Gotham hasn’t aired in nearly three months but it’s finally set to return this week with ‘How the Riddler Got His Name’, which will focus on Edward Nygma finally becoming his comic book supervillain counterpart, the Riddler. That’s only a small portion of what the remaining episodes of season 3 will delve into, however, as Gotham will also further evolve young Bruce Wayne’s character as he inches ever closer to becoming Batman. If that’s not enough, villain Ra’s al Ghul is also set to make his debut (who will be portrayed by Game of Thrones’ Alexander Siddig) and will surely add a new dynamic to the ever-growing roster of supervillains.
While it’s known that Ra’s al Ghul will be the one behind the mysterious Court of Owls group, it was previously unclear exactly how the character would interact with Bruce and the other main characters in Gotham. Now, thanks to one of Gotham’s executive producers, fans will now have an idea of how Ra’s al Ghul and Bruce will interact when the show returns.
Executive producer John Stephens recently talked to TV Guide about the direction of the rest of season 3 of Gotham and specifically how the character of Ra’s al Ghul would affect the relationship between Bruce and his butler/guardian Alfred. Stephens alluded to Ra’s having specific plans for Bruce, but didn’t elaborate further. For Stephens’ full thoughts on Ra’s and how he’ll affect Alfred and Bruce’s relationship, read below:
“His reveal will be an answer and a further question once he comes on the scene because he’s such an enormous character in the Batman canon. What are his plans for Gotham? What are his plans for Bruce and how is that actually going to change Bruce going forward, because Bruce’s encounter with Ra’s al Guhl is definitely going to change his and Alfred’s relationship from this point forward.”
Ra’s al Ghul is certainly a huge part of the canon of Batman, and in some iterations, like Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, Ra’s trains Bruce to be good enough to become Batman. While there’s nothing to currently suggest that will be the case for Gotham, it’s easy to imagine that Bruce could potentially fall under Ra’s spell and lead to tension between him and Alfred. Fans will have to wait for season 3 to return to get definitive answers, however.
Still, some fans have complained that Gotham is introducing too many villains too early into the Batman mythos, considering Bruce’s current age in the show. But showrunner Bruno Heller has repeatedly stated that the show is a separate entity entirely from the comic books and the show hasn’t ever been beholden to the comics before this point. Either way, with season 4 likely to happen, Gotham is set to continue its elsewhere story in the foreseeable future.
Gotham will return Monday at 8pm on FOX with ‘How the Riddler Got His Name’.
Next: Gotham Season 3 Return Trailer: Batman Begins, Catwoman Reborn & More
Source: TV Guide
