Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
The Penguinwill soon be debuting on the screens, and the buzz surrounding it couldn’t be louder. Starring Colin Farrell in the lead as the titular supervillain from Batman’s arc, it has already scored an 89% rating on the Tomatometer and is being widely anticipated by fans worldwide. But while this series holds exciting factors of its own, it has also made some changes to the characters.
This stands true especially when it comes to the Gotham City mobster, who had to undergo a major change with his name as the show creators decided to rename him from Oswald Cobblepot to Oz Cobb. And, after a lot of speculation as to why this sudden moderation of the main character’s name prevailed, director Craig Zobel has finally confessed the real reason why.
Craig Zobel UnveilsThe Penguin‘s Name-Change Mystery
When it was announced thatColin Farrell‘s character Oswald Cobblepot had faced some alterations to his name and would be referred to as Oz Cobbs in the upcoming seriesThe Penguin, a lot of fans were confused. To say the least, some even started joining the dots of this to the highly-skilled assassin William Cobb, who holds a connection to the Court of Owls.
In a recent interview with Craig Zobel, who helped direct three episodes of the miniseries all the while serving as one of its executive producers,The Hollywood Handlebrought up this very question to the director to have him address if this speculation was indeed true. Answering if that was“intentional or was that shortening just accidental?”Zobel said:
I can’t 100% answer that because I don’t know everything in Matt Reeves’ mind, but I would say that largely, we all felt like Cobblepot wasn’t a real person’s name. [Laughs] Like how the Riddler was Edward Enigma. It was kind of a silly name back in the day when that was okay, because it was, you know, comic books for kids.
Apparently, the creators felt like the character, who is literally regarded as a supervillain andone of Batman’s most formidable adversaries of all time, required a name that sounded a lot less goofy and“silly”than“Cobblepot.”Thus, they settled on shortening it enough to seemingly make the number one Gentleman of Crime seem more grounded than he did with his original name.
As Zobel continued to share while acknowledging the potential criticism connected to this name change:
In some ways, I think that the goal is to just try and find a real rooted – a more grounded and rooted – name. I also know that’s upset some fans and that, I hope, that they can forgive us and still like the show, because, you know, I think it’s not a huge sin. [Laughs]
That being said, it’s inevitable to admit that the masterminds behind this forthcoming miniseries are trying really hard to get back on the fans’ good side after making moderations tothe villain‘s name that was originally established back in 1941. However, fans’ reactions to this confession seem to be anything but accepting of this change.
Fans React to the Real Reason Behind This Name-Change Mystery
On the one hand, some fans are taking Zobel’sacknowledgment of thisname change not sitting well with fans as ground to give the series a chance, citing that at least he“isn’t trying to alienate the fans for it.”Others, in the meanwhile, are anything but happy as they express their exasperation and confusion at trying to understand howOz Cobbssounds like a moregroundedname.
All in all, here’s what fans have to say on this matter on X:
Y’know, there could’ve been worse responses. At least he’s aware that this is gonna piss people off, and isn’t trying to alienate the fans for it.
We found that the name “Batman” was too unrealistic for our more grounded world. To have a more real world rooted name, he’ll be called “Man” instead. As man does indeed have a connection to realitypic.twitter.com/gMObJYzD9B
No way!pic.twitter.com/5zhGpBrTru
it is a little bit nitpicky but at least they are aware that it could possibly create some controversy and if we are being completely 100% honest it is not a big deal at all.
Fuckin’ dude named Zobel thinks Cobblepot sounds made up? GTFO.
That’s honestly a dumb name change
Honestly, Cobblepott sounds like an old money family that has lost its money and fallen out of favor with society only to be rebuilt in a criminal empire. Cobb sounds like the name of a farmer from Indiana. I supposed that is more grounded.
That sounds even cornier
Trilogy or More? The Penguin Producer Gives a Mother of All Updates on James Gunn’s Stance on Matt Reeves’ The Batman Universe
Needless to say, judging from the majority of these reactions, fans seem to be anything but happy with how the show creators and runners are dealing with a character as vast and interesting as the Penguin.
Nonetheless, since the excitement around the series is louder than the disappointment over the name change, it sounds like the only thing that could make up for this name alteration isa star-studded plot that doesn’t cease to leave fans baffledand constantly at the edge of their seats.
The Penguin premieres on June 03, 2025, on HBO.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
