[SPOILERS for the second half of Gotham season 2 ahead.]

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Gotham season 1 re-imagined the pre-Batman comic book mythology of Gotham City as a dark and pulpy, if also quirky, neo-Noir detective drama, following the experiences of a younger James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) in the Gotham City Police Department. The first half of season 2, however, more fully embraced the colorful nature of the comic book stories that inspired the TV show, with its “Rise of the Villains” storyline going further still with its re-imaging of key elements from the Batman mythology. Suffice it to say, things are only going to get crazier (or, if you live in Gotham City, more dangerous) in the second half of Gotham season 2, aka. “Wrath of the Villains”.

Multiple promos have now teased the introduction of Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze (Nathan Darrow) to the Gotham TV show universe, when season 2 resumes in less than two weeks (at the time of writing this). However, it appears that the real agent of chaos in these episodes ahead will be one Hugo Strange (BD Wong), the mad scientist operating in secret at the Indian Hill facility - and whose experiments on the recently-deceased criminals of Gotham City - such as Bridgit Pike/Firefly (Michelle Veintimilla) - should yield some… interesting results. Suffice it to say: McKenzie wasn’t joking when he said that death isn’t a permanent condition for certain characters on Gotham.

On that note: have a look at these leaked photos from the Gotham season 2 set (via The Daily Mail), featuring the DC comic book villain Azrael. Consider this your FINAL SPOILER WARNING.

CLICK for Gotham Set Photos

Yes, it turns out Azrael will be none other than Theo Galavan (James Frain) - who, last time we saw him, had been shot dead by Gordon and had an umbrella shoved down his throat by Oswald Cobblepot aka. Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), during the Gotham midseason finale. The Azrael character debuted in the world of DC Comics in 1992 in the “Batman: Sword of Azrael” storyline and is a key member of the assassin group known as The Sacred Order of St. Dumas - the same order that Galavan was served by, in his Machiavellian scheme to kill Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), seize control of Gotham City and then avenge his ancestors’ exile from the city, centuries before, on Gotham. While Jean-Paul Valley’s version of Azrael in the DC Comics eventually changed from a villain to a hero (filling in for an injured Batman in the “Knighfall” storyline), we don’t foresee Theo Galavan’s version following suit.

The producers of Gotham have teased Azrael’s arrival on the show for some time now, with executive producer John Stevens having previously said that the Order of St. Dumas itself “will continue to play an evolving role” throughout the entirety of season 2. Hence, it make sense for Theo Galavan to be the one behind the mask here; not only in keeping with the “Wrath of the Villains” over-arching plot for the episodes ahead (subtly, thy name has never been Gotham), but also because it fits with the concept of resurrection - something that is shaping up to be a motif for Gotham season 2.5, as we’ve noted in the past.

Between Hugo Strange bringing a number of villains back to life (Theo Galavan included), Mr. Freeze wreaking havoc on Gotham City’s residents in an effort to cure his terminally-ill wife and bring her back from the dead in a figurative sense, and the return of a certain key antagonist from Gotham season 1 - who, for all we know, may be part of Strange’s experiments too - returning from the dead is something that many characters will be doing (figuratively or literally), when Gotham picks back up. The TV show looks to become all the more comically operatic, as a result… but then again, this TV series’ willingness to go big and crazy is perhaps its biggest strength, too.

Either way, Gotham showrunner/creator Bruno Heller wasn’t kidding, when he said that Gordon’s decision to cross the line by killing Theo Galavan was a “terrible mistake” - and far from a permanent solution to his previous problems, at that.

Gotham season 2 will continue with ‘Mr. Freeze’ on FOX Monday, February 29th at 8 pm ET.

Source: The Daily Mail