Penguin is gender-swapped to Oswalda Cobblepot, voiced by Minnie Driver, with co-creator Bruce Timm explicitly stating the choice was made to create more female villains because the rogues gallery lacked them. Commissioner James Gordon and his daughter Barbara Gordon are both race-swapped to African-American, altering the traditional white portrayal of the Gordon family without in-story justification tied to the 1930s-1940s noir setting.

These casting decisions appear in multiple episodes, including the Penguin's prominent role in the premiere turf war and the Gordons' ongoing presence in police and family subplots. The core premise remains a traditional first-year Batman vigilante story focused on crime-fighting against classic foes like Thorne, Catwoman, and Harvey Dent, with no evidence of identity politics, systemic critiques, or lecture-style dialogue driving the narrative.

Creator intent centers on stylistic homage to early comics and BTAS with added female villain variety, not activism. Audience reactions include scattered backlash labeling the swaps as pandering, but the show maintains broad appeal through standard episodic plots without foundational ideological overhaul.