Archive · 23 Aug 2025
Penguin Removed from 'Birds of Prey' at Director's Request
Initially, 'Birds of Prey' was going to have Penguin as the villain.
But Matt Reeves, who is making a 'Batman' movie, wanted to use Penguin.
Because of this, the writers swapped Penguin for Black Mask in 'Birds of Prey', which starred Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
The change was discussed by Robbie in an interview.
Birds of Prey is based on DC comics and a spin-off of 'Suicide Squad'.
Margot Robbie revealed Penguin was initially planned as the villain in 'Birds of Prey'.
Matt Reeves, director of 'The Batman', requested Penguin not be used in 'Birds of Prey'.
The villain was changed to Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor.
The film 'Birds of Prey' was released in 2020.
Birds of Prey is based on DC comics and a spin-off of 'Suicide Squad'.
- Who
- Margot Robbie and Matt Reeves.
- What
- Penguin was originally planned to be the villain in 'Birds of Prey', but was changed to Black Mask.
- When
- The information was shared in an interview with Margot Robbie.
- Where
- N/A
- Why
- Matt Reeves wanted to use Penguin in 'The Batman'.
- Movie
- Birds of Prey
- Original Villain
- Penguin
- Final Villain
- Black Mask
- Director (The Batman)
- Matt Reeves
- Harley Quinn Actress
- Margot Robbie
- Release Year
- 2020
Sources
Margot Robbie Reveals Matt Reeves Stopped ‘Birds of Prey’ From Featuring Penguin: “So We Swapped It”
Villain in 'Birds of Prey' was swapped, says Margot Robbie, says Initial draft had Penguin - Telegraph India