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The League of Shadows

    Ra's Al-Ghul 

Ra's al Ghul

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alghul.png
"Join me. Fulfill your destiny."
Played By: Alexander Siddig

"I have been alive for more years than you can imagine. I have seen and done things that would shake the very core of what you believe. I am thought to be a demon. A saint. A ghost. But for all my years, all my travels, there is one thing that I have never found: a true heir. But I need to know if you're ready."

The leader of the League of Shadows and the enigmatic person behind The Court of Owls.


  • Adaptational Badass:
    • In the comics Ra's long life is accomplished by exposure to the Lazarus Pits and he has no other powers. Here his longevity is explicitly mystical and he has the ability to see the future.
    • One of Ra's major traits in the comics is the fact that he's absolutely terrified of dying and will do anything to prevent it. Here, Ra's has no such fear and is instead actively seeking out ways to end his immortality.
  • Adaptational Superpower Change: In this continuity, the "Demon's Head" isn't just a title, it's a supernatural ability that allows its user to see visions of the future.
  • Affably Evil: Much like in the comics, Ra's is a man of culture and with impeccable manners and is genuinely polite to those he respects and a ruthless killer. He can also mix this with fake politeness to terrifying effect.
  • Age Lift: Not that it's particularly noticeable, but Ra's is nearly two thousand years old in this continuity; most versions of the character range from 400 to 700 years old.
  • Arc Villain: Of the last two episodes of the third season, as well as the last few episodes of season 4, alongside Jeremiah.
  • Arch-Enemy: Aside from Jerome (and later Jeremiah), Ra's is one of Bruce Wayne's most personal adversaries. He's also the only one to make him break his no killing rule.
  • Back from the Dead: He comes back alive and well just in time for the Season 4 finale.
    • Back for the Dead: ...where he's killed off for good by a combination of Barbara and Bruce.
  • The Bad Guy Wins:
    • Early in Season 4, it's revealed that he wants Bruce to kill him. And he does.
    • While he dies (again) at the end of season 4, the finale shows Bruce does eventually become the Dark Knight of Gotham, just as he'd seen in his vision.
  • Beard of Evil: He has one as per tradition.
  • Been There, Shaped History: He's fond of referencing places he's been in or figures he met in his extremely long lifespan.
  • Big Bad: Of the fourth season, although he's dead throughout most of it. Regardless, he still leaves a heavy impact posthumously before finally returning in "To Our Deaths and Beyond".
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Forms one with Jeremiah Valeska in the Season Four finale.
  • Body Horror: His reflection shows his true form, where he is shown to be decaying. Once his followers bring him back in season 4, his actual appearance is this until he gets back the power of the Demon's Head.
  • Bungled Suicide: A very interesting variation. He wants to end his long, agonizing life but cannot do it himself, so he allows Bruce to do the job for him. When he's eventually resurrected by his remaining followers, he angrily scorns them for robbing him of the death he had waited so long for.
  • Came Back Wrong: When his followers resurrect him in season 4, his body is little more than a walking, decayed corpse. It takes his defeating Barbara and taking back the mantle of Demon's Head to restore his body.
  • The Chessmaster: He's been controlling everything since the series began, and has been ordering the Shaman to shape Bruce into his heir.
  • Combat Clairvoyance: One of the benefits of the power of the Demon's Head.
  • The Corrupter: With the Shaman gone, Ra's himself decides to play this role personally to Bruce.
  • Death by Adaptation: Subverted. He's killed by Bruce Wayne and stays dead for the majority of Season 4 (but occasionally pops up in a flashback or vision during Bruce and Barbara's stories). However, with the show's knack for bringing back dead characters and Ra's's immortality in the comics, you'd better believe it doesn't last, as he indeed comes Back from the Dead in "To Our Deaths And Beyond". Then he dies again in the season 4 finale "No Man's Land", seemingly for good.
  • Death Seeker: In Season 4, he reveals that he wants to be freed from his immortality, and manipulates Bruce (the only one who can break the curse) into killing him. However, this is no longer the case after Ra's' resurrection, as a vision gives him new drive to shape Bruce into Gotham's protector.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Although he takes the Demon's Head back from Barbara, he believes that part of its power stayed with her, dimming his ability to predict future events - explaining why he doesn't see his defeat and death at Bruce and Barbara's hands coming.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: After being set up as the Big Bad in the final two episodes of Season 3 for the next season, he's killed five episodes in, allowing characters like Professor Pyg, Sofia Falcone, and Jerome to take over as major Arc Villains. Once they're taken care of, he comes back.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He does genuinely care for Barbara, referring to her as "special" and offering her a chance to escape his destruction of Gotham.
  • Evil Brit: Alexander Siddig keeps his natural London accent for the part.
