Gotham Season 5 banner teases Batman's return. Credit: FOX. Gotham is available to watch on E4 in the UK.
It was a big day for Gotham fans who attended New York Comic-Con this weekend; the show announced that the upcoming fifth and final series will finally see the Dark Knight swooping into town.
That’s right, Batman will be featured in this last installment. And all will begin when Bruce Wayne encounters a big swarm of bats.
Gotham Season 5 Plot
Unfolding a decade after Season 4 left off, Season 5 will take us to a Gotham disavowed by its government. It is a Gotham of bridges burned—literally.
The exploding bridge was featured in FOX’s brand new sizzle reel, which was released in conjunction with the Comic-Con announcement. In addition to recapping Season 4, it previews what’s to come in a Gotham that’s eroded into total anarchy.
The trailer shows Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) working overtime on bank holidays to do his usual crime-stopping thing. It also features likes of Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) leading a GCPD firing squad as they fire at skeleton suit-clad criminals.
Showrunner John Stephens gave cast the green light to share whatever spoilers they wanted. As a result, careful listeners learned that Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor) controls ammunition from his perch at City Hall. Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) wakes up disoriented and unsure who he is. Barbara (Erin Richards) has sought refuge for herself and her sirens in a “man-free zone”. Meanwhile, the injured Selina (Camren Bicondova) has fallen into a suicidal state of despair.
The show also promises to end with a bang delivered by a batch of top-notch villains. Deadline reports that the likes of Zsasz, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Penguin, and Magpie will feature.
Additionally, Showrunner John Stephens hinted that Harley Quinn might make an appearance in this Gotham universe. Stephens told The Hollywood Reporter that proto-Joker Jeremiah (Cameron Monaghan) “has a somewhat deranged girlfriend, who dresses in a multi-colored fashion.” Additional clues point straight at Harley Quinn: “I wouldn’t describe it as a healthy relationship … she likes roller skates.” Quinn was most recently revived by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad.
What about Bane?
With Batman in the mix, it’s only right that the Bane of his existence surfaces too.
This weekend’s Comic-Con also confirmed rising speculation that big Bane will indeed play his part. Shane West will be playing the role, one previously made popular by Tom Hardy in the The Dark Knight Rises feature.
Stephens also told THR that Bane will appear “before he became Bane. And we tied it to Jim’s backstory.”
Bane’s appearance is the result of perseverance as Stephens admitted that they had requested rights to use the character for quite some time:
“If you ask and you plead and you beg enough, and your show isn’t continuing, they give it to you,” Stephens said.
Sean Pertwee (Alfred) revealed that an altercation with Bane will land him with a broken back, which adheres to a major plot point in the comics. While this elements remains true to the original, we’ve been told to expect a brand new take on Bane’s origin story this time around.
Gotham Season 5 Air Date
An air date has yet to be announced but we’re told the show will arrive in the middle of the 2019 season, in the USA. This could mean we are waiting till 2020 for Season 5 to air in the UK, based on how long it took E4 to start airing Season 4 in the UK after the USA.
That being said this could have been due to Channel 5 having the rights to the show before that, so hopefully this time round E4 don’t take so long to start airing the season in the UK.
The 2019 date flashes at the end of trailer, which also dangles a reward for those who wait patiently:
“Hang on to your hat folks—cuz you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U8dgcUDEU4