It may have taken a while, but Gotham eventually became something close to a comic accurate Batman series in its final season. Throughout its five season run, Gotham has made no bones about deviating from established canon. Whether it’s Bane and Jim Gordon being old pals, Penguin having a romantic interest in the Riddler, or the show’s unique interpretation of Joker, Gotham took a loose approach to adapting its source material.

More often than not, these changes worked to Gotham’s advantage, or were at least understandable, and usually helped to bring familiar Batman stories and characters into the show’s pre-Batman setting. However, the inherent problem with prequels is that viewers know exactly where the story and its characters will wind up come the end of the final episode, and anything that appears to contradict that could fall afoul of fan opinion.

As such, not all of Gotham’s changes to Batman canon were well-received and there were certainly times when it seemed as if the show might have been building towards a radically different interpretation of the superhero’s story. That was until the penultimate episode of season 5, which made a huge effort to drag the landscape of Gotham towards something resembling comic accuracy. Here’s how it happened.

  • This Page: Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne Page 2: Alfred, Selina, Penguin, and Riddler

Jim Gordon

From the very first episode, it always seemed likely that Gotham would conclude with Jim Gordon finally attaining the rank of Commissioner, and that prediction finally came to pass in the show’s penultimate episode. In most Batman material, Gordon is presented as Batman’s police Commissioner ally and this promotion sets up that future relationship and establishes Jim as the police chief fans are familiar with from the comics and movies.

On a more personal level, the episode also succeeded in resolving Gotham’s Batgirl issue. In the comics, Jim’s daughter Barbara goes on to become the famous female vigilante who works alongside Batman and Robin, but Gotham threw viewers an early curveball when Jim and Barbara’s mother (confusingly also called Barbara) ended their relationship. Fans were left wondering whether the show would give Batgirl a different mother or even if they’d omit her existence entirely, but a one night stand between Jim and Barbara Kean in season 5 resolved those worries, producing a baby girl 9 months (or 6 episodes, as it turned out) later.

Gotham’s penultimate episode ultimately confirms that Jim’s baby would be named after its mother - thus setting up the infant as the future Batgirl. Now all Jim needs is the mustache.

Bruce Wayne

With his transformation into Batman due at any moment, Bruce Wayne arguably needed even more development in Gotham’s final episodes than Jim Gordon. With a mere two installments left, the future Dark Knight still had no obvious connection to bats and no reason to start working as an outlaw, given that Bruce has spent the entirety of season 5 working well alongside Jim Gordon and the GCPD.

These points have now been addressed to some extent. “They Did What?” saw Lucius Fox provide Bruce with a device hampered by one unfortunate defect - it made a noise that summoned droves of “certain winged mammals” towards the user. In a later scrap against the mighty Bane, young Bruce deploys his new toy and the villain is overcome by a swarm of bats, as Bruce looks on in contemplative foreshadowing. This hardly explains why Bruce might suddenly decide to weave a bat design throughout his entire wardrobe, but combined with the vision he experienced in season 4 (the only other notable appearance of bats in Gotham), it perhaps does at least offer some reasoning behind the connection. Interestingly, Lucius also arms Bruce with EMPs, smoke grenades and other accessories that will later become staples of the Bat-arsenal.

The same episode also approached the issue of Bruce working as a vigilante. The threat of Bane and Nyssa al Ghul is eventually nullified when the heroes, villains and residents of Gotham City unite and stand against their assailants. The message is one of strength in togetherness. Obviously, this is completely at odds with Bruce’s future working as a lone outlaw. Thankfully, his stance is explained when, as Gotham celebrates an unlikely victory, Bruce quietly broods over whether his status as a young and outspoken billionaire contributed to the city’s woes. This subtly plants the seeds for a future where Bruce resolves to fight crime alone with a mask and a secret identity.

Page 2: Alfred, Selina, Penguin, and Riddler

Alfred & Selina Kyle

Bruce’s impending transformation into Batman isn’t the only element of the character that took strides towards being comic accurate in Gotham’s final stages - his personal relationships also took on a far more familiar shape.