  • Evil Laugh: Alexander Siddig gives him an impressive one in "Heavydirtysoul".
  • Face Death with Dignity: Upon being stabbed by Barbara using Bruce as an unwitting tool, he genuinely congratulates her for doing it. He also uses his dying words to encourage Bruce to become the now-broken city's protector even as his body burns away.
  • Greater-Scope Villain:
    • Of the first three seasons, as he is the one who controls the Court Of Owls who in turn were responsible for the deaths of the Waynes. He becomes the Big Bad personally for the Season 3 finale.
    • He's also technically this in season 5 - not only did he engineer the entire No Man's Land scenario with Jeremiah in the hopes the ensuing chaos would forge Bruce into the dark knight he's destined to be, but his daughter Nyssa Al Ghul attempts to destroy the city to avenge him.
  • Hijacked by Ganon: In the comics, Ra's has no connection to The Court of Owls. Here he's The Man Behind the Man.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: His only response to Barbara stabbing him is a wonderfully deadpan "ouch". Justified, as while he can be hurt, only Bruce can actually kill him.
  • The Man Behind the Man: He's essentially the underlying motivator for everything going on in the series since Season 1, even (indirectly) the Wayne murders. The corrupt Wayne Enterprises board that had them killed is controlled by the Court of Owls - which, in turn, is controlled by Ra's through the Shaman.
  • Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: He's arrested for Alex's murder and sent to Blackgate - but the League of Shadows has already taken over and replaced all the guards as part of his master plan to snare Bruce.
  • Mythology Gag: He always refers to Gordon as "Detective", his respectful title for Batman in the comics.
  • Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In a weird instance of this, Alexander Siddig, who plays most roles with a Middle-Eastern accent, keeps his natural British accent despite Ra's being from Arabia.
  • Out of Focus: Despite being billed as a regular, he receives very little attention after the first half of Season 4 since he's killed off. Despite this, he's still given a credit in most episodes.
  • Pet the Dog: Seems genuinely apologetic interrupting Bruce just as he's about to kiss Selina seriously for the first time - he even admits it was poor timing on his part.
  • Race Lift: Averted as, for the first time in the character's history, the Arabic Ra's is being played by an Arab actor in live action.
  • Really 700 Years Old: Thanks to his Lazarus Pit from the comics. Season 4 includes a flashback specifically showing that he's actually from pre-Islamic Arabia, and was first resurrected by the Lazarus Pit after dying on a battlefield around the year 125 A.D. - which actually makes him one of the oldest incarnations of the character to appear (other versions of Ra's in various Batman comics have put his age anywhere from 400 to 700 years old).
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Say what you want about his actions but the man can really wear a suit.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: Only appears briefly at the end of season 3 and the beginning of season 4, but his actions have heavy impact on the character development of both Bruce Wayne and Barbara Kean. He's only back for a few episodes at the end of season 4 - but his intervention to turn Bruce into the city's protector ends with Gotham turned into a No Man's Land and Jeremiah firmly on the path to becoming the Joker...
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He stands at six feet tall with dark hair and being quite handsome.
  • Villain Takes an Interest: Ra's is very invested in Bruce's growth as a prophecy has foretold that he will be the one to inherit his power and become the next Ra's. Ra's is practically ecstatic once Bruce is able to break free from his conditioning as he believes that doing so is further proof of Bruce's worthiness.
  • Villainous Legacy: Turns out his daughter Nyssa didn't take his death well, setting almost all the events of season 5 in motion.
  • Visionary Villain: He comes round to living once he realises that the destruction of Gotham will directly precipitate Bruce's rise as the Dark Knight.
  • Walking Spoiler: His ties to the Court of Owls are a surprise.
  • We Will Meet Again: After telling Bruce to use the waters of the Lazarus Pit to revive Alfred, Ra's promises Bruce that the two will meet again some day before disappearing.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever??: Sees his immortality as a curse and is is constant pain and suffering so he wants Bruce to kill him since he the only one who can.
  • Would Hurt a Child: He shows absolutely no hesitation in slitting the throat of Bruce's teenage friend Alex.
  • Worthy Opponent: Ra's is absolutely delighted that Bruce is able to break out of his conditioning, as he believes that it is further proof that Bruce is worthy to be his heir. Also seems to have come to think this of Barbara - when she uses Bruce to stab him with the Kurdish dagger, he simply responds with a genuine-sounding "well done, Barbara."
  • Xanatos Gambit: No matter what the outcome of Bruce's final test is, Ra's would still get what he wants. Either Bruce murders Alfred, in which case the brainwashing is a complete success and Ra's can mould Bruce into his ideal heir, or Bruce breaks free from his conditioning, proving his strength of will and making him perfect to inherit Ra's throne.

