It seems that The PenguinJulian Rush is just not the Scarecrow from Matt Reeves' Batman franchise, and I'm so glad showrunner Lauren LeFranc debunked the prevailing DC idea. Julian Rush is launched in The Penguin as an Arkham State Hospital psychiatrist assigned to Sofia Falcone throughout her incarceration, earlier than creating deeper emotions for her. He performs an rising position within the sequence as he goes from being a low-level worker at Arkham State Hospital to turning into Sofia's romantic accomplice and de facto advisor as she shortly rises to energy in Gotham's underworld.
Though Julian Rush is ostensibly an authentic character from Matt Reeves' Batman trilogy, seeing as there isn't a such character in DC Comics, that hasn't stopped many theories from rising from the fanbase linking his true identification to longtime Batman villains. I don't discover this shocking, given how he ends the sequence as a way more essential character than when he was first launched. Plus, I used to be completely satisfied he was going to be the franchise's model of Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, going by some Easter eggs seen in a photograph of his desk.
Penguin Principle That Dr. Julian Rush Turns into Scarecrow Defined
Julian Rush's desk options some notable gadgets
There's one scene specifically that sparked theories that Rush would find yourself turning into Scarecrow if he wasn't already taking part in the position off-screen. This scene occurred in episode 4, the place a photograph of Julian Rush's desk revealed two seen and recognizable gadgets: a glove with needle-like appendages and a jute masks taking delight of place on reverse sides. There's some debate as as to if the final merchandise is a masks, because it's fairly troublesome to decipher, however together with the unquestionably Scarecrow-inspired glove, I discover this idea extremely convincing.
Actually, they spotlight a number of different clues. Rush's occupation as a psychiatrist mirrors Jonathan Crane's expertise as a psychology professor at DC Comics. His unorthodox strategies, nevertheless, together with the usage of a psychoactive drug to complement his work, are much like the Scarecrow's archetypal use of concern toxin. Rush is even seen utilizing deep trauma in an antagonistic approach in direction of Oz's mom in direction of The PenguinThe climax of, a tactic synonymous with Scarecrow and his villain MO. With all of this in thoughts, I really feel like the one issue that contradicts this idea was Rush's title. That was, a minimum of, till LeFranc's current feedback.
The Penguin Showrunner Debunked The Julian Rush Is The Strawman Principle
Lauren LeFanc gave a candid response to the speculation
ScreenRant just lately caught up The penguinThe movie's showrunner, Lauren LeFanc, on the purple carpet on the 2025 Golden Globes. The occasion occurred nearly two months later The PenguinThe season finale, which suggests theories surrounding Rush's secret identification and the doable involvement of a secondary villain lifted straight from DC Comics have had loads of time to marinate. When approached with these theories, nevertheless, Lauren LeFranc supplied a succinct response that drew a definitive line beneath them, stating: "Properly, I can inform you he's not the Scarecrow."
If there was any chance of Rush turning into Scarecrow sooner or later, it looks as if LeFranc's remark put an finish to that. Finally, This implies the needled glove in Rush's workplace was purely an Easter eggone thing that's not often seen in fashionable superhero diversifications. I'll admit that I used to be initially irritated by the rebuttal, as conditioned as I'm to consider that each Easter egg wants a payoff, however after some additional consideration, I feel this might really be higher for the franchise general.
If Julian Rush isn't Scarecrow, his character will turn into much more intriguing
Julian Rush wasn't cornered
Julian Rush survived the occasions of The Penguin and now continues her work at Arkham, working as soon as once more with Sofia Falcone throughout her second stint on the establishment. This leaves the door open for the character, suggesting he should have extra to supply, whether or not in Batman Half II or a doable second season of The Penguin. I stay up for seeing how your character develops, and This might have been a lot tighter if LeFranc and others concerned within the present had written it to be this universe's model of Scarecrow.
This helps make the character a lot much less predictable for audiences acquainted with Batman's DC Comics lore, however no much less interesting now that we're conscious of his mind-altering strategies.
As a substitute, Rush might now incorporate a number of different lesser-known characters, similar to Hugo Unusual, Professor Pyg, or Calendar Man. Alternatively, and maybe extra seemingly, Rush might stay an authentic character from Matt Reeves' Batman franchise or The penguin Season 2 - and that's okay, really. This helps make the character a lot much less predictable for audiences acquainted with Batman's DC Comics lore, however no much less interesting now that we're conscious of his mind-altering strategies. Alternatively, it additionally leaves the door open for Reeves to current a brand new tackle Jonathan Crane sooner or later.
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