Gotham: Ranking The Villains From Worst To Best

Gotham, the show exploring the origins of Batman's world, is now ten episodes into its first season and in that time appraisals of its overall quality have been all over the proverbial map. An aspect that has proven particularly divisive has been the treatment of Batman's rouges gallery, with some appreciating the consistent nods to the world's mythology, and others finding it contrived, stifling, and underdeveloped. Both perspectives make a great deal of sense. There are many problems with the writing behind the villainous characters, from far too much ham in their characterisations, to many of the references feeling superfluous and disconnected from the show's main storylines. Conversely, the show has gamely attempted to do some serious world-building, and has had some success with tying its villains to the actual progression of the plot. These successes have of course included the arc of Robin Lord Taylor's demonic Penguin, but also the way that John Doman's Carmine Falcone and Camren Bicondova's Selina Kyle have helped to further the progression of protagonists like Bruce Wayne and James Gordon. With Gotham currently on mid-season hiatus, now is the time to summarise what has worked and what has fallen on its face in regards to Gotham's villains. This list won't be including ridiculous, one-shot baddies like Balloonman or The Goat, instead the rouges who will more than likely continue to be major players in Gotham's future seasons.