    The Shaman 

    Anubis 

Anubis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anubis_2.png

A feral beast of a man who acts as a tracking attack dog for the League of Shadows.


  • Animal Motifs: He's a literal dog-man, whom the League uses as a tracking dog.
  • Insane Equals Violent: Insane enough to not act remotely human, hobbling on all fours and snarling and spitting like a wild dog.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Dies from jumping after a thrown bone out a second story window.

    Lelia 

Lelia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lelia_as_played_by_shiva_kalai.jpg

A high-ranking member of the League of Shadows, and the first to pledge loyalty to Barbara.


  • Undying Loyalty: Barbara impresses her enough that she, along with a small contingent of soldiers, desert the League of Shadows to serve her.

    Nyssa Al-Ghul 

Nyssa Al-Ghul

See Gotham - Rogues Gallery: Cellblock B under "Secretary Theresa Walker".

    Bane 

The Dollmaker's organization

    The Dollmaker/Dr. Francis Dulmacher 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dollmaker.png
Played by: Colm Feore

A mysterious figure involved in child trafficking that acts in Gotham through his lackeys Patti and Doug. Later appears as the head of the pirates that abduct Fish Mooney, revealing the full extent of his influence and plans.


  • Aborted Arc: He's never brought up again after Season 1.
  • Adaptation Name Change: His name is Francis Dulmacher, rather than Anton Schott or Barton Mathis.
  • Body Horror: What he does to people who fail or try to betray him. The resulting mismatch of misshapen parts is outright nightmarish, especially since his victim we see is still alive after he works him.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: An early Season 1 episode vaguely mentioned "The Dollmaker," and he was forgotten until the latter half of the season when he takes center stage in Fish's subplot.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He's a sadistic organ thief, and his unfailing politeness is pretty clearly an act.
  • Mad Doctor: While he typically uses his harvested organs to supply his seemingly legitimate private practice, he apparently likes to experiment with people who fail him. See Body Horror for the result...
  • Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: He's a respected surgical miracle worker - able to replace whole body parts with an assortment of seemingly unfitting pieces with full functionality. Where he gets those parts and pieces, however, is where the Morally Ambiguous part comes in...
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Courtesy of the other prisoners led by Fish during their escape.
  • Organ Theft: He harvests the organs of people he feels society will not miss, then uses them to run a private surgical practice for the elite.
  • Softspoken Sadist: Never loses his mild politeness. It makes the more horrifying aspects of his work that much more unsettling.
  • Steven Ulysses Perhero: His real name is Dr. Dulmacher, and he is referred to as the Dollmaker by some of his underlings.
  • Super Doc: So long as he has the parts available, he can treat practically anything that's impossible for modern medicine. Including replacing someone's lost eye and having it work.
  • The Sociopath: He has people (including children) abducted and harvested for organs so he could sell them to the wealthy, not to mention what he does to those who fail him. He shows no remorse for his crimes and any emotion he actually shows is just an act.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: His regular practice is luxurious and welcoming, and his upper class patients apparently have no idea about his illegal organ harvesting business.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Some of his targets are children.

    Patti & Doug 

Patti & Doug

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gotham_doug_and_patty.jpg

Two kidnappers and child traffickers working for the Dollmaker and preying on Gotham's homeless children under the guise of the Mayor's Homeless Outreach Program.


    The Catcher 

The Catcher

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_catcher.png

The leader of a group of mercenaries that guard Dulmacher's island.


    Office Manager 

Office Manager

Played By: Jeffrey Combs

Dollmaker's Office Manager.


The Sirens

    Barbara Kean 

Barbara Kean

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/babs_4.jpg
"I am the Demon's Head. So you sons of bitches better start bowing down right now, or it's gonna get real ugly up in here."
Played By: Erin Richards

"I am tired of sitting at the kids' table. If I'm right, we can have way more than vengeance. We can have it all. We don't need to go to war. All we need to do is start one."

The ex-fiancée of James Gordon. Throughout the first season, the stress of Gordon's cases gradually reveal her as a selfish hypocrite who is unable to take the strain and breaks up with him. The events of the last several episodes of Season 1 concerning The Ogre finally break her emotionally and mentally, turning her into a murderous psychopath who seeks to kill Leslie and take back Gordon for herself. She eventually becomes a major figure in Gotham's underworld and head of the Sirens, seeking to claw her way to the top of Gotham's mob.


