‘The Penguin’s Dr. Julian Rush could turn out to be a famous DC villain

The Penguin’s second episode introduced a new character into the mix. Is this character related to established DC lore?

Spoilers for The Penguin episode 2 “Inside Man” follow!

The character in question is Dr. Julian Rush, played by Sons of Anarchy’s Theo Rossi. The character appears in the opening montage of the second episode of Lauren LeFranc’s show, shedding light on Sofia Falcone’s (Cristin Milioti) time at the infamous Arkham Asylum. The episode establishes that Rush was Sofia’s therapist during her stay at the “hospital,” as we see the doctor having multiple conversations with her in a series of flashbacks when she is confirmed to be the serial killer Hangman.

Rush is still Sofia’s doctor in the present-day timeline, as her treatment continues despite her release. It is also made clear that Rush had a part to play in Sofia’s Arkham flashbacks and that the relationship between the two extends beyond professional boundaries—there may even be potential romantic undertones because of their years-long association.

To clarify, Dr. Julian Rush is not a character from DC Comics and has been conjured up by the show’s creators to add more flavor and possible twists to the crime drama. Sofia Falcone has been established as a central character, and Rush will likely be an important ally for her if the character has a bigger role to play going forward.

However, Dr. Rush being an original creation for The Penguin doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t inspired by a DC antagonist. It’s still early days, but Rush could turn out to be anyone from Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. The Scarecrow, to Hugo Strange, a crazed scientist who proves to be a formidable opponent to Batman in the comics universe.

Rush could also potentially be an amalgamation of the two characters mentioned above, with the show’s creators choosing to blend elements from different DC villains to create a new character instead of outright picking and choosing from the literature. Parallels between Falcone’s therapist and Harley Quinn can also be drawn because of the similarity in their arcs (falling for a crazed criminal and losing their individuality in the process).

At this point in the show, anyone’s guess about Rush’s true identity is as good as the next person’s. It looks like the fans will have to play the waiting game to find out if there’s more to Theo Rossi’s character than meets the eye.