2) Zur En Arrh
Gotham has facilitated the beginnings of Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman perfectly thus far. He has taken the lead in the hunt for his parents’ killers and has become quite the detective in the process. He understands how criminals think, having lived among them by choice, and with the later episodes focusing on his conflict with the corrupt psychiatrist Hugo Strange, the writers have wisely given themselves several options for Bruce’s future development.
However, shows have gained a tendency to just do more of the same around the third season. Should the producers take this route, Bruce’s teen detective story will start to become very old. He has the technical side of things down and he knows his city. It’s now time to for him to go where he hasn’t been yet: his own mind.
Assembled from childhood memories shattered by the trauma of his parents’ death, Zur En Arrh (translation; Zorro in Arkham) was basically Bruce’s hall pass through insanity, a psychological entity that allowed him to protect his mind from villains who would prey on it. It was a vessel of unfiltered rage and anger, vengeance personified.
Now, I’m not saying Bruce should go all Spider-Man 3 here, but it’s time for him to cut loose, get physical and enjoy it. Hugo Strange would be crucial in this plot, as he could pick apart Bruce’s mind from afar, even from a jail cell if need be. Bruce’s journey to control Zur En Arrh could be the crux of an entire season,with the story culminating in his acquiring the skills needed to turn the persona into something positive.
At that point, it would become essentially the mental blueprint for Batman. Locked away safe within Bruce’s mind, the thing that would one day be known as The Dark Knight could grow, like a baby in its mother’s womb. We would know that it’s always there, in the back of Bruce’s mind, waiting patiently for the day it could be fully unleashed.