  • Abusive Parents: She claims this as her excuse for murdering them. It's unclear if she's telling the truth though.
  • Adaptational Badass: Her comic counterpart is essentially just a harmless civilian. Here, she's one of the most dangerous women in Gotham.
  • Adaptational Dye-Job: A redhead in the comics, a blonde in the show. This is subverted in the 10 year Time Skip, where she finally sports her usual red hair.
  • Adaptational Origin Connection: In this continuity, Barbara is fully-responsible for the death of Butch Gilzean, and subsequently, the creation of Solomon Grundy.
  • Adaptational Sexuality: She was assumed straight in the comics and is now bisexual on the show. Possibly a case of Composite Character, combining her with Katherine Kane, the modern and lesbian Batwoman who also had a romance with Renee Montoya.
  • Adaptational Villainy: In the comics she's the decent but put upon wife of Gordon, coping as best she can as the stress of policing Gotham destroys their marriage. Here she turns from someone who makes numerous errors in judgment to full-fledged psychotic maniac by the end of season 1, then progresses to Ax-Crazy gang boss in her own right.
  • Amicable Exes: With Gordon, somehow, in the finale.
  • And Now You Must Marry Me: In "Tonight's The Night", she tries to forcefully marry Jim. She went as far as getting people to "attend" the wedding, getting a priest to perform the ceremony and even bringing Leslie so that she can rub it in her rival's face.
  • Arms Dealer: She re-establishes herself as this at the start of season 4 after her resurrection.
  • Ascended Extra: In the comics, she's little more than Gordon's wife and the namesake of their daughter Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
  • Asshole Victim: Absolutely nobody mourned for her when she lost her mind and tried to kill her girlfriend Tabitha out of petty villainy, resulting in Tigress electrocuting the mob queenpin to death. Subverted, as in "The Fear Reaper", she's alive again thanks to Ra's al Ghul.
  • The Atoner: Genuinely appears to regret her behaviour towards Tabitha after her resurrection, and specifically tries to mend fences with her once she returns, despite Tabby's deep mistrust.
  • Ax-Crazy: She turns into a sadistic and psychotic Yandere after The Ogre gets through with her.
  • Babies Make Everything Better: her character is reformed with the birth of her daughter.
  • Bad Boss: Treats her own loyal followers Butch and Tabitha with much disdain. This ultimately leads to her executing Butch and getting killed herself while trying to murder Tabitha. After her resurrection she shows a great deal of improvement in this area, but enough of the League of Shadows view her this way that they end up resurrecting Ra's to overthrow her.
  • Badass in Distress: She and her daughter are taken hostage by Nyssa Al Ghul, but once Jim frees her she easily takes down Nyssa's mooks.
  • Bait-and-Switch: At first, she seems like a strong, confident young woman who is willing to stand by Jim thick and thin and even helps him out a little. Then she starts making stupid mistake after stupid mistake and eventually becomes a murderous, psychotic villain.
  • Berserk Button: It doesn't matter whether it's in love or running the underworld - she hates not coming out on top. She tries to kill Lee repeatedly in season 2 after it becomes obvious Jim is in love with her (despite her and Jim being long-dead as an item by that point), does kill Butch when he tells her she doesn't deserve Tabitha, and is seething when she discovers that despite becoming Queen of Gotham in late season 3 that the Court of Owls is still in charge.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: In seasons 2 and 3 - she's a superb manipulator, but she only gets as far as she does in trying to overthrow Penguin because Riddler is doing most of the planning. She even kills Butch because she's sure she can talk Tabitha round. She's wrong, and Tabitha ends up electrocuting her to death.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The Season 1 finale revealed that she was a psychopath the whole time.
  • Break the Haughty: After acting like an Ungrateful Bastard and a total Jerkass all season, her time with the Ogre seems to have shattered her completely when she's tortured by him. Possibly subverted: if she's to be believed, the Ogre, didn't break her, he set her free.
  • Cat Fight: With Leslie in the Season 1 finale. She loses. It happens again in the Season 3 finale, this time with Tabitha, who kills her.
  • Character Death: She ends up killed in the Season 3 finale after Tabitha electrocutes her to death. Subverted as of "The Fear Reaper".
  • The Chosen One: Is hand-picked by Ra's Al Ghul to become the new head of the League of Shadows after his death.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Will use and betray anyone if it advances her own position. She's so notorious for it that when Bane comes for her and her baby Lee automatically assumes it's just someone else she's pissed off at some point.
  • Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Sometimes in season 2 and 3. Very much not played for laughs.
    Barbara: Jim. I had a dream about you the other night. You were in this horrible accident, and you lost both of your legs, and then I had to push you around in a giant baby carriage.
  • Combat Clairvoyance: A pretty nifty side-effect of the power of the Demon's Head - she almost wins her duel with Ra's because of it. Unfortunately, it also leads to her losing said duel, after it shows her Ra's isn't kidding about killing Tabby if she doesn't surrender.
  • Composite Character: Some elements of her personality seem to be lifted from her son in the comics, James Jr. Namely, her rocky relationship with her family and her murderous tendencies. Her relationship with Ra's may give her a hint of Whisper A'Daire, too.
  • The Confidant: To Gordon, regarding his frustrations and disgust with Gotham's choking-level of corruption. Not anymore.
  • Convenient Coma: After falling from a great height, she goes into a coma and is kept in the medical wing of Arkham Asylum for a brief period of time - which conveniently keeps her away from the resolution of the Galavan story and Theo's death.
  • Dark Action Girl: Gets very physical when trying to kill Leslie in the Season 1 finale, even smacking her around a few times. She also gets into a brutal fight with Tabitha in the Season 3 finale. After her season 4 return she's revealed to have gotten hand-to-hand training from Ra's Al Ghul and is now more than a match for Tabitha.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: When Montoya catches her smoking marijuana, she demands to know if Barbara is going back to how they used to be and if Barb is using anything else.
