautiful kind of 1940s," Driver told ComicBook in an exclusive interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. "You could see the movie version of it. It's this great big show and that's where we begin and that's the hook. And then you, very quickly, see it devolve into that she is a cold psychopath, she's a really dark human. But I love that the kind of exterior is so sort of lousy and Mae West-y and has this, the joie de vivre when, really, she's the kind of killing machine."

What Is Batman: Caped Crusader About? 

In Batman: Caped Crusader, welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications. The cast of Batman: Caped Crusader also includes Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Minnie Driver, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Mckenna Grace, Jason Watkins, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, David Krumholtz, and Haley Joel Osment.

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The series is a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens of executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. Based on DC characters, Batman: Caped Crusader hails from Warner Bros. Animation, Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and Reeves' 6th & Idaho. Along with Abrams, Reeves and Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.

The first season of Batman: Caped Crusader is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Season 2 is confirmed, and will debut on the platform at a later date.

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