Theo Rossi's Dr. Julian Rush is one of The Penguin's most intriguing supporting characters; he's also a complete creep and someone with a weird, unhealthy infatuation with his former - and now current - patient, Sofia Falcone.
Rush was created for this series and, contrary to online theories, wasn't ultimately revealed as Dr. Hugo Strange. However, new evidence has surfaced which suggests he was either meant to be Dr. Jonathan Crane or at least someone with close ties to Scarecrow.
As you can see below, episode 4 - "Cent'Anni" - features both Scarecrow's mask and his syringe glove on two stands. That wasn't there in the second episode, and as the eagle-eyed Redditor who spotted this points out, Sofia barges into his office in episode 4 unannounced (suggesting Julian didn't have time to hide them).
Given the obvious similarities between Bliss and Scarecrow's fear drug, could The Batman Part II reveal that Crane is secretly working in Arkham under the fake moniker of "Julian Rush"? It's certainly not outside the realm of possibility.
Either way, a new take on Scarecrow would be fitting for The Batman Part II given Gotham City's drug problems. The last time we saw the villain on the big screen was in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy where he was played by Cillian Murphy.
Something really interesting in Julian Rush's office
byu/BebehBokChoy inTheBatmanFilm
In related news, fans are convinced that The Penguin finale was hinting at the Court of Owls running things in Gotham. There's long been speculation about them appearing in this franchise and it's interesting that imagery like this was featured in a place of power like a courtroom.
For those of you who may not be aware, the Court of Owls is a secretive organization introduced in Batman #1 in 2011 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.
Hidden within Gotham for centuries, the Court manipulates the city's elite and influences events from the shadows. They are known for using highly trained assassins called Talons, who are nearly immortal due to special resurrection technology.
The Penguin's cast includes Colin Farrell (Oz Cobblepot), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).
The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, and Bill Carraro.
Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin is produced by Reeves' 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer.
All episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.