stated "Penn is the epitome of cool - he says and does things I wish I could in real life. Full credit to the writers and producers for creating such a great dynamic character...I just hope I can do him justice." A Holy Soap reporter revealed that Penn had a connection to Summer Bay through his father. A writer for Yahoo!7 described Penn as having an "unmistakable sexual fire to him" and a bravado of not seeming to care about anything. The writer observed that this made him more attractive. The writer also called an enigma, explained that he kept things to himself and no one knew where he had come from or who he had relationships with. Penn had an "entirely devilish" attitude and he possessed a "glint in his eye" that made everyone aware of when he was stirring up trouble. Clark said that when he received his scripts he was always "shocked, excited and nervous" about what was planned for Penn. Clark warned the audience that his character would confuse and shock them, just like Penn did to himself. Clark felt that there were no other character resembling Penn in the show at the time, and he believed that he would need to research some archetypical "cool" figures such as actors James Dean and Steve McQueen. Clark added that Penn's way of being cool was saying and doing what he wants. Shortly before Penn was introduced, TV Week's Carolyn Stewart revealed he would develop a relationship with Nicole Franklin (Tessa James). Clark admitted "Nicole and Penn hit it off very quickly. The first scene I shot was on Palm Beach, with the sun setting as I was kissing her. I was thinking 'Damn, it doesn't get better than this!'" Clark opined that Nicole had an appealing sense of "vulnerability" about herself. Penn has never seen this in a girl before and so it was endearing to him. On 5 October 2010, Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy reported Penn would be at the centre of another mystery when he disappears in suspicious circumstances. After engaging in a number of "heated clashes" with Summer Bay residents, Penn goes missing and a pool of blood is found in his hotel room. Kilkelly revealed "In the aftermath of his disappearance, it will be unclear whether Penn left town of his own accord or whether there is a more sinister explanation." Meagher