When Fox’s Batman prequel series Gotham arrives in the fall, we’ll be introduced to younger versions of several key and beloved members of the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery, including the Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy. And that’s just in the pilot episode! The producers have already expressed their desires to bring characters like Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, and even the Joker into the fold, and have just revealed their intentions to expand the roster a bit more.
According to showrunner and executive producer Bruno Heller, Hugo Strange and Harvey Dent are headed to the small screen. Speaking with IGN, Heller revealed that their plans for Hugo Strange stretch beyond just introducing the lesser-known adversary (who was one of the major antagonists in the Batman: Arkham City videogame). Apparently, his presence will also help establish the show’s version of Arkham Asylum:
“Hugo Strange is going to pop up because we’re going to start dealing with how Arkham was created and why Arkham was created in the way that it was so, yeah, absolutely. It’s a Season One thing because in our telling of it the way Arkham was created and the why and how is one of the causes of the particular criminal climate in Gotham that allowed Batman to happen.
The revolving door of Arkham is both a brilliant narrative device because it allows you to — you don’t have to kill people off, you can just put them in cold storage — but if you’re telling the story from the start you kind of have to explain, ‘What the f***? Why don’t you make that place a place people don’t escape from?’ We’re going to explain why it is the way it is and Hugo Strange is a big part of that.”
As for how Harvey Dent, the future district attorney and villain Two-Face, factors into things, Heller suggests that he will pop up in the series eventually, but will be closer to Jim Gordon’s age than Bruce Wayne’s:
“We’re playing Harvey Dent slightly older. He’s more Gordon’s age in this telling. One of the things to avoid in order not to tell a high school story – which would be great, but it’s a different show on a different network at a different time that I would not be a part of. But he will go back to school and villains will be part of that world.”
Two-Face may just be my favorite Batman villain, so I would love to see him on the show. Personally, I’ve always loved the more contemporary Harvey Dent, who’s a close friend of Bruce Wayne’s, which makes his tragic fall from grace that much more heart-wrenching. However, they could easily shift that story a bit and use Jim Gordon in Bruce’s place, allowing a similar story to take shape. So, while it’s not the version I would have immediately preferred, I’m excited to see how they bring Harvey into the fold.
What do you think of Heller’s comments? Are you excited to see Harvey Dent, Hugo Strange, and Arkham Asylum on the show? Let us know in the comments below.
Gotham premieres on Monday, September 22nd, 2014 on Fox.