After one of the wildest TV seasons that any broadcast drama has delivered, Gotham is heading into Season 4 with a lot of new directions for its over-the-top ensemble. And for the increasingly vigilant Bruce Wayne, those new directions come with some updated fighting skills and, most excitingly for comic fans, a first attempt at creating the iconic Batsuit. To that end, Gotham released a brand new Season 4 trailer that gives fans our first good look at how Bruce will conceal his crimefighter alter ego in these earliest days.
I'm not going to lie, I fully expected Bruce to kick off his costumed heroism with little more than a domino mask and a long jacket, like a cross between the classic Robin look and WWE superstar The Undertaker. (Perhaps I'm just wanting to see Bruce suddenly rise up after seemingly getting knocked out, with only the whites of his eyes showing.) But no, the future Dark Knight is quite a bit more geared up for battle than my weak assumptions allowed.
He's definitely got the long jacket, which visually comes across as his proto-cape, and it'll be interesting to see if Bruce (and presumably Lucius Fox) will add any high-tech elements to the dark outerwear. While he'll have to work his way up to a fully armored chest-piece, Bruce is keeping his torso protected with a layer that is likely made of Kevlar, or an equally durable material, and he's got some heavy duty gloves on, too.
Of course, the biggest cheer here comes when Gotham fans got our first looks at what will eventually become Batman's cowl, and it looks pretty legit for being Bruce's first shot at a permanent mask. (One that isn't just a ski mask, that is.) It may not have all the signature details like the ears and the neck cover, but it might not take him long to realize why he'll need something more than just a simple face-cover if he's going to take on Gotham City's underworld at large.
Check out the full Season 4 trailer below, which also hints at how the "Bruce Wayne" persona will begin to develop, along with some rapid-fire looks at most of the other characters that'll make Gotham batty in the coming months.
I'm definitely a fan of The Riddler, Penguin and other line-crossing big bads that Gotham has introduced to fans over the first three seasons, but I'm beyond the moon with anticipation for the upcoming appearance of Scarecrow 2.0. Writer and executive producer John Stephens told us at Comic-Con that the fear-mongering Scarecrow will take on a temporary arc that'll get about as close to a horror movie as Gotham can and will go. And knowing just how many memorable clashes Batman and Scarecrow have had in the past, across all mediums, it'll be interesting to see how harmful that fear toxin will be for Bruce's teenage mind. Especially after all that stuff with the Shaman and Ra's al Ghul.
Gotham fans, don't forget that TV's wackiest comic book drama is flipping nights this fall, and it will make its Season 4 premiere on Fox on Thursday, September 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET. And to see what other high-flying and fist-throwing shows are heading to primetime soon, check out our fall TV schedule.
