Key Takeaways
- The Penguin series builds on the rise of Oswald Cobb, exploring his journey from minion to villain in Gotham.
- A theory suggests Julian Rush might be a hallucination, akin to Fight Club’s twist, raising questions about his true role.
- Despite theories, Julian’s realness is still unclear. Viewers await the resolution of a cliffhanger involving Oz, Sofia, and Vic.
HBO’s The Penguin is one of the most exciting shows on television right now, claiming a mass of viewers eager to find out what happens next as it ups the stakes with every 60-minute-long episode. As the show burrows in and lifts the lid on some of DC’s most complex characters, The Penguin‘s Julian Rush has specifically attracted the attention of theorists who believe that the therapist might not actually be real after all, harking back to Fight Club‘s most surprising and iconic twist.
The Penguin, a spin-off series set in the world of Matt Reeves’ film The Batman, explores Oswald Cobb’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underbelly. Initially starting out as Carmine Falcone’s minion, the show chronicles Oz’s journey to the notorious villain he’s known as in the DC universe. Thanks to the help of Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar, who is Oz’s new aide, the pair have been able to infiltrate the Falcone’s endeavors, especially that of Sofia Falcone played by Cristin Milioti, who has been released from Arkham Asylum and currently on the hunt for Oz who murdered her brother. One of the show’s more mysterious characters is the Arkham therapist Julian Rush, who poses more than a few questions about what his role in The Penguin truly is.
Related
The Penguin’s Secret Weapon Is Its Pulpy Tone
The latest DC TV series feels inspired by a different kind of old-fashioned fiction than the usual comic book adaptation.
The Penguin Theory Ties Julian Rush To Fight Club’s Shocking Ending
Appearing in a post on Reddit, an interesting and somewhat controversial theory has arisen that suggests The Penguin‘s Julian Rush could merely be a hallucination brought on by Sofia Falcone’s suspected dissociative disorder, allowing for a surprising connection to Fight Club‘s twist ending, which sees Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and Edward Norton’s nameless character are actually the same person. The Reddit poster backs up this theory by saying that Sofia killed the real Julian in Arkham and, since then, the show only shows them both in one-on-one sessions with nobody else seemingly acknowledging his presence. The Redditor’s only one case against this theory being real is that a bodyguard lets Julian into visit Sofia in episode five but, on the flip side, thinks that maybe Sofia hallucinated the entire conversation, as well as the guard.
It’s certainly an interesting perspective, but as other commenters have pointed out in the thread, Julian did rescue Sofia outside the club and brought her back to his office, which would be difficult to do if he was just a hallucination. However, The Penguin does love to offer up plenty of hints and twists to its storyline, and even though it’s likely a huge stretch that Julian isn’t real, nothing can be ruled out just yet. Nevertheless, the theory does throw a valid question into the ring about Julian’s identity and whether he could possibly be a version of Batman‘s foe, psychiatrist Hugo Strange.
As for now, viewers have yet to see if Sofia kills off two major characters in The Penguin‘s episode seven. After finding out where Oz is located, Sofia tracks him down to a run-down apartment in Crown Point, where Oz’s mother and Vic are dancing happily after the electricity gets switched on, but the episode is left on a cliffhanger regarding whether Sofia will actually kill the pair or wait for Oz’s return.
Related
The Penguin: Sal Maroni’s Origin’s, Explained
Clancy Brown brought an iconic new portrayal of this crime boss to the screen, but how far back does Maroni’s story go?
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.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- Cast
- Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
- Seasons
- 1
- Prequel
- The Batman (2022)
- Story By
- Bill Finger, Bob Kane
- Writers
- Lauren LeFranc
- Streaming Service(s)
- Max
- Franchise(s)
- Batman , DC Elseworlds
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Showrunner
- Lauren LeFranc
Source: Reddit