Gotham Season 5: 4 Ups & 0 Downs From Penguin, Our Hero

2. The Original Take On Harley Quinn

Gotham has been both praised and criticised for its originality when it comes to the origins of famous Batman characters. With the exception of a few, such as Selina and Ed Nygma, the majority of the villains on the Batman-prequel series have been given new origin stories which are, more often than not, only slightly inspired by the comics.

After years of waiting, Harley Quinn finally shows up in Penguin, Our Hero and, in typical Gotham fashion, this iteration of the character differs quite a bit from her comic counterpart. The main difference is that this version of Harley is not psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, but rather Ecco - Jeremiah's sidekick from the previous season. Some fans had predicted this would prove to be the case after Ecco became such a big part of Season 4.

Interestingly, that's not the only difference either. There was no electric shock therapy involved in Ecco's transformation into Harley, as we learn that she received a bullet to the head - a bullet that remains inside her skull - which is the cause of her psychotic behaviour. Whether you love or hate Gotham, the show deserves to be commended for its original contributions to the Batman mythology, and Harley's origin is one of their greatest to date.