Gotham Season 5 Will Adapt Batman: Zero Year

After months of hearing that its fate was in the balance, Gotham was finally confirmed to be getting a fifth season the other week. The only downside is, though, that it will not only be a shortened run, at just 13 episodes, but it’ll also be the final outing for the show. And seeing as the series is built around what happens before Batman arrives in Gotham City, we can be sure that David Mazouz’s teen Bruce Wayne will finally become the legendary Dark Knight before things come to a close.

After all, season 4 really upped its game in bringing Bruce closer to becoming the Caped Crusader than ever before. He started out as a masked vigilante, wearing an enhanced suit and utilizing gadgets designed by Lucius Fox, he got a proto-version of the Batmobile, and he even received a nightmare vision of the Bat himself. Not to mention the finale saw him answer Gordon’s call when the police commissioner lit up what we know will become the Bat-Signal.

So, it’s not too surprising to learn that in addition to resolving the No Man’s Land arc, Gotham will also be adapting Batman: Zero Year in season 5. That news comes from ComicBook.com, who spoke with executive producer John Stephens recently about what’s on the horizon.

When the outlet asked him which other stories from the source material we may see play out on the small screen, he said:

“You mean besides No Man’s Land?” “There are others, and I’m trying to remember which [stories] they actually are. There’s gonna be a little bit of Zero Year in there, you know as well. [You know] some of that stuff, especially with Nygma. And there’s another one but if I tell you what it is it really does spoil the story.”

For those who may not be familiar with Zero Year, it’s the work of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo from their New 52 run, and mostly focuses on “Bruce’s initial time as Batman, and his efforts to stop The Riddler from taking over the city.” Of course, with the Riddler already running around Gotham on the show and the young Wayne well on his way to becoming the Dark Knight, this arc fits in quite nicely with where things are at right now.

Aside from what Stephens spilled here, not too much is known about what the team has planned for us with Gotham season 5 – though we did learn about some of the villains we’ll be meeting the other day – but it’s clear that everyone involved is hoping to send the series off on a high note and we can’t wait to find out what else they’ve got up their sleeve.