Absent since the end of last November to make room for the X-Files revival, Gotham is only a few weeks away from resuming its second season. While Theo Galavan served as the main antagonist for the first 11 episodes, the latter half, subtitled titled “Wrath of the Villains,” will see Dr. Hugo Strange taking over as the show’s sinister mastermind. Now we have our first look at what actor B.D. Wong will look like as the demented psychiatrist.
Back in November, B.D. Wong showed over social media seven possibilities of what Gotham’s Hugo Strange might look like, and fortunately, they picked the look that is most faithful to the comic books. Rather than try to “modernize” him for television, Wong as Strange retains the bald head, distinctive beard and round spectacles, making it look like jumped right out of the printed page.
Along with the exclusive photo, TV Insider also got a tease from Wong about what Hugo Strange will be doing in Arkham Asylum. The actor said:
What [he] is doing in there is indeed very, very bad. Imagine the worst thing someone might do. Then multiply that by 10.
Strange will make his Gotham debut as the new Arkham Asylum overseer who will convince the public that he’s trying to rehabilitate all the facility’s patients. In secret, however, he’ll be running Indian Hill, a mysterious black ops program being headed by Wayne Enterprises. There were several glimpses into Indian Hill during the first half of Season 2 when several characters (either barely alive or completely dead) were taken there for experimentation. The project’s goal is to create the ultimate superhuman, and just like his comic book counterpart, Gotham’s Strange will do whatever it takes to obtain results, no matter who gets hurt in the process.
Speaking of ruining other people’s lives, Strange’s plans will also have a detrimental effect on Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, as the crime lord will somehow find himself incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. B.D. Wong further teased:
He is never the same from the moment he walks through the door.
While he might not be well known among casual Batman fans, Hugo Strange is one of the Caped Crusader’s oldest enemies, and whatever’s in store for him, ideally the show won’t kill him off (hey, you never know) and bring him back for future seasons. Unlike most of the other bad guys on the show, he’s already fully into his villainous persona years before Bruce Wayne puts on the cape and cowl, so Gotham needs to show just how ruthless this man already is before he takes on the city’s shadowy protector. Strange is just one of many villains that will play major roles in the latter half of Season 2, including Mr. Freeze, Matches Malone and the return of original character Fish Mooney.
Gotham returns with new episodes on Monday, February 29 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.
