‘Gotham: Season 2’: The Rise of the Villains

While The CW has been growing their own universe based around DC Comics characters with Arrow in Starling City and The Flash in Central City, FOX’s Gotham has focused the infamous hometown of Batman. Season 1 of Gotham followed police detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as he fought the organized crime of the city, attempted to solve the murder of Bruce Wayne’s (David Mazouz) parents and dealt with a wide range of villains pulled from the comics.

However, the finale of season 1 saw major power shifts for the villains that had been plaguing Gotham. While some met their demise, others moved into higher positions of power and, according to the cast and producers of Gotham, season 2 will see even more villains appear – and heroes to fight them.

At the Comic-Con International Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment panel Saturday night, as reported by TVLine, showrunner Bruno Heller said season 2 will be “the rise of the villains” as Gotham“starts to decline into chaos.” Executive producer Danny Cannon went on to explain that the villains will arise “when people start to feel power within themselves and don’t feel the urge to answer to morality.”

A handful of new villains have already been confirmed to appear in season 2, including Clayface and Mad Hatter. Additionally, Jessica Lucas is set to appear as Tabitha Galavan a.k.a. Tigress while James Frain will play the character’s brother Theo. Plus, set photos that surfaced before Comic-Con teased the return of Cameron Monaghan as Jerome a.k.a. the Joker.

Along with new villains, we’ll also be seeing new heroes in season 2 according to McKenzie: “As the villains rise, there’s an arms race, and the good guys have to increase their force as well.” On the side of the good guys, Bruce and Alfred will continue to explore Bruce’s father’s secrets as they build a more respectful and adult relationship.

As for returning villains, Robin Lord Taylor said that his character Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin will be fighting to retain the power he gained in season 1. Selina Kyle, according to actress Camren Bicondova, will be figuring out where she wants to stand and viewers will be given more insight into her background as she makes this decision. Additionally, Cannon spoke about Jim’s ex-fiancee Barbara (Erin Richards) saying she’s alive, but addled, calling her “the crazy ex-girlfriend from hell.” Her story in season 2 will be of “insanity, but also fulfilling your potential.”

While fans of the DC Comics may be interested to see how Tigress, Clayface and Mad Hatter will be adapted to the screen in Gotham, it’s unclear how much they’ll appear in season 2. Season 1 included many one-off villains who acted as the case-of-the-week for Gordon while those in organized crime, like Cobblepot, had more complex storylines. If season 2 is the “rise of the villains,” that could mean more multi-episode arcs for the new and returning villains.

Though it may be difficult to include so many characters, there’s certainly room in the cast. The season 1 finale killed off at least two of its major villains, allowing the show to introduce and explore new evil characters. Whether those characters improve the show and give Gotham the interesting dynamic promised by Heller, though, remains to be seen.

Gotham returns for season 2 on September 21st @ 8pm on FOX