Knowing DC Comics' Caped Crusader still has well over a decade until he graduates to the cape and cowl on Fox's Gotham, the DC Comics live-action TV series had a hard road ahead in establishing itself as a worthy addition to the Batman mythos. While young Bruce Wayne slowly develops into the hero Gotham City deserves, the show has instead focused considerable energy on telling origin stories for a number of memorable villains that he will one day face.

The series received a lot of attention for its tease of a young man who may become the Joker (expect more on that in season 2) and already has its sights set on other classic villains like Clayface and Mad Hatter. However, its season 1 finale truly queued up a baddie that may serve as one of next year's primary antagonists: Edward Nygma/the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith).

In addition to the latest installment of DC All Access, we have an exclusive clip (above) where a few members of the cast look ahead to next season and what might be in store regarding Nygma, who officially began his road towards villainy in the last few episodes. Here's what Smith had to say about his character's descent:

"He finds so much joy in his darkness, which we're not there yet. The whole 'riddle me this' and choosing to be called the Riddler, that's something he decides eventually. But him falling into this dark pool is really exciting for me. The confusion, trying to find his identity... all those exciting questions."

Indeed Nygma began the season as a quirky side character and ended it as perhaps one of the most blatant setups for the trouble ahead in season 2. Robin Lord Taylor - whose character of Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin turned a corner in the finale - also voiced his excitement about the Riddler's storyline and the chance that the two villains would share a great deal more screen time together.

"I mean, we had that one scene together, and it was one of my top three scenes we shot the entire season. I want Edward to really make his change and then... I would be down with [a Penguin-Riddler partnership]. I'm sure a lot of people would too."

Thus far, Nygma is one of the most high-profile Batman antagonists to be introduced on Gotham and not become a major antagonist on the series, with the exception of Nicholas D'Agosto's Harvey Dent. A future alliance between Riddler and Penguin could be rife with fun moments and allow Gotham its first attempt at a full-on villain team-up with some of its most dynamic actors. After all, many of the Bat-films - even the ones directed by Christopher Nolan - featured multiple iconic villains working together to terrorize the city.

Ben McKenzie - who, of course, plays Gotham's lead, Jim Gordon - for one can't wait for his character to face Nygma after spending the show's first season on the same side working at GCPD.

"I'm waiting for [Gordon] to go toe to toe with the Riddler. [He's] always been a favorite of mine. So when Nygma takes on his full persona, I'm sure there will be confrontations aplenty between him and Jim Gordon. I look forward to that."

While Gotham has proven itself a ratings hit for Fox, the show is not without its detractors on the critical side. Perhaps honing in on the characters that work and downplaying the involvement of those who frustrate more than delight fans (looking at you, Barbara!) is a step in the right direction. Nygma's evolution hasn't necessarily been one of the show's strongest points, but Smith's performance and the character's larger-than-life villainous persona hint at much greater things to come.

Full DC Access episode below:

Are you excited to see more of Nygma/Riddler in season 2 of Gotham? Let us know in the comments section below.

Gotham season two will begin airing on Fox in Fall 2015.

Source: DC Entertainment