‘Gotham’ E.P. Teases A Dark And Mad Wonderland

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gotham.

Gotham just finished off Season 3, leaving fans with a multitude of questions regarding what may be coming in the third installment, but like most shows, Gotham‘s producers are eager to share at least some of what they know. While many producers of current television series follow the school of thought that less is more, as far as keeping fans eager for the show’s return, Gotham producers seem to be at the other end of the spectrum, leaking just enough tidbits to keep Gotham fans chomping at the bit for the next season. In this case, executive producer John Stephens promises Alice in Wonderland villains and the Court of Owls will reign supreme in Season 3 of Gotham.

Gotham Showrunner John Stephens On Hugo Strange And The Court

Season 2 of Gotham saw a race for supremacy and rule over the city of Gotham that might almost rival the battles over the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and in the beginning, it seemed that Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) was seeing a triumph in line with his ideals of law and order. Even when Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) seemed a little too over the line with his ideas of justice and honesty, Gordon still had to admit it was better than what had come before, but by the end of the second season, Gotham producers have once again turned the tables. Bringing back Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) was just a start, though it was her actions that would ultimately lead to the release of Hugo Strange’s oddities, unknown monsters now roaming the streets of Gotham.

Gotham fans may think they have seen the fall of Hugo Strange (BD Wong) with the Season 2 finale, but Stephens reveals that the Court of Owls, the covert group secretly ruling the city, are far from done with the mad scientist. The Gotham producer says many of the lingering questions about Strange and his work for the Court of Owls will be revealed in season 3, especially in relation to why the Court of Owls wanted Hugo to reanimate dead villains. Mr. Stephens adds that the third installment of Gotham will expand on the mythology of the Court of Owls.

Gotham Will Return With A Mad, Mad Season

Aside from Strange and the Court of Owls, Season 3 will be adding to their list of villains, while also keeping some of the fan favorites, many of whom have evolved over the course of season 2 of Gotham. John Stephens says there’s much more coming for fans of Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith).

“I thought he was going to be full-blown by the end of the season. Now, we’ve slowed him down a little bit,” says the Gotham showrunner. “When you watch him in Season 3, he has a little way to go yet before he really is the Riddler you know from the books.”

Another returning favorite will be Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), and although he has been changed by the experiments done to him in Indian Hill, Stephens says the old Penguin will be back, even more ambitious and badder than ever. The Gotham showrunner says fans can expect Penguin to move forward as a more aggressive and more violent villain.

While John says wrapping up an overall theme for the third year of Gotham will be difficult, limiting their ability to create a catch-all subtitle like “Rise of the Villains,” he does point out that there’s going to be quite a bit happening in the upcoming season. While Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) will be hot on the trail of the Court of Owls, the Gotham Police Department will have a wonderland of villains with which to deal.

“We’ll be seeing Mad Hatter in Season 3. We’ll be seeing the Tweedle Brothers, too, if we’re going to bring the Hatter in. In line with the Court of Owls, we’ll be seeing Talon. And, we should be seeing Solomon Grundy,” says Gotham E.P. Stephens.

[Image by Fox]