  • Deliver Us from Evil: Season 5 has Barbara and Jim have a one night stand which leads to her pregnancy. In the flashfoward it's shown she left her criminal ways and dotes on her daughter.
  • Demoted to Dragon: Played with. She used to be the "queen" of Gotham. Now, as of Season 4, she's Ra's al Ghul's flunky. However, before his supposed death, Ra's passes leadership of the League of Shadows to Barbara.
  • Depraved Bisexual: She's fully transitioned to this early in the second season, making out with both Tabitha and Theo.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Tabitha ends up killing Barbara by electrocuting her to death with a lamp entangled to her whip, a move Barbara did not see coming at all, thinking Tabitha was just dumb bringing a whip to a gunfight.
  • Dies Wide Open: After getting electrocuted to death, the last time we see Barbara's face we get a look at her cold, colorless eyes.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Suggested she killed her own parents because they were "strict".
  • Dragon Ascendant: Has been given leadership of the League of Shadows by Ra's al Ghul.
  • Establishing Character Moment: For the "new" Barbara in season 2. When she's in Arkham she's told by Jerome that Richard Sionis is interested in her. She immediately calls over the largest, strongest inmate and with a few choice words manipulates him into protecting her from Sionis and everyone else: this from someone who'd failed miserably in advising Selina to use her looks to get what she wanted the season prior. Even Jerome is impressed.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As crazy and depraved as she becomes, it's clear by season 4 that she genuinely cares about Tabitha, even surrendering the power of the Demon's Head back to Ra's to save her life. She's also clearly got some lingering affection for Jim Gordon, which seems to lead them into a one-night stand in season 5 when Jim's at his lowest.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: She's killed a lot of people for a variety of reasons, but she doesn't seem to be into mass slaughter.
    • When her and Penguin's plan to extort Jeremiah Valeska goes off the rails, and Jeremiah breaks his promise to give the city six hours to evacuate before he sets off his bombs, Barbara is visibly enraged.
    • She's also horrified by the Haven bombing killing so many harmless refugees, and is visibly shaken when Jim admits he doesn't know if she could've been capable of it or not. She even puts aside her vendetta against Penguin to help Jim get info on the bomber.
  • Evil All Along: The first season finale revealed that she was secretly a repressed psychopath the whole time.
  • Evil Feels Good: "You're wrong, James. I'm not sick. I'm free."
  • Evil Is Petty: One of her defining hallmarks as a villain: due to her Manchild status, she frequently acts like a schoolyard bully Drunk on the Dark Side. Witness her numerous attempts to kill Lee solely for the crime of dating Jim Gordon after their split, or her mocking a gangster's inability to say "club" after she had just broken his nose. Even Penguin, no stranger to this trope himself, is exasperated beyond words at that latter example.
    Barbara: Cwub?! What's a cwub?!
  • Evil Redhead: Inverted. In the 10-year time skip, she dyed her hair red and is fully redeemed.
  • Face–Heel Turn: The Ogre leads Barbara to kill her own parents, releasing her repressed murderous tendencies.
  • Foregone Conclusion: Subverted. In the comics, she's Commissioner Jim Gordon's wife and Batgirl's mother and namesake. As she is a murderous psychopath in this continuity, it's unlikely that that will come to pass. But then played partially straight, courtesy of a Hazy-Feel Turn in the final season and the birth of her and Jim's child after a one-night stand. But they still never marry.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: One could look at characters like Cobblepot and Nygma and know they would turn out to be formidable based on comics history. For a character based on the ex-wife of Jim Gordon to turn out to be a psychotic maniac that becomes a gang boss and eventual rival to Ra's Al Ghul himself is rather more out of the blue.
  • A God Am I: Has fully bought into this, having taken Ra's role as the Demon's Head in season 4.
  • Has a Type: Based on her relationships with Gordon and Montoya, Barbara clearly favored a strong moral compass that doesn't let petty bureaucracy or corruption get in the way of the right thing. Given both of their profession as police officers she probably also had a thing for authority figures. After she goes crazy, her type becomes murderous psychotics...and James Gordon, who she insists is just as dark as she is.
    • She dumps both of her cop lovers and dates a Serial Killer, who clearly demonstrated that there was something off about him.
  • Hazy-Feel Turn: Throughout seasons 4 and 5: after she gets killed by Tabitha, Ra's brings her Back from the Dead, and her personality becomes noticeably more stable; she reconciles with Tabitha, tries to stop Ra's and Jeremiah's plan to blow up Gotham, and aids Jim regarding the Haven bombing. That said, she's still a gang leader who will kill at the drop of a hat - her helping Gordon seems to be from a combination of lingering affection and their having the same enemies.
  • Heel–Face Door-Slam: In season 2 she wakes up from her coma and attempts to reconcile with Jim, even helping him find a major clue in the Wayne murders. But Jim rejects her regardless, citing her attempts at murdering Lee in the past, and Barbara subsequently regresses into villainy for good.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: Once she kills Butch in season 3, she's confident that she can either talk her way out of the consequences, or just kill Tabitha. She's wrong on both counts.
  • Hypocrite:
    • She tells Gordon that she won't stand for him keeping secrets from her, while in the same conversation keeping her past drug use a secret when telling him about her relationship with Montoya.
    • She gets angry when she believes Jim to be cheating on her after a woman (actually Ivy after she and Selena broke in) answers the phone when she calls his apartment...after just having cheated on Jim with Montoya and telling her "I'm over him." Then she tries to get back with Gordon again.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: She feels left out of Gordon's police life, and tries to help him in season 1 several times - each of which backfire and end up making things worse for him.
  • Inadequate Inheritor: The male members of the League of Shadows view her as this to Ra's Al Ghul. After they resurrect him, Ra's comes to agree - expressing disappointment Barbara's vision is limited to taking over Gotham, and horror that she didn't bother reading the texts he left her to prepare her for leadership of the League.
