The Penguin: Why Does the Batman Villain Waddle?

Though many of the Penguin’s campy quirks didn’t make it into his new HBO series, The Penguin, one of the Batman villain’s most iconic traits did indeed reach the small screen. It’s the Penguin’s waddle—as well as the reason he earned his nickname.

In almost every sequence in the new Batman spin-off series so far, you can see the Penguin hobbling along with his classic limp. As we mentioned in our recap of the first episode, Colin Farrell’s waddle is just one of the numerous things that make his version of the character so unique. But why does the Penguin walk that way? Is he really half human and half penguin?!? No. Obviously. But there is a reason for his famous gait—and I’m convinced it’s the most explicit thing HBO has ever shown us.

Why Does the Penguin Waddle?There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in the first episode when the villain removes his shoe. If you didn’t miss it, you’ll likely never shake the image of his misshapen foot out of your mind. Oz Cobb has had a congenital foot deformity since birth. It’s one of the most common foot disorders, and it’s dangerous if it goes untreated. Clearly the Penguin hasn’t dealt with it.

“If you have a clubfoot, there’s a surgery you can get, and often people do,” showrunner Lauren LeFranc told IGN. “So, for my reasoning as to why he doesn’t, he grew up with very little money. He didn’t come from anything, and his mother didn’t decide to spend the money on a surgery like that.

“She sees it as a way for him to strengthen himself,” LeFranc continued. “Something I was conscious of are the sort of comic-book tropes that have come before, of those who are other, those who have disabilities, those who have scars on their face. They’re often easily depicted as the villain, and I think it’s just an unfortunate thing in our comic-book history, and I wanted to try to disrupt that as much as possible.”

Just don’t call him “the Penguin” to his face. Oz hates that.