The Penguin: Dr. Julian Rush Has Big Batman Villain Potential

This article contains spoilers for The Penguin episode 2.

It’s a long way to the top of the Gotham City crime ladder for Oz Cobb, but as HBO’s The Penguin heads into its second episode, he’s slowly waddling his way there. As Matt Reeves’ Batverse, which started with 2022’s The Batman, continues to expand, some of the Dark Knight’s most iconic enemies appear to be stepping out of the shadows and into this Penguin-centric story.

Alongside Colin Farrell’s titular performance as the Penguin, the series has given the nod to Paul Dano’s Riddler, made a big deal of Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone/the Hangman, and possibly given us a revamped Clayface. Episode 2 “Inside Man” mentions how crime has spiked in Gotham City, and while it sounds like Pattinson’s Caped Crusader is struggling to stay on top of it, he might have another big bad to contend with in The Batman Part II. 

The episode opens with what looks like a flashback to Sofia’s time in Arkham State Hospital, where we know she served time for supposedly taking on the mantle of the Hangman. It turns out Sofia is suffering from PTSD, with it forming part of her Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and things cutting to the office of Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi). There’s no Dr. Rush in DC comics, leaving fans to speculate that this is another reimagined villain from Batman’s colorful history on page and screen. 

Given Rush’s sinister vibes and doctor credentials, opinions are split on whether he could be playing Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow or Dr. Hugo Strange. Both have ties to Arkham in the comics, and both could mean big things for the future of the franchise. While Cillian Murphy memorably played Crane in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Strange is an underappreciated villain who was portrayed by BD Wong in Gotham and had a major role in Rocksteady’s Arkham City. It’s interesting that Reeves has pressed pause on his planned Arkham spinoff series, with canned storylines and characters from that potentially spilling over into The Penguin. 

Reeves is no stranger to revamping iconic Batman foes, like how The Batman changed Edward Nigma to Edward Nashton and Oswald Cobblepot becoming simply Oz Cobb. Others have spotted that there’s a book on hypnosis in Rush’s office. Although nothing out of the ordinary considering the methods he’s using on Sofia, hypnosis is a modus operandi often deployed by Scarecrow. Over on Reddit, one fan theorized, “The emphasis on the hypnosis device, and the rather horrific art piece on the office wall seem to indicate some twisted psychological aspect to his character.”

Crane seems like the most likely candidate, especially thanks to Sofia’s master plan to introduce a new drug to the streets of Gotham. She’d planned to work with her brother Alberto (Michael Zegen) to flood Gotham with the new narcotic, which she told Penguin would change the city forever. Like theories on who Rush really is, there’s plenty of speculation that Sofia’s mystery drug could be the Venom compound associated with Bane or Fear Toxin administered by Scarecrow. Despite this rehashing elements of Nolan’s Batman Begins, Scarecrow could easily fit in as a side character to The Penguin’s main story.

Others have noted that the name Julian Rush is similar to Julian Day, a.k.a. Calendar Man, although this seems like a tenuous link. As for Strange, he notably borrowed money from the Falconis and used Arkham patients as test subjects, even going as far as turning them into Frankenstein-esque experiments known as the Monster Men. This is a little far-fetched for Reeves’ grounded take on Batman, but having Rush/Strange as an unhinged psychiatrist who’s exploiting Sofia’s fragile mind for his own gains is easy to imagine. Back when Mark Strong was cast in The Penguin, many hoped he’d be playing Hugo Strange, although we now know he’s been cast as Carmine Falcone (taking over from The Batman’s John Turturro). Strange is a character that keeps growing in popularity, with others calling for Dave Bautista to play the mad scientist in James Gunn’s DCU that’s separate from the canon of Reeves’ Batverse. 

Rossi has suggested that we’ll definitely be seeing more Dr. Rush, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “If this was divided into sides of Oz and Sofia, I am team Sofia all the way…We first pop up 10 years before in Akrham with the flashbacks, and then it’s really cheerleading, supportive, her doctor trying to get her to be the worst human being possible.” Could Rush be the real Hangman, and he let Sofia do the time for his crimes, or is he an altogether more legendary villain from Batman’s stuffed rogues gallery? Whether he’s just a simple doctor or is being cued as some big bad destined to cross paths with Batman, it doesn’t sound like Dr. Rush is one of the good guys. 

New episodes of The Penguin premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max, concluding with the finale on November 10.