After DC’s hard-earned road back to normalcy, the superhero franchise has been prospering better than what the fans had imagined. From Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill’s final pitstop, a new era was born defined by Robert Pattinson’s Batman and James Gunn’s Superman. Now, Colin Farrell’s The Penguin takes over the latest chapter of the Dark Knight chronology.
With freshly baked shows and characters also come a new set of problems. No longer is Zack Snyder the wrongdoer, bringing incomprehensible visions of ruin and tragedy to the world of DC, and leaving the fans high and dry without an end to the story. The new set of problems in this comic book franchise is much more pithily constructed, one of them being: Who is Julian Rush?
Theo Rossi Makes His Mark in The Penguin
The Batman universe has always been here to entertain. From Adam West’s cartoonish take to Robert Pattinson‘s neo-noir era, no Dark Knight adaptation has ever been the same. But this time, the DC icon has sprouted a new wing as HBO’s The Penguin makes its high-profile debut with an original villain in tow.
The Penguin Episode 2 marks the launch of Julian Rush, a never-before-seen character who assumes the role of Sofia Falcone’s psychiatrist. Played by the Sons of Anarchy alum Theo Rossi, Julian Rush has all the identifiable traits and makings of an Arkham-coded doctor. However, given the absence of such a character in DC Comics, fans can only turn to the established roster of all the Rogues Gallery villains to find a connection to our resident do-gooder.
Among the many, Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow and Hugo Strange stand out as most relatable to the personality of Julian Rush. Given the latter’s brief stint in Episode 2, the fans can clearly infer a connection between Sofia Falcone’s induced nightmare where she sees her worst fear coming true and Scarecrow’s signature fear toxin. However, it is highly unlikely for The Penguin to mask the true identity of such a prime supervillain instead of flaunting it for better audience engagement.
The only possible solution is then to go back far enough to almost reach the ledge of obscurity as far as Batman villains are concerned. One such character is the Crime Doctor, also known as Matthew Thorne, a prosperous surgeon who turned to the world of sinners and crime to escape his otherwise boring existence. His exclusive clientele now involves every criminal in the slimy underbelly of Gotham.
Fortunately for Theo Rossi, the responsibility of working with Colin Farrell and featuring alongside such an iconic villain as the Penguin becomes less terrifying as there are no previous iterations to compare against or live up to. The same cannot be said for Farrell however as his Penguin takes a darker turn from the exaggerated, although faithful, version played by Danny DeVito.
The World of Comics Takes a Crowning Stand
In the bold and experimental landscape of 20th-century cinema, films were not afraid to give a voice to the unspeakable, and New Age Hollywood gave directors total and uncensored control over their films. With the eradication of The Hays Code, a true liberation of speech, artistic vision, and imagination was born that birthed such classics as Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange.
But in the face of works so original and daring, the profit-influenced cinematic industry of today is left with no scope, originality, and inventiveness but to rework the storylines that guarantee success. The best way to make that happen is to pick a successful film or show and continue churning out infinite spin-offs and remakes of the same. The only original writer/storyteller of recent times, Taylor Sheridan, has also succumbed to the same fate with his Yellowstone franchise.
In the midst of all the sequels, trilogies, and spin-off series, the one genre that fails to break our faith in the power of cinema is the evergreen comic adaptations. Worlds of science-fiction, high fantasy, magic, and supernatural powers combine to thrill, terrify, and bewitch the audience. From Iron Man and Thor to Batman and Peacemaker, Marvel and DC continue to pull fans in front of the screens while also raking in billions in annual box office earnings.
The Penguin is now streaming on Max.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