  • Intended Audience Reaction: Fans and critics alike hated her throughout most of Season 1, citing her hypocrisy, selfishness, brashness, and generally being unsympathetic. Come the Season 1 finale, it's obvious this was intended; when Barbara admits she killed her parents and then tries to kill Leslie, it seems the writers were intentionally building her up as a repressed Ax-Crazy killer that just needed the Ogre to set her true self free.
  • Irony: In season 3 she asks Tabitha if there's any chance they can move past her killing Butch. There isn't and Tabitha kills her. In season 5 Penguin asks her the exact same thing regarding his stabbing Tabitha to death.
  • It's All About Me: She does some incredibly stupid things and then complains the stress from the fallout of her own actions is causing her problems. Even as a villain, all she cares about is herself.
    • In the Season 1 finale, she kills her own parents solely because she believed they stifled her creativity and never understood her. Then she tries to kill Leslie because she took Gordon from her.
  • Karma Houdini:
    • The most punishment she gets for her killing spree is being put in a coma. After waking up, she is set free, faces no legal repercussions, and is apparently forgiven by everyone except Jim and Lee. However, she ends up electrocuted to death by Tabitha when Barbara eventually turns on her. But then she comes back...
    • After the ten-year time skip in the finale, she's somehow become one of the largest real-estate developers in Gotham, a hell of an achievement for someone with her history. Subverted: the newly reborn Joker specifically targets her in that episode on account of her past with Jim, nearly killing her daughter as a result.
  • Knowledge Broker: Once Jim strikes out on his own as a bounty hunter, she becomes this to him out of a combination of malicious amusement and lingering feelings for him (especially as Penguin, who he previously used as this, is now mayor). She tends to pick up an amazing amount of gossip and useful information from the patrons in her club, and in season 5 is shown to let men drink in the women-only club if they have useful intel to share.
  • Large Ham: Once she's Queen of Gotham, is she ever this, as her blatant insanity is on show for all to see - in any other show, Erin Richards' spectacular scenery-chewing would overpower everything else. It's toned down a lot once she dies and comes back thanks to Ra's, but still rearss its head from time to time - like when she becomes head of the League of Shadows.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: After the Season 1 finale, the show makes no attempt to hide that Barbara's an Ax-Crazy murderer.
  • Laughing Mad: Frequently. Just watch her freak out on a bunch of gangsters trying to extort her here.
  • Leg Focus: The camera likes to focus on her legs, and she's never shown in clothes that would cover more than the bare minimum of them. Unless she's wearing thigh high boots, which she does for most of Season 3.
  • Lethally Stupid: In Season 1, her incredibly stupid decisions either cause a lot of problems or nearly get herself and Gordon killed. Even when she becomes a villain, this trait never completely goes away, and it comes back to bite her in the ass big-time when she tries to kill Tabitha in the Season 3 finale.
  • The Load: In Season 1, nearly everything she does just causes problems for others.
  • Love Makes You Stupid: Her devotion to Gordon causes her to make some very unwise decisions such as coming back to Gotham without telling him, which means she gets captured by Falcone as a bargaining chip.
  • Mama Bear: Guns down two of Bane's thugs trying to capture her while in labour.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She wears a lot of revealing clothes and provides most of the Male Gaze in the show.
  • Murder the Hypotenuse: Attempted to resolve Jim's attraction to Leslie by killing her in season 2.
  • Narcissist: Seen subtly at first with her over-the-top reactions to Jim shutting her out of his work life (actually for her own safety), then explodes into full-fledged megalomania in season 2 and 3. Best seen in her multiple attempts to kill Lee because she can't stomach Jim loving someone else, and her blithely assuming Tabitha will forgive her for killing Butch.
  • Never My Fault: Never takes any responsibility for the problems caused by her own actions, and often states how any fall out is causing her stress. When Ra's Al Ghul has her resurrected, she says she doesn't know why everyone hates her, despite her variously acting like a dick towards, betraying and trying to kill Gordon, Lee, Penguin, Butch (who she actually does kill) and Tabitha.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Has been the source of a lot of grief for Gordon, most notably her singlehandedly ruining his and Bullock's Cowboy Cop attempt to take down Falcone.
  • Obfuscating Insanity: She's blatantly off her rocker in season 3, but she's still a very intelligent woman when her synapses are firing properly - best seen in the season 3 opener where she easily works out Butch being behind the gang attack on the Sirens Club.
  • Official Couple: Zigzagged with Gordon. First they're engaged, then they temporarily separate, then they get back together. She leaves again at the end of "The Mask" because she couldn't take the pressure of being targeted by Falcone's and Mooney's people and apparently has no problem soothing her stress by cheating on him with her ex-girlfriend, Renee Montoya. But then in "Rogues' Gallery", Montoya realized it was a mistake, which Barbara didn't take very well. Once she becomes a full-fledged villain, it's unlikely they'll ever get back together. Until the stress of No Man's Land and the Haven bombing lead them back to each other in season 5. Even after this, this eventually proves more a catalyst for Jim and Leslie finally getting together, the birth of Barbara Lee and her own attainment of peace with Jim rather than their picking up where they left off.
  • Oh, Crap!: When she goes to Riddler's club to apprehend him for Penguin, and realises his pal Solomon Grundy is a resurrected Butch, whom she killed the season prior...
  • One-Hour Work Week: She lives in a very expensive apartment, but we never see her work in the gallery she's supposed to own. In fact most of the time she is just seen hanging out in her apartment with Selina and Ivy. It's heavily implied that her parents pay for everything. By Season 3, as a criminal figurehead, she, Butch, and Tabby own their own club, the Sirens.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: After The Reveal she actually killed her parents, she acts like this a lot of the time, prone to childish temper tantrums that often end in someone's death. She grows out of it in season 4 thanks to the influence of Ra's Al Ghul.
