Summary
- Dr. Julian Rush is definitively not Scarecrow according to showrunner Lauren LeFranc.
- The tease of Scarecrow's presence in The Penguin led to an anticlimactic end for the character.
- The potential for Dr. Rush to develop into other iconic Batman villains like Dr. Hugo Strange remains open.
In what might come as a major letdown for fans of the TV show, The Penguin showrunner, Lauren LeFranc, recently cleared the air on the true identity of a particular character, Theo Rossi’s Dr. Julian Rush, and a fan theory that he might actually be one of Batman’s most notorious villains, Scarecrow.
A scene in Episode 4 of The Penguin, "Cent'Anni," teased fans with a shot of what seemed to be the silhouette of Scarecrow’s syringe gloves and sack mask on the working desk of Dr. Julian Rush, Arkham therapist of Sofia Falcone. This subtle detail sparked widespread excitement and theories about his potential evolution into the infamous villain in later episodes. However, as the season progressed, nothing of that sort materialized and The Penguin ended with the character having no significant addition to the plot. Viewers have since tagged the anti-climax to be a waste of Julian Rush and the only chink in the armor of an otherwise flawless TV show.
Dr. Julian Rush Is Not Scarecrow
Speaking to Screenrant on the red carpet of the recently concluded Golden Globe Awards—where Irish actor Colin Farell bagged an award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series for his role as Oswald Cobb in The Penguin—LeFranc laid to rest the “Julian Rush/Scarecrow” fan theory with the words: "Well, I can say he's not the Scarecrow."
For fans of both The Penguin and Scarecrow—whose last appearance on the big screen was nearly twenty years ago, played by Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins—Lefranc’s words add salt to injury. Even without the visual hint of the signature glove and mask on Rush’s desk in Episode 4, the latter's demeanor and actions suggested ulterior motives ripe for exploration in future episodes. Besides, there are glaring similarities between the character and the comic Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow), one such being that both are psychiatrists who manipulate their subjects or victims by mastering the art of fear exploitation. The placement of Scarecrow’s symbolic items only fueled speculation that Rush might be operating under an alias.
LeFranc’s debunking aids the counter-theory that the glove and mask are merely set equipment carelessly forgotten during filming, an idea further strengthened by the fact that they weren’t on his desk when the audience first meets Sofia in Rush’s office. Still, it’s hard to dismiss their presence as a mere coincidence, given the unmistakable outline of the iconic gloves and mask. The inclusion may well have been deliberate, with the character intended to be Scarecrow—or at least a version of him—that is, before a creative U-turn stomped the concept.
Regardless, the attention to detail given by the creators of the TV show is every reason to believe that Rush’s skin-deep character was made so for a reason. With him and Sofia reunited in Arkham at the end of Season 1, and plans for Season 2 of The Penguin hinted by Matt Reeves, there is still room for other possibilities for Rush, such as Dr. Hugo Strange, a DC psychiatrist not unlike Scarecrow.
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
- Lauren LeFranc
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Writers
- Lauren LeFranc
- Franchise(s)
- Batman, DC Elseworlds
Cast
-
Colin FarrellOz Cobb -
Cristin MiliotiSofia Falcone
WHERE TO WATCH
Created by Lauren LeFranc and starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin builds on 2022's The Batman. The Max series chronicles the eponymous villain's attempt to reach Gotham's criminal peak, rising through the underworld in the middle of a power struggle.
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
- Avg Episode Length
- 60 Mins
Source: Screenrant