The Penguin: Dr. Julian Rush has great Batman villain potential

Given Rush's dark demeanor and his medical qualifications, opinions differ as to whether he should be Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow or Dr. Hugo Strange could play. Both have ties to Arkham in the comics and both could have major significance for the future of the franchise. While Cillian Murphy played Crane in Christopher Nolan's memorable manner Dark Knight In the trilogy, Strange is an underrated villain portrayed by BD Wong Gotham and played an important role in rock steady Arkham City. It's interesting that Reeves has taken a break from his planned Arkham spinoff series, with pre-written storylines and characters potentially spilling over from it The penguin.

Reeves is no stranger to recreating iconic Batman foes The Batman changed Edward Nigma to Edward Nashton and Oswald Cobblepot simply became Oz Cobb. Others have discovered that there is a book on hypnosis in Rush's office. While it's not out of the ordinary given the methods he uses on Sofia, hypnosis is a practice that Scarecrow uses frequently. Over on Reddit, one fan theorized: “The emphasis on the hypnosis device and the rather horrific artwork on the office wall seems to point to a twisted psychological aspect of his character.”

Crane seems the most likely candidate, especially thanks to Sofia's master plan to introduce a new drug to the streets of Gotham. She had 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. As well as theories about who Rush really is, there is much speculation that Sofia's mysterious drug could be the poison compound associated with Bane or the Fear Toxin administered by Scarecrow. Despite this rehashing of elements from Nolan Batman beginsScarecrow could easily fit in as a supporting character The Penguin's main story.

Others have noted that the name Julian Rush bears resemblance to Julian Day, also known as Calendar Man, although this appears to be a tenuous connection. As for Strange, he mostly borrowed money from the Falconis and used Arkham patients as test subjects. He even went so far as to turn them into Frankenstein-like experiments known as Monster Men. It's a bit of a stretch for Reeves' down-to-earth view of Batman, but seeing Rush/Strange as a crazy psychiatrist who exploits Sofia's fragile mind for his own ends is easy to imagine. Back when Mark Strong was cast The penguinMany hoped he would play Hugo Strange, although we now know he was cast as Carmine Falcone (the successor to The Batmanis John Turturro). Strange is a character that is becoming increasingly popular, with others calling for Dave Bautista to play the mad scientist in James Gunn's DCU, which is separate from the canon of Reeves' Batverse.

Rossi has indicated that we will definitely see more Dr. Rush, telling The Hollywood Reporter: “If this was divided into Oz and Sofia sides, I'm on Team Sofia all the way… We first showed up in Akrham 10 years ago with the flashbacks, and then it's really encouraging, supportive, her doctor trying to get her to to bring yourself to be the worst person possible.” Could Rush be the real executioner, giving Sofia 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 framed as a major villain destined to cross Batman's path, it doesn't sound like Dr. Rush one of the good guys.