Did ‘The Penguin’ Rework an Iconic Batman Villain?
The following story contains minor spoilers for The Penguin episode 2, "Inside Man."
THE MATT REEVES Batman universe—starting with 2022's The Batman and now continuing with 2024's HBO series The Penguin—knows, with certainty, exactly what it is: a grounded, gritty, noir and crime-infused version of the Batman world. Reeves himself, who co-wrote and directed The Batman and serves as an executive producer on The Penguin, recently stated that his universe would push things “to the edge of fantastical, but... would never go into full fantastical," continuing to say that it was important to adapt the source material comics and characters, to "translate it so that Gotham feels like a place in our world."
This is evident throughout the two projects released in the universe so far. Obviously, The Batman's main villain is a version of The Riddler (Paul Dano) who is more like a Zodiac Killer-esque maniac than any previous version of the character; The Penguin (Colin Farrell) is far more like Tony Soprano than the creature Danny DeVito played in Tim Burton's Batman Returns.
But then there's the minor changes too; Riddler is historically named Edward Nigma or Edward Nygma, but The Batman changes his name to Edward Nashton. The Penguin's name went from Oswald Cobblepot to simply Oz Cobb. Which is all to say that, in this version of the Batman and Gotham City universe, not everything is exactly as it seems.
So in The Penguin's second episode, "Inside Man," when we open up with Sofia Falcone meeting with a therapist named Dr. Julian Rush, we don't necessarily have to take at face value that Dr. Julian Rush is just a new character named Dr. Julian Rush. Rush, as played by actor Theo Rossi, is introduced in a short but super effective scene that at first seems like a flashback before it descends into a clear nightmare. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioiti) is seen in her Arkham Asylum get-up when her brother, Alberto (Michael Zegen) visits her on the other side of the protective glass. She's thrilled to see him, before noticing his missing pinky finger—which was how it was when she discovered his dead body in the trunk of a car. He's then assassinated again, and three flashing red lights lead her to wake up in a therapists office. This therapist is Dr. Julian Rush.
Dr. Rush and Sofia clearly have some kind of advanced, intimate relationship that goes beyond a typical doctor and patient; he holds her closely and intensely as a way of calming her down after she freaks out from the treatment. What that treatment is? We do not know for sure, but it seems like some kind of immersive way to revisit her trauma head on... and it's something she's not taking super well.
Dr. Rush is someone who will certainly be central to Sofia's character, both in terms of understanding her, and also where she's going. But is he more than just any doctor? In Gotham City, the answer to that seems destined to almost always be yes. But we can also speculate a little bit more—as it seems like he may just be a reworked version of one of Bruce Wayne/Batman's most famous foes.
Dr. Julian Rush could be a reworked version of Batman villains Hugo Strange or The Scarecrow
Given the way that The Batman and The Penguin have reworked certain characters (like The Riddler and The Penguin), it makes sense to be on high patrol that certain characters from the comics would either be going by a pseudonym or entirely renamed.
Given the experimental treatment we saw Dr. Julian Rush giving Sofia in episode 2 of The Penguin, it makes sense that many are thinking he could be a reworked version of Hugo Strange, an iconic Batman villain from the comics. Hugo Strange is often depicted as a psychiatrist who uses extreme and experimental methods, with no consideration for patients or ethics; he's also been depicted as the in-house therapist at Arkham.
Hugo Strange has been portrayed before in live-action, though only on television. He was played by BD Wong in 16 episodes of FOX's Gotham.
Another possibility, however, is that Dr. Julian Rush could be a new, reworked version of Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as the Scarecrow. Just like we saw Dr. Rush using his red light experimental treatment to make Sofia face her fears of Arkham and what happened to her brother, The Scarecrow is best known for using chemicals and methods to put his enemies up against what they fear the most (most often achieving this by using a toxin).
The Scarecrow is best known to movie fans for his role in all three of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, where he was played by reigning Best Actor Oscar winner Cillian Murphy.
It's also possible that Dr. Julian Rush could just be... Dr. Julian Rush. "My relationship is to Sofia Falcone," Theo Rossi, who plays Rush, said in an interview with THR. "I am Team Sofia all the way...her doctor, supporting her in being the worst human being possible."
A new character could always take influence and pay homage to others, while leaving the writing more freedom to do whatever it really wants to—and whatever The Penguin's story needs it to.
Dr. Julian Rush is played by Theo Rossi in The Penguin
If you thought Dr. Julian Rush looked familiar in The Penguin, chances are you've seen actor Theo Rossi in some of his work in the last couple of decades—because he's been busy.
Rossi is probably best known for his roles on TV, particularly on Sons of Anarchy where he played "Juice" Ortiz in 85 of the show's 92 episodes. He also notably played "Shades" Alvarez on Netflix's (now Disney+) Luke Cage, and was a part of the main cast alongside Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes in Netflix's True Story.
He's been active on the big screen as well, appearing in movies like Cloverfield (which was directed by Matt Reeves), Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, and Emily the Criminal, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Rossi is always a strong, committed, and intense performer, and he's showed plenty of range through the years. We can't wait to see what Dr. Julian Rush becomes in his hands as The Penguin continues to play out.
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