Colin Farrell is back as Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin, in the new limited series spin-off from Matt Reeves blockbuster The Batman. is set to premiere September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO, and fans might be wondering what they need to watch in preparation before they get streaming.
Set in betweenThe Batmanand the upcomingThe Batman Part II, The Penguin charts therise of Penguinthrough the ranks of Gotham City’s underworld, as he seizes power, faces off against other mob bosses, and contends with late mobster Carmine Falcone’s psychopathic serial killer daughter Sofia, recently released from Arkham Asylum. Rounding out the cast for the show are:
Cristin Miliotias Sofia Falcone
Clancy Brownas Salvatore Maroni
Michael Zegenas Alberto Falcone
Michael Kellyas Johnny Vitti
Though this list is not exhaustive, these are some of the best on-screen depictions of the Penguin
The Penguin
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1The Batman
Matt Reeves' dark and stylish 2022 blockbuster sets the stage
The Batman
In terms of story and universe, the only thing people interested in The Penguin truly need to check out beforehand is director Matt Reeves' 2022 blockbuster The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. Along with marking the first appearance of Farrell in the role of Oswald Cobblepot, the new series takes place just one week after the events of The Batman, in which mob boss Carmine Falcone was killed and Gotham City was plunged into chaos after the Riddler and his henchmen blew up the levees and flooded the city. Amid all that chaos, the Penguin sees an opportunity to rise through the ranks of the underworld to take over Gotham from the city’s other crime bosses. Even if you’ve already seen The Batman, it will be worth streaming it again as a refresher before The Penguin premieres.
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2Batman Returns
Tim Burton’s superhero masterpiece paints a very different picture of the Penguin
Batman Returns
While it’s not connected to Matt Reeves' Batman universe at all, director Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel Batman Returns is necessary viewing for anyone interested in seeing a unique take on the character of the Penguin. Danny DeVito stars as Oswald Cobblepot in the film, and rather than just being a regular crime boss as in previous iterations of the character, Burton gave him a more fantastical background. The child of a couple of wealthy Gotham socialites, little Oswald is born deformed and unloved, and is discarded as a baby in the city’s sewers. He grows up there, underground, surrounded by penguins who escaped from the zoo. Appearing extremely pale, with flippers for hands, very sharp teeth and a taste for raw fish, Peguin begins wreaking havoc in Gotham by attempting to take over the city’s political apparatus. For many people of that generation, Burton’s version of the Penguin is the one they know best, often leaving them surprised when getting to other Batman stories and discovering the character is merely a mobster.
The Penguin release date revealed alongside new trailer and connection to Batman Part II
The Penguin will premiere on Thursday, August 10, 2025 on both HBO and Max.
3Batman: The Animated Series, “Almost Got ‘Im”
Penguin at his most classic
Batman The Animated Series
For anyone interested in seeing an iteration of the Penguin that’s closest to the classic comics, the episode “Almost Got ‘Im” fromBatman: The Animated Seriesis the best place to look. Though Penguin never got an episode fully centered on him in the series, in this episode, he and other Gotham City villains share their stories about the times they almost got the Batman.
It’s a short, funny story, but perfectly encapsulates the comic book energy of the character, with all his verbose, elitist style.
In his story, the Penguin tells of how he lured Batman into his Aviary of Doom to attack him with poisonous hummingbirds. When that didn’t work, Penguin had a giant cassowary go after the Dark Knight, but he managed to stab the huge bird with one of the poisonous hummingbirds’ beaks. While the Penguin tried to escape in his iconic umbrella chopper, Batman managed to capture him. It’s a short, funny story, but perfectly encapsulates the comic book energy of the character, with all his verbose, elitist style, in contrast with the much more realistic and serious approach taken in The Batman and The Penguin.
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4Batman ‘66
Burgess Meredith set the template for decades to come
Batman (1966)
If you really want to dive into Penguin history onscreen, the best starting place is in the ’60s series Batman, starring Adam West, with Burgess Meredith playing the iconic Oswald Cobblepot. Styled very muchlike the comic books, with purple top hat and bowtie, a long cigarette holder, and a monacle to complete the look, Meredith’s take on the character, right down to his upper crust British accent, set the template for the character for decades to come. Even Batman: The Animated Series originally seemed to take most of its influence on the character from Meredith’s great, campy portrayal. Throughout the ’60s series, Batman regularly faced off against the Penguin’s various outlandish criminal schemes, all with great fun for audiences.
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