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Oswald Cobblepot
The Penguin
Batman character
File:Penguin DeVito.jpeg
Danny DeVito as The Penguin in Batman Returns
First appearanceBatman Returns (1992)
Created by
Based onPenguin
Adapted by
Portrayed byDanny DeVito
In-universe information
Full nameOswald Cobblepot
Occupation
Family
  • Tucker Cobblepot (father; deceased)
  • Esther Cobblepot (mother; deceased)
HomeGotham City

Oswald Cobblepot A.K.A The Penguin is a fictional character portrayed by Danny DeVito in Tim Burton's 1992 Gothic-Superhero film Batman Returns. The character is a reimagining of the iconic Batman villain The Penguin by Burton to better fit into the Gothic aesthetic of the film franchise established in the first film. This interpretation of the character is severely deformed and was raised in the sewers of Gotham City. He enlists industrialist Max Shreck to assist him in his plans to run for Mayor of Gotham City and to abduct and murder all of the first-born sons of Gotham City. This verson of the character has become quite influential on adaptations of the character since, and is often cited as the most recognisable portrayal of the character.[1]

Fictional Character Biography

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Early life

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Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot was born to Tucker and Esther Cobblepot. Oswald was born severely deformed and began showing unusual strength and coordinance for an infant. After killing the family cat, Tucker and Esther dumped Oswald's carriage in a drainage stream which led to the Arctic World exhibit of the Gotham Zoo, where he was discovered by Emperor Penguins. Oswald would eventually join the Red Triangle Gang and later become their de facto leader. As a part of the Red Triangle Circus, Oswald would often lure and murder children. Oswald vansished before authorities could question him, fleeing back to the Arctic World exhibit and taking up the moniker of The Penguin. Oswald eventually lured the rest of the Red Triangle Circus performers to a life of crime. Oswald would spend his time spying on the upper class citizens of Gotham City by sorting through their waste and learning their secrets, and began fashioning himself custom "trick umbrellas".

Meeting Max Shreck

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Oswald's main target was corrupt buisnessman; Max Shreck. After Carl Grissom's downfall, Shreck had seemingly become the most powerful man in Gotham. Oswald arranged to kidnap Shreck by having the Red Triangle Gang attack the Lighting of the Tree ceremony in Gotham Plaza. After caputring Shreck, he took him to his lair where he expressed his desire to "reemerge" into society, blackmailing Shreck with incriminating evidence if he didn't help him. Shreck arranged a plot for Oswald to "rescue" Mayor Roscoe Jenkins's son from one of the members of the Red Triange Gang. Oswald was considered a hero by the citizens of Gotham, except for Bruce Wayne, who held suspicions over Cobblepot. Oswald gained access to the Gotham Hall of Records under the guise of wishing to learn his true name, and the name of his parents. Secretly, Oswald was using his access to the records to obtain the names of all of the first-bon sons of Gotham's upper-class. After further winning the ire of Gotham's citizens, Oswald was convinced by Shreck to run for Mayor of Gotham City.

Mayoral Candidacy

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Oswald was eventually contacted by Catwoman, who shared a proposition to work together to take down the masked vigilante - Batman. The two devised a plan to frame Batman, obtain one of his Batarangs and gain access to his Batmobile. The two framed Batman for the kidnapping of The Ice Princess, a young model who was intended to relight the Gotham Christmas Tree at the Relighting of the Tree Ceremony, and planted a Batarang at the crime scene. Oswald caused the Princess to fall off a building due to a swarm of bats. Oswald later gained remote access of the Batmobile and took the vehicle on a dangerous joyride through the streets of Gotham. The alliance between Penguin and Catwoman fell apart after she rejected his sexual advances, which led to Oswald attempting to kill her. During a mayoral speech the next day, Oswald's speech was interrupted by Batman hacking the speakers of Gotham Plaza and playing recorded quotes said by Cobblepot during the joyride. This led to Shreck abandoning Cobblepot and the crowd turning on Oswald. Oswald opened fire on the crowd and fled back into the sewers.

Assault on Gotham and Death

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After being disgraced, Oswald reverted back to his original plan to kidnap and murder all of the first-born sons of Gotham's upper-class. Penguin sent his right-hand man, The Organ Grinder, to collect the children as Penguin crashed Max Shreck's Masquerade Ball. Initially wanting to kidnap Shreck's son, Chip, Max persuaded Penguin to take him hostage instead. After learning that The Organ Grinder had been dispatched by Batman, Penguin sent an army of weaponised penguins armed with missiles to attack downtown Gotham. This plan would be disrupted by Batman's accomplice - Alfred Pennyworth hacking the targeting systems of the birds and redirecting them to Arctic World. Batman used the Batboat to trap Cobblepot in the Zoo as the penguin commandos returned to the location and opened fire, causing Cobblepot to fall through the skylight into the toxic waste he had planned to drown the children in. After Catwoman kills Shreck with an electric taser and blows the power generator, Penguin emerges from the sewage. He reached for one of his truck umbrellas in a last ditch attempt to murder Batman but picked the wrong one before collapsing and dying on the ground. After his death, the emperor penguins dragged Cobblepot into the water as his final resting place.