Sean Pertwee’s interpretation of Bruce’s ever-loyal butler and surrogate father, Alfred Pennyworth, has been refreshingly action-orientated and Alfred not only aided in his young master’s training but has proved himself to be a valuable fighting asset in his own right. However, in order to align Gotham’s Alfred with his comic counterpart, the butler’s days stomping out bad guys unfortunately had to come to an end.

Alfred’s retirement was all but confirmed after his fight with Bane - a battle that culminated in Alfred suffering a “break the Bat” moment directly inspired by the comic books. The butler’s injuries are clearly grievous and Alfred is later seen walking with the aid of a stick, strongly suggesting to the audience that his future role will involve being a Batcave-based assistant to Bruce, rather than an ally in the field. On a separate note, Alfred also confirms that Wayne Manor and Wayne Enterprises HQ are both set for a rebuild while Bruce is away traveling, retconning the destruction of both properties that occurred previously in season 5 and fixing another potential inconsistency.

Rather more complicated is Bruce’s relationship with Selina Kyle. It’s perhaps fair to say that the comics depict a rather tumultuous romance between the Bat and the Cat and this dynamic has already played out in Gotham over a number of seasons. Since season 4 however, Bruce and Selina have enjoyed a largely stable budding romance and have morphed into a genuine couple who are open about their feelings towards each other.

The television romance Gods may have spent years trying to get these two love birds together but the partnership doesn’t quite fit into Bruce’s early years as a crime fighter and shortly after the defeat of Bane, Bruce skips town, leaving only a letter of goodbye to his girlfriend. Naturally, Selina is none too pleased, playing into their on-and-off relationship as Batman and Catwoman in adulthood.

Penguin & Riddler

Both Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma have flitted between good and evil countless times in Gotham, switching sides whenever it suited their respective purposes. However, Bane’s arrival has forced both Penguin and Riddler onto the heroes’ team for much of Gotham’s final season and this culminated in a climactic battle for the city where the two dastardly villains lined up alongside the GCPD and Bruce Wayne in a dramatic last stand.

Could this possibly represent a turning point for Oswald and Edward, with both men realizing the error of their ways? Of course not, since Batman fans know that these criminals will soon prove to be two sizeable thorns in the side of the Caped Crusader and Gotham duly explained why Penguin and Riddler revert back to villainy.

Following Gotham City’s victory against Bane’s forces, Penguin and Riddler are recuperating. Both men feel that their efforts in the battle went unappreciated and Riddler goes so far as to state that the whole experience confirmed to him that he feels no emotion or empathy towards his fellow Gothamites. The duo vow to work together, taking whatever they want from whomever they want.

On a cosmetic level, Penguin’s right eye is blasted by a stray grenade and while this moment in itself isn’t part of his comic backstory, it does pave the way for Cobblepot’s trademark monocle seen previously in the comic books, animated series and elsewhere. Unfortunately, there’s no explanation as to why Penguin suddenly develops an addiction to carbs ahead of the season finale.

-

As Gotham prepares for one final adventure, there’s no doubt that the show is looking distinctly more like its comic book source material than it did at the beginning of the season. Bruce Wayne is on the verge of fulfilling his destiny, Jim Gordon has reached the pinnacle of his profession and all the major pieces have fallen into place ready for a Bat-shaped future.

Predictably, there remain some differences. Jim, Lee and Barbara’s tri-parenting relationship, Penguin and Riddler remaining partners and Bane being sent to Blackgate are all out of sync with canon. It’s also difficult to fathom how Bruce can stand in public wearing black body armor throwing smoke bombs, and yet a few years later, no one realizes he’s the mysterious Batman. Nevertheless, these are relatively minor points and don’t detract from how Gotham eventually became more or less comic accurate.

Gotham season 5 concludes with “The Beginning…” April 25th on Fox.

Next: Gotham Confirms That Penguin Accountant Villain Theory