  • Put on a Bus: Butch threw her out for some reason between "Azrael" and "Unleashed". She also spent a part of Season 2 in a coma.
  • Reformed, but Not Tamed: Ten years after the events of Season 5, Barbara had completely reformed and abandoned her criminal career for the sake of her daughter. Regardless, she's still the tough, gun-wielding badass that she was back in the day.
Riddler: Barbara, do you even remember how amazing you used to be?
Barbara: Honey, I'm still amazing. I just made a choice.
  • Sanity Slippage: The first season very subtly shows this up until the finale, where she becomes a fully-fledged crazy villainess. Arguably it starts when first Butch and then Zsasz hold her hostage in "Penguin's Umbrella". Before then, despite her troubled past, she is unquestionably loyal to Gordon, refuses to have anything to do with her obsessive ex, and acts pretty normal. Post-kidnapping, she can't handle the flashbacks, leaves Gordon because she feels he's not being supportive enough, and from there, it's just one bad decision after another.
  • Self-Inflicted Hell: True, her life goes to hell throughout Season 1, but a huge amount of it is her own fault.
  • Self-Made Orphan: She killed her own parents.
  • Shipper on Deck: In the finale is one to the now ten-years older Bruce and Selina.
  • The Starscream: To Penguin in season 3 - she fancies that Gotham needs a queen, and helps Ed destroy Penguin's empire in order to become undisputed ruler of the city.
  • Straw Feminist: Becomes this as of the season 4 finale, declaring that men are the source of all of the world's problems, and enforcing her turf in Gotham's No Man's Land as a Male-Free zone. In season 5 Pragmatic Villainy ensues - she hosts men in the club, but only up to certain times, and trades food for ammunition with Penguin.
  • Symbol Motif Clothing: She is always seen wearing clothing that is black and/or white.
  • Tempting Fate: When Penguin threatens her for the submarine part she took (which he needs to get away from Gotham) she snarls back that given she's in labour there's no pain worse than what she's feeling at that moment. Cue Bane showing up...
  • Token Evil Teammate: To the GCPD in season 5 as she softens. Where Jim tries big speeches to get the gangs to stop warring, she simply poisons the gang leaders and only promises them the antidote if they stay at peace.
  • Too Dumb to Live: This is almost her defining characteristic. She begs Don Falcone to spare Gordon's life while he is searching for a way to hurt him and took her hostage earlier in the same episode. Her stupidity finally does lead to her death in the Season 3 finale when Barbara gets the bright idea to kill Tabitha, who is a trained assassin and weapons master, all by herself. This results in her former best friend killing her easily. However, her death turns out to be temporary thanks to the Lazarus Pit, and thanks to a crash course by Ra's she subverts this a lot more in season 4.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In season 4: Ra's Al Ghul gives her hand-to-hand training and passes the power of the Demon's Head to her. She's notably far calmer and more stable after this.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: She's still ruthless and will kill at the drop of a hat in season 4, but the influence of Ra's sees her both attempting to genuinely reconcile with Tabitha and taking Selina under her wing, both of which succeed after she relents to Tabby's pressure and saves both their lives from the gang Selina was stealing from. Even later in the season, after becoming the Demon's Head causes her ego to hit new heights, she willingly gives it all up to save Tabitha from Ra's - something that never would have happened a season prior.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: when the Ogre shows her his room full of S&M gear she gazes at him haughtily as if to say "Do your worst!".
  • Troll: Goes to Lee as her doctor regarding her pregnancy. Though she insists it's because Lee's the best, it's clearly partially motivated by this.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: Her parents paid for her classy apartment and lifestyle in season 1. She kills them by season's end, blaming them for being too strict and stifling her creativity.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: In Season 1, after being gone for a couple weeks, she returns home to find Ivy and Selina squatting in it. Instead of asking who they are or telling them to get out, she grabs a box of crackers and asks if they have seen Jim. Being drunk probably helped.
  • Villainesses Want Heroes: As much as she wants Gordon to suffer for leaving her, she's still very much obsessed with him. She even tells Lee in Season 2 that he and she are meant to be together because they both have 'the same darkness' inside them. While this cools as she inherits the Demon's Head in season 4, it never totally goes away, leading her to hook up with Jim when he's at his lowest in season 5, leading to the birth of their daughter.
  • Villainous Breakdown: She loses it when she tries to kill Tabitha for abandoning her.
  • Wham Line: She and Jim have a night of passion when he's at his lowest in season 5. A few episodes later...
    Barbara: I'm pregnant.
  • Wild Card: After awaking from her coma and being released from Arkham, she's continued to work with criminals like Cobblepot, but she's also helped Jim dig into the Wayne murder and exposed Clayface as a fake Jim. Subverted in season 4 as she develops some sense of kinship with Tabitha and Selina.
  • Womanchild: Nearly all she does in Season 1 is play around her apartment. This trope doesn't become obvious until she starts hanging out with Selina and Ivy.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: By "Red Hood", Barbara has managed to convince herself that she is a cunning and cynical Femme Fatale type. Selina quickly calls her on this.
    Barbara: Your appearance can be a weapon. As powerful as any knife or gun.
    Selina: What good's it done you?
    • Then she assumes that she's The Vamp and plays off another man, assuming that she's manipulating him. Said man was really a Serial Killer who was intending to waste her. He almost succeeds, but Gordon comes to her rescue once again.
    • In the Season 1 finale, she tries to poison Leslie and Gordon's relationship, but unlike when Renee tried it on her, Leslie saw through it. Barbara then tries to go the other route and kill Leslie in her house but didn't count on Leslie being stronger than her and capable of beating her unconscious.
  • Yandere: For much of seasons 2 and 3. After dropping her Mask of Sanity, Barbara is just as eager to kiss Gordon as she is to see him writhe in agony.