Production

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Casting

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Before DeVito was cast, many actors were considered for the role of the Penguin. Dustin Hoffman was the first choice to portray the character, but the actor declined the role. Other actors that were considered included Alan Rickman, Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Dudley Moore, Marlon Brando, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Phil Collins, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Gabriel Byrne, Christopher Lloyd, Dean Martin, Ralph Waite, Charles Grodin and Alex Rocco.[2] DeVito was recommended for the role by close friend, Jack Nicholson, who had portrayed The Joker in the previous instalment in the franchise. Screenwriter Daniel Waters said on DeVito's casting, "I kind of knew that DeVito was going to play the Penguin. We didn't really officially cast it, but for a short nasty little guy, it's a short list. I ended up writing the character for Danny DeVito." [3][4] In Tom Mankiewicz's original script for Batman, the Penguin was intended to appear as an arms dealer portrayed by Peter O'Toole. [5]

Makeup and Design

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DeVito's makeup was designed by effects legend Stan Winston, who's past work had included The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, The Thing and Pumpkinhead, as well as past collaborations with Tim Burton on Batman and Edward Scissorhands. The next year, Winston's groundbreaking work in Jurassic Park would be released. The character's appearance was largely inspired by the 1920's silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. On the makeup process, DeVito was once quoted as saying, "It was four-and-a-half hours of makeup and getting into the costume. We got it down to three hours by the end of the shoot." [6] DeVito would also place a combination of mouthwash and red and green food colouring in his mouth to create a unique texture which Burton described as "a sort of bile".[7][8] Winston's makeup work was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup, but lost to Bram Stoker's Dracula.[9][10] On set of the film, DeVito was attacked by the monkey actor due to being afraid of the actor's makeup.[11]

Reception

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DeVito's portrayal of the character received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans. Despite this, many fans found the villain's plan to be too convoluted and the character "too disgusting". However, many fans appreciated DeVito's performance. The image of the character was a primary concern from parents, who started a backlash against the film citing it to be "too dark" for children. DeVito was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. The character was also nominated by the American Film Institute for their list of 100 Heroes & Villains in the villain category. Conversely, DeVito was also nominated for a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor.[12][13][14]

Legacy

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DeVito's performance as The Penguin has had a significant impact on further adaptations of the character. Robin Lord Taylor who portrayed the character on the television series Gotham cited DeVito's Penguin as a major influecnce on his performance.[15] DeVito commented on Taylor's portrayal with high acclaim stating, "I think he's a very good young Penguin. He's a terrific actor."[16] This adaptation of the character also borrowed elements from the storyline in Batman Returns which features the character running for Mayor of Gotham City. This adaptation of the character ended up being successful in this regard and was briefly elected Mayor. As well as the noted similarities to Batman Returns, this particular storyline has also been mirrored to the Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016.[17][18] DeVito's portrayal of the character was also used as a basis for the version of the character seen on Batman: The Animated Series voiced by Paul Williams. This version retains the numerous deformities seen in DeVito's portrayal, such as the flippers instead of fingers, the crooked nose and a hunch, while retaining the mannerisms of the comic counterpart.[19] DeVito has also endorsed the casting of Colin Farrell in Matt Reeves's upcoming film, The Batman. DeVito and Farrell worked together on Dumbo, (also directed by Burton), and hopes to give some insight to Farrell for his portrayal. Ironically, the film also featured Michael Keaton, who had portrayed Batman in Batman Returns.[20][21] Farrell has cited DeVito's portrayal as an influence on his interpretation of the character.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Cassada, Carol (2019-11-15). "Actors Who've Played The Penguin". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  2. ^ Marshall, Rick (2009-09-02). "Did Marlon Brando Almost Play The Penguin In 'Batman Returns'? Not Exactly, Says Tim Burton". MTV. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  3. ^ Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Daniel Waters on Writing", Film Review, pp. 67—69. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  4. ^ "Six Things You Didn't Know About Jack Nicholson". AMC. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  5. ^ "Vintage Magazine Article:
    "Cinefantastique" November 1989
    (Volume 20 Number 1 & 2)"    . www.1989batman.com.
  6. ^ "'Batman Returns' at 25: Stars Reveal Script Cuts, Freezing Sets and Aggressive Penguins". Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  7. ^ Danny DeVito, Stan Winston, Making-Up the Penguin, 2005, Warner Home Video
  8. ^ Putzer, Gerald (January 3, 1993). "Sequels are B.O. Winners". Variety. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "The 65th Academy Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  10. ^ Fonseca, Nicholas (2019-03-17). "Danny DeVito was eating WHAT in Batman Returns?". Daily Telegraph Australia. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  11. ^ "Danny DeVito recalls a monkey mishap on Batman Returns: 'He leapt right at my balls'". Entertainment Weekly. 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  12. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  13. ^ 19th Saturn Awards at IMDb.
  14. ^ "1993 MTV Movie Awards". MTV (MTV Networks). Retrieved March 10, 2016. Note: Click on the 'Winners' tab.
  15. ^ McIntyre, Gina (September 22, 2014). "'Gotham': Penguin actor Robin Lord Taylor cites Tim Burton influence". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California: Tronc. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  16. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (January 18, 2015). "What Danny DeVito Thinks Of The Penguin On Gotham". CinemaBlend. Portland, Oregon: Cinema Blend LLC. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  17. ^ "'Gotham' New York Comic Con panel skewers Trump". Mashable.com. October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Haverford, Joey (2019-10-14). "Batman Returns: 10 Storylines That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time". Screenrant. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  19. ^ Batman-On-Film Archived July 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Batman: The Animated Series.
  20. ^ El-Mahmoud, Sarah (2019-11-22). "How Danny DeVito Feels About Colin Farrell As The New Penguin". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  21. ^ El-Mahmoud, Sarah (2019-04-02). "Danny DeVito Teased Michael Keaton About Dumbo's Batman Returns Role Reversal". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  22. ^ Welsh, Noah (2020-02-01). "The Batman: What To Expect From Colin Farrell's Penguin". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2020-03-11.


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