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.
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.
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.