The fifth and final season of Gotham is fast approaching, and the footage released so far points to an intense last batch of episodes. The fourth season ended with Gotham City becoming a No Man's Land, and Season 5 will see the folks who stayed behind dealing with their new reality. Some will thrive while others will falter, and it should be a wild ride. A new video for Season 5 (which you can view below) has released, and we now have some wild theories about what's in store.
Jim Will Know Bruce Is Batman From The Start
Gotham has always been touted as an origin story for Batman as well as many other characters famous in Batman lore, but it has also always taken some huge liberties with traditional Batman origin stories. One significant liberty has been the close relationship between Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon as Bruce goes from traumatized pre-teen to teenage vigilante. Jim is aware of Bruce's fighting skills, his willingness to risk everything, and his huge fortune.
Wouldn't it stand to reason that Jim would one day figure out that Bruce is the man behind the mask? Based on the new footage that shows Bruce and Jim hanging out by the floodlight that is clearly the precursor to the Bat-Signal as well as Bruce kicking ass without a mask and presumably within view of Jim at some point, I now have to wonder if Jim will know that Bruce is Batman from the very first time he dons the cape and the cowl to hit the streets of Gotham City.
It would be the perfect way to end the series without trying to sell that Jim wouldn't connect those dots, as even he hasn't been hit on the head enough times for that to make sense. Besides, Bruce could use an ally if a certain something awful happens to somebody he loves, which brings us to the next wild theory...
Alfred Will Die
Do I want Alfred to die? Absolutely not. The dynamic between Bruce and Alfred has been one of the most compelling and touching of the series, and Bruce would be devastated to lose yet another parental figure. Unfortunately for good old Alfred, the new footage indicates that he's going to have a run-in with Jeremiah Valeska. Jeremiah is undoubtedly going to get even more Joker-esque in the new episodes, and what more effective way to show the climax of that transformation than for him to kill a major character?
At this point, I won't rule out Gotham giving Alfred the Jason Todd treatment. As many Gotham fans surely know, Jason Todd in the comics was Batman's second Robin, and he was brutally beaten to death by the Joker in a move that changed Batman forever. Bruce obviously isn't going to have a Robin in Gotham barring a massive time jump, but the show could give him a Jason Todd-calibre tragedy by having Jeremiah kill Alfred. If Selina could get Barbara Gordon's Killing Joke tragedy in Gotham, why can't Alfred get Jason Todd's?
Excuse me while I go knock on wood that this doesn't happen. Admittedly, Alfred is a skilled fighter in his own right, and there are plenty of skilled fighters would would fight tooth and nail to save him. Still, Alfred may already be in bad shape courtesy of another villain by the time Jeremiah gets his hands on him. Should we prepare to say goodbye to Alfred?
Penguin And Riddler Are The Real Heroes
The newly-released footage (as well as previously released footage and details) indicates that there will be villains galore running rampant in No Man's Land, with one previously heroic character seemingly aligning firmly with the bad guys for the first time. Interestingly, however, two of Gotham's longest-running characters-turned-villains seem poised to fight the good fight in Season 5. Yes, Penguin and RIddler may be the real heroes of No Man's Land by the end.
Now, that's not to say that any heroics from Penguin and Riddler won't be largely self-serving and at least partly rooted in madness, but beggars can't be choosers in No Man's Land! In one key moment of the new video, Penguin can be seen handing over an automatic rifle to Jim in the GCPD, telling him that it's "woefully apparent that you are out of options." Of course, he can previously be seen in a standoff with Jim, and their two sides are set to clash over the few resources left in the remnants of Gotham City.
There's also a quick shot of Penguin and Riddler slo-mo walking out of the precinct with Harvey and Jim, indicating the the four characters (all of them armed) will be working together. Could they be the ones to save the day? Perhaps a common enemy could motivate them to join forces for the greater good, even if Penguin and Riddler's ultimate goals are something different.
Jim And Babs Conceive Baby Batgirl
Back in the beginning of the series, before it truly embraced the ridiculous and deviated from DC Comics canon in some spectacularly inventive ways, Jim Gordon and Barbara Kean were engaged. For comics fans, it seemed only natural that they would wind up getting hitched and having at least one kid. If Gotham is the origin story of Batman, wouldn't it make sense for it also to be the origin story of Batgirl? Dick Grayson's birth was kinda sorta teased when the Flying Graysons appeared in Season 1, so Gotham clearly isn't against teasing future members of the Bat-Family.
Well, after Babs Kean went bonkers and became a villainess in her own right, even a brief hookup with Jim to make a baby felt unlikely, and fans had to consider potential other ways for Barbara Gordon to be born. In the new video for Season 5, Jim and Barbara are seen getting very cozy together. There's no context for the two standing intimately close together, so it's possible that these two will only have a split second and nothing more.
Or will something happen that Jim and Barbara hook up and unintentionally make a baby? If that does happen, I have to hope that Babs hands the baby over to Jim after being born. As entertaining as she is as a character, she's not really the kind of maternal figure anybody would want for a baby, especially if that baby bears the name of a character who traditionally becomes a hero in Batman stories. Check out the video for yourself!
Gotham will premiere its fifth and final season on Thursday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. For more upcoming viewing options, be sure to check out our midseason TV premiere schedule. Don't forget to swing by our rundown of new Gotham Season 5 characters as well.
