If you’ve been following the new hit crime drama on HBO, The Penguin, you may already be familiar with a number of Gotham’s most seedy residents. The series, which serves as a spinoff/sequel to Matt Reeves’ 2022 The Batman, features the titular gangster as he navigates the criminal underworld of the fictional comic book locale.
Along the way, the Penguin, whose real name is Oz Cobb, encounters a number of other classic Batman heroes and villains, some of whom date back to the earliest days of the caped crusader’s first ever comic book run. Unlike your run-of-the-mill DC series, however, Reeves and company have taken steps to make their iteration of Gotham a bit more true to life. For starters, some characters’ names and appearances have changed, others have new and up-to-date skills and motivations, and some even serve as an amalgam of multiple source characters.
The recently released second episode of the series, titled “Inside Man,” brings aboard a new character named Dr. Julian Rush, who has already been turning heads for many comic book fans. The name does not immediately inspire memories of a comic book counterpart. Therefore, some have been quick to throw out their fan theories on who Dr. Rush is, and what role he could potentially play in The Penguin’s rise to the top of the organized crime ladder. So, since the character is currently under a ton of examination, it seems like as good a time as any to ask, who is Dr. Julian Rush, and where else might we have seen him before?
What Does Julian Rush Do In ‘The Penguin?’
As stated, the second episode of The Penguin is the first known instance of a character by the name of Dr. Julian Rush. In the episode, audiences are introduced to him as Sofia Falcone’s therapist and close personal confidant. The man, as portrayed by Sons Of Anarchy‘s Theo Rossi, comforts Falcone after she suffers an extremely vivid hallucination in his office. From there, we see that the duo have some kind of interpersonal relationship that stretches beyond the usual ethical standards for a therapist and patient. They’re not quite on the same wavelength as the Joker and Dr. Harleen Quinzel, but they’re not far from it either. Rush holds Falcone closely and attempts to sooth her trauma, while engaging in some form of head-on cognitive behavioral therapy, which doesn’t appear to be panning out.
While Julian Rush has only had a handful of minutes of overall screen time at this point, it seems clear that he will be central to the development of Sofia Falcone. This will be seen as Sofia goes head-to-head with Oz Cobb, the man who killed her brother. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rossi explained the root of his character’s motivation, stating “I am Team Sofia all the way… her doctor, supporting her in being the worst human being possible.”
Despite his brief appearance, many Batman super-fans have already latched onto a few key hints that suggest Dr. Rush is more than your average therapist. He may in fact come to tangle with the Dark Knight himself in the franchise’s future.
Is Dr. Rush Secretly Hugo Strange?
If you’re a long-time comic book fan, you may have noticed a pattern of naming conventions seeming a little… on the nose, to say the least. One way that Matt Reeves’ Batman franchise manages to keep things grounded is by adjusting the names of its characters, to more closely resemble actual naming conventions. Before the Penguin himself was renamed Oz Cobb, he was given the name Oswaldo Cobblepot, which just seems impossible to take seriously. Likewise, most iterations of the Riddler are known under their mask by the ridiculous name of Edward Nygma. 2022’s The Batman modernizes the name by changing it to Edward Nashton. All this is to say, it’s not out of the question for Dr. Julian Rush to secretly be a pseudonym for a recognizable character in Batman’s rogues gallery.
Some fans have begun to speculate that Julian Rush is secretly an on-screen adaptation of Hugo Strange. For those who aren’t all the way up on their Batman lore, Strange is an in-house psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, known for his experimental methods that throw caution- and ethics, to the wind. The iconic villain dates back to the earliest days of Batman as a character, and serves as one of his first recurring nemesis. Strange is also frequently depicted to know the true identity of Batman through mysterious means, which could definitely come in handy if Sofia Falcone gets into trouble with the caped crusader down the road. Hugo Strange was previously portrayed by Jurassic Park actor BD Wong in the Fox original series Gotham, though the character has not made an appearance in any of the live-action feature length Batman films thus far.
Julian Rush Could Also Be The Scarecrow
It’s also entirely possible that Dr. Julian Rush could be another high-profile Batman villain, whom audiences previously recognized by the name Dr. Jonathan Crane. Much like Dr. Rush, Dr. Crane is known to utilize smoke, mirrors, chemicals, and toxins to make his enemies face their greatest fears, using his alter ego, The Scarecrow. When we see Rush forcing Sofia Falcone to confront her trauma, it seems to be in the name of supporting her and helping her to move forward. However, his methods could just as easily be employed to paralyze his foes, in theory. Audiences are likely well acquainted with the Scarecrow character at this point, since he played such a crucial role in Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. Back then, the character was brought to life by Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy, though we haven’t had a live-action Scarecrow on the big screen since.
For now, there are endless possibilities surrounding the true identity of Dr. Julian Rush. In fact, there’s a distinct possibility that the character is exactly who he says he is, and that he was created as a brand-new entity for the Penguin series. Still, the doctor seems just a little too enigmatic and mysterious to be taken at face value, which explains why so many viewers have become hyper-focused on deciphering his greater importance to the show. As new episodes of The Penguin continue airing, we’ll surely see Julian Rush again. Maybe next time he pops up, he’ll be wearing an identity-concealing costume to surreptitiously pull off a series of heinous crimes.
