Skip to main content

The Penguin fans think it hid a classic Batman villain in plain sight

Cristin Milioti stands behind Theo Rossi in The Penguin.
HBO

It may be a spin-off of one of the biggest comic book movies of the past few years, but The Penguin is actually pretty light on Easter eggs and deep-cut references. That said, some fans of the DC series believe they’ve spotted an intriguing pair of items in it that may hint at one Penguin character’s real identity. Fans have specifically spotlighted a quick shot from The Penguin‘s fourth episode in which Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) is shown standing alone in the office of her former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi).

Behind Sofia, fans have noted a familiar-looking rag mask hanging on Rush’s desk, as well as a glove with what looks like syringe-like fingers, two items that are famously worn in the comics by Jonathan Crane a.k.a. Scarecrow. Like Rush, Scarecrow is a psychology expert in the comics, one who develops a hallucinogenic drug that he uses to terrorize the people of Gotham City with their worst fears. At no point in The Penguin does Rush do anything like that, but the presence of the villain’s mask and glove in his office have led many to speculate about whether or not Rossi’s character will turn out to be the Scarecrow of Matt Reeves’ Batman universe.

Cristin Milioti stands in an office in The Penguin.
HBO

No live-action Batman or DC movie has prominently featured Scarecrow as a villain since 2005’s Batman Begins. The character was played in that film by Cillian Murphy, who briefly reprised his role as Crane in both of its Christopher Nolan-directed sequels, 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Enough time has, in other words, seemingly passed to justify a new live-action interpretation of the character.

Recommended Videos

It’s difficult to take anything specific away from this Penguin Easter egg. Rossi’s Rush isn’t a maniacal psychiatrist in The Penguin, but a figure who simply falls in love with Milioti’s Sofia and wishes to play a role in the construction of her new criminal empire. Taking that into account, it’s unclear whether the items in his office are meant to hint at either his own true identity or simply the existence of the Scarecrow within The Penguin‘s fictional universe.

Either way, Scarecrow has long been one of several villains that fans have speculated could be a part of Reeves’ plans for either The Batman Part II or one of its future sequels or spin-offs. This Easter egg is likely only going to further fuel those theories.

The Penguin is streaming now on Max.

Alex Welch
Alex is a writer and critic who has been writing about and reviewing movies and TV at Digital Trends since 2022. He was…
DCU: every movie and TV show confirmed so far
David Corenswet as Superman pulling up his red boot while wearing a costume.

DC is set to make a massive comeback with its lineup of films and TV shows for its new DC Universe. Overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran, this upcoming cinematic universe will undoubtedly reinvigorate the franchise with a fresh timeline filled with unique comic book characters.

With the franchise featuring iconic heroes like Superman and Batman and more underrated characters like Booster Gold and The Authority, fans have plenty to look forward to in the next few years. While fans wait for this next chapter of superhero media, here are all the film and TV shows confirmed for the DCU so far.
Creature Commandos (2024)

Read more
Fans spot chilling video game Easter egg in The Last of Us season 2 trailer
Kaitlyn Dever cries near a grave in The Last of Us season 2.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Last of Us season 2.

Things are going to get bigger, sadder, and — somehow — even darker in The Last of Us season 2. That won't come as much of a surprise to those who have played 2020's The Last of Us Part II. The infamously divisive game shocked players four years ago with its unexpected twists and relentless violence. Now, based on its recent trailer, it looks like The Last of Us season 2 is going to stick fairly closely to the bleak path laid by its parent game.

Read more
The Penguin: How Colin Farrell transformed into one of Batman’s most famous villains
Colin Farrell sits down with his arm up.

Without knowledge of the casting list, it would be virtually impossible to name Colin Farrell as the actor playing Oz Cobb in The Penguin. That's a credit to the incredible prosthetics and makeup applied to Farrell to complete the unrecognizable transformation.

When crafting the character for The Batman, director Matt Reeves focused on Oz's motivations over physical features. Reeves sought inspiration from a specific character in The Godfather.
“We talked a lot about Fredo," Reeves told Deadline. "We talked about John Cazale in The Godfather and the idea of maybe trying to give him a penguin nose or doing something to kind of mess up Colin’s face to get the sense of somebody who’d been overlooked, somebody who had this ambition inside of him, but who was mocked and who had been looked down upon."

Read more