Next week Gotham returns for its final four episodes of Season 1, and by all indications, things are ramping up for all the major characters. Fortunately for fans, Gotham has been renewed for Season 2, so most of the characters will be back for more gritty adventures in the show’s sophomore season. However, one of the major players won’t make it out of the 2014-2015 TV season. Death is in the show's imminent future.
Showrunner Bruno Heller told TV Guide that the Season 1 finale will feature a “a big, boffo climax ending” which will heavily impact the rivalry between Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni, as well the continuing feud between Fish Mooney, Oswald Cobblepot and Jim Gordon. With something this big, Heller assures us that things will get messy.
It wouldn't be a real showdown if everybody walked away from it, would it? Someone is not going to walk away from that.
Ironically, when it comes to killing people off, Gotham’s biggest challenge is almost all of its cast consists of characters from the comics. When Batman eventually hits the scene, these people will play important roles in his life, whether as an ally or an adversary. Keeping that in mind, the likeliest candidate for elimination is Fish Mooney.
She’s the only member of the main cast that doesn’t originate from the comic books, and Jada Pinkett Smith also recently stated she won’t return for Season 2. While Fish could simply heading for greener pastures following Season 1’s conclusion, given how power hungry she is, it’s hard to imagine her exit being anything less than going out violently. There’s also her former second-in-command Butch Gilzean, who was brainwashed by Victor Zsasz and now serves Cobblepot. He’s also an original character, so sending him to sleep with the fishes wouldn’t have an impact on the Batman mythos.
However, it’s important to note that this is an adaptation of a comic book property, which means that the continuity can be bent (but not broken) to fit the story the writers have in mind. Heller also pointed out that in this universe, “no one's life is certain.” While mainstays like Gordon and Cobblepot should be safe, it would be a shocker if one of the mob villains were to bite the dust, specifically Falcone and Maroni. The New 52 aside, Maroni is the one who is responsible for eventually turning Harvey Dent into Two-Face, so it’s hard to see him dying. As for Falcone, although he has tangled with Batman several times in the comics, he’s not a major member of his rogues gallery, and could conceivably be killed in favor of putting another mob member in the spotlight. We’ll just have to wait and see which character makes his or her bloody exit next month.
You can catch Gotham Mondays at 8/7c on Fox.
