Posted in: HBO, Movies, TV | Tagged: scarecrow, the batman, The Penguin

The Penguin Showrunner LeFranc Addresses Dr. Rush/Scarecrow Theory

The Penguin Showrunner Lauren LeFranc addressed the theory that Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi) is on the road to becoming the Scarecrow.

In terms of fan speculation, this one had some serious merit. From his psychiatric background and shady ways to that very interesting mask and glove he has in his possession, it makes perfect sense that Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi) would be "The Batman Crime Universe's" version of Scarecrow. But is that really the case, or are fans looking for something that isn't there? That was a question that was asked of Showrunner Lauren LeFranc during Sunday night's 82nd Annual Golden Globes – with LeFranc offering a pretty definitive answer. If the Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti-starring The Penguin does return for a second season (with the chances looking better every day), and if Scarecrow does appear (who knows?), it won't be Dr. Rush. "Well, I can say he's not the Scarecrow," LeFranc responded pretty definitively to the theory.

The Penguin: How HBO's Spinoff Series Set Up The Batman II

At the end of "A Great of Little Thing, we see Oz and Eve (Carmen Ejogo) celebrating Oz's new status – but it's one that came with a painful price for a lot of folks. For Sofia, it was a fate worse than death: arrested and returned to Arkham State Hospital. But when Oz heads over to see his mom with Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) to share the good news – and to seek her approval – he learns that Francis (Deirdre O'Connell) suffered a major stroke, leaving her in a vegetative state but with her eyes open. Believing that family makes him weak after a heart-to-heart with Vic, Oz murders his right-hand man, making the crime look like a murder before walking off (with a whole ton of symbolism in that scene where Oz tosses Vic's ID into the river).

But some very interesting threads remain. Though back in Arkham, Sofia appears to be under the care of a returned Dr. Rush (Theo Rossi), who shares with Sofia a letter from her half-sister – Selina Kyle (Kravitz's Catwoman in The Batman), who's looking to connect. Meanwhile, with his mother being cared for in his private residence on another floor, Oz plays out some serious mommy issues while dancing with Eve (even having her dress like his mother), speaking to her and asking her to speak to him like he wanted Francis to – that she loves him and is proud of him. But just when Oz is at his moment confident, a very familiar Bat Signal lights up the sky. It looks like someone has caught the attention of Robert Pattinson's Batman.

"That's something that we figured out early on. It felt like an elegant handoff to the movie," LeFranc shared with Deadline Hollywood. "That was always a conversation that Matt Reeves and I had. Should Batman be in our show or not? I know it became sort of a controversial thing to say that he shouldn't, but it really just felt like it was detracting from our characters. Batman takes up a lot of space. So, in that regard, it just didn't feel appropriate for the characters in our show. If Oz has now achieved a level of power where Batman is noticing him, that's really what we wanted to signify in the end."

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