8 Reasons Gotham's Second Season Could Fail Miserably
5. Some Villains Work Best With A Batman To Fight
As with the upcoming movies, there was always going to be a Joker in Gotham's deck. For better or worse, there is also a Penguin, an eventual Riddler and Scarecrow, Black Mask, and even a Red Hood - all just in the first season. Many are part and parcel of the Batman world, which is not only what the show is about with or without Batman in it, but the source of its title. As they say, however, a good villain always gets the hero he or she deserves, so is Gordon the best hero for these villains?
It isn't that recognizable villains should never be included. The show would have probably had trouble surviving its first season without them, and of those featured, liberties have also been taken. The Penguin is far from his shorter and fatter counterpart in the comics and prior onscreen depictions.
What makes some skeptical and has already been written about is that given the obvious time frame, most of the villains featured will be way past their prime by the time Batman shows up on the scene. Part of the show's obvious attraction is seeing how Gordon eventually deals with these freaks, yet the playing ground is unbalanced.
The very reason Batman exists and is eventually needed by Gordon, himself, is that the Batman's extreme presence helps to counter theirs.