Summary

• The Gotham TV show portrays Batman characters with comic-accurate origins and strong narratives, despite some flaws in its acting and special effects.
• Gotham excels in adaptating villains like Ra's al Ghul and Scarecrow, giving compelling storylines to these iconic characters.
• From the Riddler to Catwoman to the Joker, Gotham offers unique twists to classic Batman villains and sets the stage for the Dark Knight's origins.

As one of the world's most popular superheroes, Batman is no stranger to the media. He's appeared in everything from comic books and video games to movies and TV shows. And one of the best Batman-based live-action TV shows is Gotham. Premiering in 2014, Gotham is a prequel series that follows a pre-mustache Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) after his parents' murders, as the former attempts to keep Gotham City safe from the villains who are tearing it apart. Sure, Gotham has its flaws. Like many network TV shows, it occasionally suffers from corny acting, poor visual effects, and cringe-worthy dialogue. But Gotham does succeed in being dark and violent while keeping things light and fluffy when needed.

Where the series excels most, however, is in its adaptation of the Batman franchise's characters. Gotham showcases nearly all of Batman's rogue's gallery, giving many of them comic book-accurate origin stories and strong narratives. This move is a bit risky; many comics argue that Batman's appearance is what inspired and attracted these villains to Gotham City in the first place. And here, you have them popping up years before Batman ever dons his cape and cowl. Even still, Gotham does a great job at portraying these ten characters.

10 Ra's al Ghul (Alexander Siddig)

Ra's al Ghul is a supervillain who often faces off against Batman. Or, as Ra's calls him in the comics, "Detective." The leader of the League of Assassins, Ra's has achieved an unnaturally long life by submerging himself in the mystical Lazarus pits. Although he's an enemy of Batman, Ra's harbors a respect for the Dark Knight and is the biological grandfather of Batman's son, Damian. We got our first live-action glimpse at Ra's in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, where he was played by Liam Neeson. Nolan adapted Ra's to his realistic world of Batman. He removed the villain's prolonged life and Lazarus pits in exchange for, as Bruce calls them, "cheap parlor tricks." Nolan also changed the name of the villain's group to the League of Shadows (we doubt Bruce would've joined a group called the League of Assassins). The League of Shadows also appears in Gotham, and so does their antagonistic leader.

Gotham Stays True to Ra's al Ghul's Origins

Gotham rightfully restores Ra's to being a mystical character and brings back the Lazarus pits. But even better than that, the show properly portrays Ra's as an Arab character by casting Alexander Siddig in the role (Ra's is Arab in the comics, not the whitewashed character we get in Batman Begins). The series even mentions his name's Arabic translation: Demon Head, or Head of the Demon. Gotham also captures the villain's respect for Bruce and his desire for Bruce to carry on his legacy. It's a pretty perfect adaptation — but there is one caveat. Ra's is killed off in the show, long before Bruce ever becomes Batman. Killing off a major Batman villain, before he can even meet the Dark Knight, doesn't sit well with us. Professor Pyg, another popular Batman supervillain played by Michael Cerveris, also falls victim to this unfortunate decision.

9 Scarecrow (David Thompson)

Scarecrow is the alterego of Jonathan Crane, a psychologist turned psychopath who uses a hallucinogenic fear toxin to turn his enemies' worst nightmares against them. We've seen Scarecrow in live-action before — most famously in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, where he's played by Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy. But one can argue that Gotham's version is superior. Nolan's iteration dons only a mask. Gotham's version wears the whole costume, complete with the hat.

Scarecrow Is Legitimately Terrifying

For a network TV show, Scarecrow's appearance is both awesome and terrifying, equipping the villain with the frightening edge that he sorely lacked in Nolan's movies. Gotham even captures the abuse that young Jonathan suffered at the hands of his parents, which is true to his comic book origins. One major deviation, though, is that Scarecrow's fear toxin was created by his father in Gotham, not by Scarecrow himself like in the comics. This deviation might prevent this adaptation from being perfect, but it's still incredibly well done.

8 Hugo Strange (BD Wong)

Not to be confused with the Marvel superhero Dr. Strange, Hugo Strange is a very different sort of character. He's a mad scientist, a Dr. Frankenstein-like supervillain. We've seen many live-action Batman villains over the years, but we've never gotten a live-action Dr. Strange before. That is, not until Gotham.

Hugo Strange Nailed the Look and the Personality

Like his comic book counterpart, Hugo Strange (B.D. Wong) performs bizarre and barbaric experiments on unwilling asylum patients, turning them into monsters. The show even nails the character's appearance, giving him a bald head and his signature chinstrap. They even jazzed him up a bit with those pink, rounded spectacles. One major deviation, though, is how Strange creates several Batman villains within Gotham, such as Solomon Grundy and Bane — neither of which he creates in the comics. Nevertheless, Gotham does a great job at capturing the essence of this insane character.

7 Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue)

Most Batman fans know Harvey Bullock from the animated masterpiece of 90s television, Batman: The Animated Series. Bullock is a high-ranking cop in the Gotham City Police Department. Although he's a close ally of Commissioner Jim Gordon's, Bullock is known for his dislike of Batman. The character is usually depicted as overweight, rugged, and disheveled, with a cigarette usually perched in his mouth and an old-school fedora hat always resting on his head. And that's almost exactly what you get in Gotham: a rugged, disheveled, fedora-wearing cop.

Donal Logue Pairs Well With Ben McKenzie

Like his comic book counterpart, Gotham's Bullock is rough-around-the-edges and is armed with an attitude, though he does provide comic relief. He begins the show as a dirty cop, just like in the comics. And like the comics, it takes Jim Gordon's partnership to change his corrupt ways and turn him into a decent cop. Actor Donal Logue is a treat as Harvey Bullock, and his relationship with Gordon is one of the highlights of Gotham.

6 Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee)