Summary
HBO’sThe Penguinis 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 toFight Club’s most surprising and iconic twist.
The Penguin, a spin-off series set in the world of Matt Reeves' filmThe 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 ofSofia 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 inThe Penguintruly is.
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 suggestsThe Penguin’s Julian Rushcould merely be a hallucination brought on by Sofia Falcone’s suspected dissociative disorder, allowing for a surprising connection toFight 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 Penguindoes love to offer up plenty of hintsand 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 ofBatman’s foe, psychiatrist Hugo Strange.
As for now, viewers have yet to see ifSofia kills off two major characters inThe 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.
The Penguin
Cast
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.
