10 Ways Gotham Has Redeemed Itself

The second season saw the rise of Theo Galavan. New to Gotham himself, Theo came from old Gotham blood with deep ties to the Wayne family. Set upon a course of revenge for dishonoring his family, he took aim at the only remaining Wayne alive, Bruce.

Going as far as recruiting a team of Arkham criminals, he begins a string of horrible crime that only he could clean up. Betraying his own team, he kills Jerome in front of a stunned crowd and is instantly branded a hero. By tricking the citizens of the city into electing him their hero mayor, he instantly became the most powerful man in Gotham City. After James Gordon discovered his secrets, he tortures Gordon (a popular pastime for Gotham villains) with his plans knowing that there is nothing he can do to stop him.

Before eventually falling to Gordon and the Penguin, Galavan shows an amazing ability to fight that serves him well in his second life as Hugo Strange’s brainwashed hitman Azrael.

As many comic readers know, Azreal is an anti-hero who sometimes helps Batman and has even filled in for him. On Gotham, he is simply a misguided tool of the evil Hugo Strange. Committing more murders and attacks, Azreal becomes a terrifying figure before he meets his end by way of Butch’s rocket launcher in the Wayne driveway. Not only was he a powerful and merciless character in both of his lives, he also represented the first person of Batman’s team (though he was a villainous version) to appear in costume on Gotham.