Now that superheroes have officially conquered the film world, it looks like they may be poised to do the same on the small screen. The CW already has a hit in Arrow and is introducing The Flash to viewers this fall. However, one of the most-talked-about comic book properties coming to television is undoubtedly Fox's fresh take on the Batman mythos in Gotham.

The series is set to focus on the fictional city's corrupt streets through the eyes of Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), as young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) inches ever closer to the Dark Knight he's destined to become. We already know that Gordon will face off with early versions of numerous Batman villains (including perhaps a certain Clown Prince of Crime), but now we know one more foe he'll have to face on his crusade to clean up the Gotham streets.

According to Deadline, David Zayas has been cast as mob boss Salvatore Maroni, who will face off against Carmine Falcone (John Doman) to gain control of the city's crime syndicate. Zayas is best known for his role as Lt. Angel Batista on Dexter, but the actor has also appeared on HBO's Oz and in films like The Expendables and Michael Clayton.

Maroni was, of course, portrayed on the big screen by Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight and, in the comics, is best known for scarring half of District Attorney Harvey Dent's face, leading him to transform into the villainous Two-Face. We already knew Dent was slated to appear in Gotham's first season, and while it was safe to assume he would turn into Two-Face at some point during the series, the addition of Maroni this early on indicates that Dent's fall from grace may appear earlier than fans expected, assuming that the show sticks to the comic book version of Dent's origin. At this point, it's safe to assume that the Fox series will take significant liberty with the material, just as Christopher Nolan did with his film trilogy.

Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni in 'The Dark Knight'
Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni in 'The Dark Knight'

Needless to say, it's looking more and more like Gotham is set to incorporate as many iconic villains as possible (even Mr. Freeze is confirmed to appear). While this could be exciting news to some fans, the show may run the risk of introducing too many characters and plot threads in its first season or two. The Batman mythos is incredibly expansive, and if the show hopes to achieve Smallville levels of longevity so that Bruce Wayne can gradually approach the cowl, it will need to be careful not to run through Gotham City's most popular stories early on.

Are you excited that Maroni will appear on Gotham, or does it sound like the show is doing too much too soon? Sound off in the comments section.

Gotham premiers on Monday, September 22 at 8pm on Fox.

Source: Deadline