In stark contrast of his comic book incarnation who prides in being a gentlemen, this version of Penguin is a tragic but mentally unstable, petty, vindictive, murderous, depraved, bitter, hate-driven, and somewhat animalistic sociopath who even developed signs of homicidal tendencies as a baby. Another new touch was his large yellow duck vehicle, which had the triple functionality of being a boat, a car, and an elevator-like lift. One visual aspect that remained fairly intact in this re-imagining was the familiar top hat.
Combined with his long dark coat/robe, the full white front of the bodysuit gave him an even more penguin-like appearance.
Other instances show him in black boots, a bib-like cloth around his neck, and something akin to a child's blanket sleeper, or the old long john-style underwear of the 1800s. Instead of a tuxedo, he wore a more Gothic, Victorian-style outfit, with a jabot as opposed to a bowtie. Where the comic version had varied between a full head of hair and varying degrees of thinning, this Penguin was bald, with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. His hands were now flippers, with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingers fused together. While this Penguin retained a number of trademarks, particularly the variety of trick umbrellas and the use of a monocle, he was given a huge visual makeover. The film departs from the traditional portrayal of the character as an eloquent gentleman of crime, instead depicting him as a physically deformed psychopath with a homicidal grudge against Gotham City's social elite. Tim Burton says that this version of the Penguin was inspired by " The Cabinet of Dr.