Honestly, if you grew up in the early '90s, you probably have a specific, slightly traumatizing memory of a short man in a top hat leaking black goo from his mouth. That was the magic of Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. It wasn't just a performance; it was a total, grotesque commitment that almost broke the McDonald's marketing department.
When Tim Burton decided to bring the Penguin to the big screen for the 1992 sequel, he didn't want the dapper, "wa-wa-wa" bird-man from the 60s TV show. He wanted a monster. He wanted a gothic, Shakespearian tragic figure who lived in the sewers and ate raw fish like a feral animal.
DeVito delivered. He didn't just play Oswald Cobblepot; he disappeared into him.
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The Absolute Nightmare of the Makeup Chair
You’ve gotta feel for the guy. To become the Penguin, DeVito spent years—or it felt like it—in a makeup chair every single day. Specifically, the process started at around five or six hours. Eventually, the crew got it down to a "brisk" three-hour marathon.
The legend Stan Winston, the same guy who built the Terminator and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs, was the mastermind behind the look. He didn't want to just glue a plastic nose on DeVito and call it a day. The goal was to make it look like his face had naturally, tragically distorted into something avian.
- The Appliances: They used a T-shaped prosthetic that covered his nose, upper lip, and brow.
- The Teeth: Burton and DeVito insisted on teeth that looked like they’d never seen a toothbrush. They were jagged, rotten, and basically looked like a graveyard in his mouth.
- The Bile: That infamous black liquid? It was a nasty concoction of mouthwash and food coloring. DeVito would have to swish it around and spit it out mid-scene.
It’s kinda wild to think about. He was essentially wearing a 100-pound bodysuit made of silicone. Most actors would complain. DeVito? He told the costume designers he loved it because being that uncomfortable put him in the perfect, miserable mood to play a guy who was thrown into a sewer as a baby.
The Raw Fish and the "No Blinking" Rule
There’s this scene in the Penguin’s lair where DeVito just goes to town on a raw fish. He didn't fake it. Well, it was a real fish, though the crew tried to make it as sanitary as possible. Still, watching him tear into it with those jagged teeth remains one of the most viscerally gross moments in superhero movie history.
Then there’s the stare.
If you watch Batman Returns closely, you’ll notice DeVito barely blinks. He has this wide-eyed, predatory gaze that makes him feel less like a human and more like a creature that’s been lurking in the dark for thirty years. It’s a trick he’d later bring to some of his more chaotic roles, like Frank Reynolds in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Honestly, the DNA of Frank is 100% Cobblepot.
Why It Pissed Off McDonald's
We have to talk about the Happy Meal fiasco.
In 1992, movie merchandising was still figuring itself out. McDonald's signed a huge deal for Batman Returns toys before they realized Tim Burton was making a psychosexual gothic horror film. When the movie came out, parents were horrified. They took their five-year-olds to see "the Batman movie" and instead saw Danny DeVito biting a man’s nose until it bled and hitting on Catwoman in the creepiest way possible.
McDonald's eventually pulled the promotion. They couldn't exactly sell "Black Bile Penguin" toys with a side of fries. It’s one of the reasons the next movie, Batman Forever, was so bright, colorful, and—let’s be real—kind of annoying.
Comparing DeVito to Colin Farrell
It’s the big debate now, right? Especially with the success of the HBO series.
Colin Farrell’s Penguin is incredible, but he’s a mobster. He’s "Oz," a guy who wants to be Tony Soprano. He’s grounded. He’s gritty.
DeVito’s Penguin was an opera.
He was a "misunderstood bird who cannot fly," as DeVito himself put it recently. He represented the "freak" aspect of Gotham. While Farrell is scary because he might shoot you, DeVito was scary because he was unpredictable and tragic. He wasn't a gangster; he was a manifestation of society's rejection.
The Legacy of the Flipper Hands
Even though he dies at the end (spoiler for a 30-year-old movie), DeVito never really let the character go. In 2021, he actually wrote a Penguin story for DC Comics. He’s one of the few actors who’s moved from playing the character on screen to writing their canon in the books.
He’s also been very vocal about how much he loves the role. He famously said he’d return to the character in a heartbeat if Tim Burton was the one directing. Given the current trend of multiverse cameos, who knows? We might see that rubber ducky boat one more time.
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What You Should Do Next
If you haven't watched Batman Returns in a while, go back and watch it with an eye on the physical performance. Forget the plot for a second. Just watch how DeVito moves. He waddles, he tilts his head, and he uses his "flipper" hands with a weirdly elegant dexterity.
- Watch for the "Nose Bite" scene: It’s a masterclass in using makeup to enhance a performance.
- Look at the eyes: Notice how much emotion he conveys through layers of latex.
- Check out the 2021 comic: Seek out Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1 to see DeVito's own take on the character's psychology.
The Penguin is a role that has been played by many greats—Burgess Meredith, Robin Lord Taylor, Colin Farrell—but Danny DeVito’s version remains the most distinct. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to play a villain is to lean entirely into the weirdness and never look back.