[specialist]

The Null Object pattern is The Correct Answer (for Java like languages).

Java's Optional is a bad idea implemented badly made even more bad by bad usage.

[mark242]

Option is a takeoff of the Null Object pattern.

Option(null).map(str => str + "!").foreach(str => println(str)) is a noop.

[aarongolliver]

Yeah, the Null Object Pattern is just optionals except you have to re-implement it each you need optional semantics.

[specialist]

No. They're opposites.

"...an object which implements the expected interface, but whose method body is empty. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_Object_pattern