We realize just how much this sounds like an eternally spinning broken record, but Gotham has just cast two more villains that will surface later in Season 2. (They weren’t kidding with the subtitle “Rise of All the Villains You Can Possibly Think Of, and Then a Few More That We Made Up Just for Kicks.”) Fans can look forward to seeing Breaking Bad vet Michael Bowen taking on the role of Matches Malone, as well as Tank Girl Lori Petty in a non-comic role that will give GCPD some hell.
Let’s break these two castings down one by one. Gotham viewers got to hear Matches Malone’s name on a recent episode, as it was who Silver St. Cloud claimed killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. But will he actually be the guy who put them down? Bruce Wayne thinks so.
Gotham’s version of Malone will be a little different from what comic fans are used to, although we’re seriously hoping Bowen will be decked out in the glasses and jackets that Malone is known for. Rather than being a small-time criminal trying to stay afloat in Gotham City’s underworld, the live-action version is one of the city’s deadliest killers, according to ComicBook, and he’s described as “a weathered, philosophical hitman.” Doesn’t seem like the kind of person whose name Bruce will grow up to use as a connection to the criminal society, but anything could happen.
Then there’s Petty’s character, whose name is Jeri. According to Variety, she is a mysterious and extroverted hostess at a bonkers-sounding club where patrons have a thing for both art and murdering people. (Sounds right up Gordon’s alley.) Jeri will help Bruce in seeking out his parents’ killer, but she doesn’t offer the same kind of assistance to Gordon. Because cops, you know? Though Petty is only set up to appear in one episode, here’s hoping she’s memorable enough to secure herself a recurring role.
Lori Petty is perhaps most memorable for a string of early 1990s hits like A League of Their Own, Free Willy and others, though she made quite a splash recently on Orange is the New Black Season 3 as the oddball Lolly. Bowen, meanwhile, has been all over the big and small screens, with Breaking Bad and Lost as his most notable TV gigs. You might also remember him from a bunch of different Quentin Tarentino movies; his name was Buck and he liked to...well, you know.
Tonight’s midseason finale of Gotham crossed one villain off the ever-growing list, while also introducing another. We can’t wait to see what Bowen and Petty get up to when Gotham returns for the rest of Season 2 on Monday, February 29.
