Spoiler Alert !!!
This article contains spoilers for The Penguin
The Penguin has been quite the cerebral watch for audiences, as the grit and realism that Matt Reeves brought to The Batman leaks into his wider mythos. While mind games and false realities have often been a part of the world of Batman, given that principal characters are often criminally insane, this might be the case for another character in The Penguin.
One of the theories that has been circulating online is the fact that Sofia Falcone’s therapist, Doctor Julian Rush, is not a real person. There is a very potent possibility that the character is a figment of Sophia’s imagination, a coping mechanism that helped her deal with the fact that her father framed her for the Hangman crimes.
There is some evidence that points towards Julian Rush being a figment of Sofia’s imagination
Sofia Gigantes has to deal with a lot of traumatic memories in the episodes of The Penguin that have been released. This is brought on by the fact that her own father framed her, probably killed he mother, and sent her to Arkham for over a decade. After that, she lost the only family member that she cared about, her brother, which eventually drove her to slay her entire family.
No self-respecting therapist would condone such actions, even if he had fallen in love with her. A good explanation for Julian Rush’s questionable behavior is that he is in fact a figment of Sofia’s imagination, something she cooked up in her own head to allow her to deal with the situation at hand.
This could be because the Julian Rush that we have seen in Arkham was actually a decent person, and perhaps the only character to have shown Sofia any sort of kindness during her stay at Arkham Asylum. There is also the fact that the character only ever seems to interact with Sofia, which is a trick audiences have seen earlier with a different show.
What does Sofia’s alliance with Sal mean for Oswald?
With Sofia Gigantes and Salvatore Maroni joined together against Oswald Cobb, it seems like the character would be in pretty dire straits going forward. There is also the fact Oswald’s mother is on the run with Vic, while his new product is still far away from hitting the streets. This might seem like it would put The Penguin in a vulnerable position, which is where he could star at the beginning of The Batman Part II. However, Cobb has often proven himself to be pretty resourceful when it comes to tight spots.
With the Gigantes and Marni families united, it gives Oswald a single target to take down, one that he has managed to cripple significantly with his own operations and the way he played the two sides against each other. With Vic’s unwavering loyalty, it is possible that Oswald and his gang might come up with a maneuver that takes the Gigantes and Maronis off the board, leaving him to take over as the Godfather of Gotham.
The Penguin can be streamed on HBO Max.
