6 Times Gotham Improved Batman's Mythology (And 4 Times It Failed)

For better or for worse, Gotham certainly had an impact on the legend of Batman.

by Andrew Pollard
Gotham Season 5 Batman
Fox

One of the biggest genre shows to come to a close during 2019 was FOX’s Gotham. After five seasons, it was time for Gotham to hang up its proverbial cape ‘n’ cowl and call it a day.

What had initially started as a series centred on Jim Gordon being transferred to a Gotham City Police Department that was rife with corruption, the show became that and so much more over its five-year run.

Featuring a who’s who of Batman comics, Gotham gave audiences a glimpse at skewed versions of so many familiar characters – some great, some not so great. But regardless of what it got right and what it got wrong, Gotham was completely and utterly its own world in every way possible.

Taken as a snapshot of an alternate Batman world, Gotham worked on a multitude of levels and ticked a slew of the right boxes. Was it flawless? Of course not. But taken on its own merits, Gotham was well worth the five-year investment audiences gave it.

Here, it’s time to reflect back on Gotham and take a look at ways in which it improved – and failed to improve – on the larger, grander mythology of the iconic Caped Crusader.

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.