Fox's Gotham series is the only presence of Batman on television today, but as a prequel series it has fought an uphill battle to establish its new take on Batman's history and characters in the hearts of fans. The first season of the show served as a huge building block that is set to pay off for viewers in season two.
The second season of Gotham is going to feature the rise of the villains, chaos in Gotham, a darker Jim Gordon and a more serialized format that should give the show a more epic saga feel. There will also be an unexpected, but long overdue, name being added to the list of credits.
Gotham Season 2 is going to start off with a bang. Entertainment Weekly spoke with lead actor Ben McKenzie (James Gordon), who said that the show is now going to be handled in a more serialized format, with the second season being split into two 11 episode segments. McKenzie explains the new format:
"It is a very, very different show. It is almost completely serialized. We’re aiming for a grander, saga-type construction in which we can actually sit with the characters and understand their motivations and how the turbulence of their lives affects the greater landscape... We’re going to be playing with the notion of the rise and fall and possibly rise and fall again of both his standing in Gotham as a public figure and also his ability to keep it all together morally and otherwise — his relationship with Thompkins [Morena Baccarin] and everything, So it’ll be pretty turbulent."
In other Batman news, fans have long lamented the lack of official credit that writer Bill Finger has been given by DC Comics over the creation of Batman. The public knows Bob Kane as the credited creator of the Dark Knight, but it was actually Bill Finger that was responsible for the Batman we all know and love. The original Bob Kane design featured a blond man in a red suit, with a black domino mask (much like Robin’s) and two stiff bat-wings on his back. You can thank Bill Finger for a complete overhaul of the Batsuit and the co-development of villains like the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, Riddler and Clayface, to name just a few. Finger also developed Robin, gave Bruce Wayne his name and even wrote the origin story of Batman, where his parents met their fateful end in crime alley. He even came up with the nickname The Dark Knight!
Now, it appears that DC Entertainment has reached an agreement with the Finger family to give Bill a more fitting credit. The company released the following statement to THR:
DC Entertainment and the family of Bill Finger are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement that recognizes Mr. Finger’s significant contributions to the Batman family of characters. "Bill Finger was instrumental in developing many of the key creative elements that enrich the Batman universe, and we look forward to building on our acknowledgement of his significant role in DC Comics’ history," stated Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment. "As part of our acknowledgement of those contributions," Nelson continued, "we are pleased to confirm today that Bill Finger will be receiving credit in the Warner Bros. television series Gotham beginning later this season, and in the forthcoming motion picture Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Bob Kane himself was quoted in his autobiography Batman and Me as saying, "I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved." Batman fans have been aching for Finger to get his due for many years, with a more recent push happening over the past five years. Based on the statement from DC Entertainment, we can assume that we will see a credit to Bill Finger on all big and small screen Bat-related projects moving forward, including the upcoming standalone Batman and Justice League films.
Gotham season 2 will return to the FOX network on Monday, September 21, 2015, at 8PM (eastern). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25th, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23rd, 2017; Justice League on November 17th, 2017; The Flash on March 23rd, 2018; Aquaman on July 27th, 2018; Shazam on April 5th, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14th, 2019; Cyborg on April 3rd, 2020; Green Lantern Corps on June 19th, 2020. Untitled Batman and Superman Solo Films will be coming at dates TBD.