    Tabitha Galavan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f1l4wfpesir1bl5ndtekthwvhomk8bhqhalwt8aidnhbxsa3aagaw_vbvccrvs5kcmhn959tlwnowoozs_fze_dh1xyba4xr4702zb_havg.jpg
Played By: Jessica Lucas

Theo Galavan's sister and lead enforcer. After his death, she begins to carve out her own niche in Gotham's criminal underworld, eventually taking Selina Kyle under her wing.


  • Adaptation Name Change: The comics' Tigress was named Paula Brooks, with her daughter/successor being named Artemis Crock. Combined with a bit of Canon Foreigner given that she doesn't seem to be based on either of the above characters.
  • Adaptation Origin Connection: Tigress, in the comics, was not Selina's mentor.
  • Adaptational Sexuality: The original Tigress was not bisexual.
  • An Arm and a Leg: Gets her right hand chopped off by Nygma. It quickly gets reattached though.
  • Asshole Victim: She kills Penguin's mother, a helpless old lady, by knifing her in the back just to cause him maximum pain (her brother had initimated he'd free her if Penguin did what he wanted), and then taunts him about it several times. Given that, it's tough to argue his point she deserved her fate when he stabs her to death several seasons later.
  • Ax-Crazy: In season 2. She shows great delight in killing Sionis and ripping Bunderslaw's eye out, abuses Aubrey James for kicks, and Theo implies she tortures and kills librarians whenever she's feeling down.
  • Badass Biker: Shown to be this when she rescues Butch from the ambulance.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Shows this towards Selina, mentoring her in combat skills in season 4.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Killing Penguin's mother was not a good idea, to say the least - he kills her brother for it (twice), kills her lover to get at her and finally kills her at the start of season 5.
  • Chickification: She goes from a dark, sadistic assassin into a loving girlfriend towards Butch. This seems to have been taken further in Season Four with Selina who she has a very sweet and freindly relationship with.
  • Dark Action Girl: She acts as her brother's main enforcer, being skilled with guns, whips and knives. She's always portrayed as very skilled in combat in subsequent seasons, even when subjected to Badass Decay.
  • Death by Adaptation: When she confronts Oswald in the season five opener, she's hell-bent on killing him in revenge for Butch's death. Unfortunately for her, the bullet she fires on Oswald with her gun is defective, and after a brief struggle, Oswald insults Tabitha before stabbing her in the heart, putting her down for good.
  • Depraved Bisexual: Tabitha Galavan is a ruthless criminal from the get-go, and gets involved with people of both sexes.
  • The Dog Bites Back: She knocks out her brother and gives his parachute to Silver after Theo tries to kill Silver.
  • Dominatrix: She uses a whip, has a high pony tail, and wears lots of black leather she's pretty much the embodiment of the trope and that's not even getting into how her relationship with Butch kicked off.
  • The Dragon: She does all of Theo's hands-on dirty work. Later serves as this for Barbara in seasons 3 and 4 despite a few spotty moments.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: She doesn't like the way Theo treats their niece Silver, and finally turns against him when he attempts to kill the poor girl.
  • Evil Mentor: She becomes a role model for Selina Kyle.
  • Faux Affably Evil: She puts on a polite façade all the time. Even when she's planning to kill somebody. Her affability becomes more genuine as the show goes on, especially towards Butch and Selina.
  • Forgotten Fallen Friend: Subverted: it looks this way in season 5 after Selina starts working with Penguin despite his killing her, with Penguin seemingly convincing her of he was taking revenge for his mother's death. Then, the episode after it turns out she's stringing him along until he figures out a route out of Gotham, and she and Barbara still fully intend on killing him as payback.
  • Freudian Excuse: Before being stabbed by Theo, she attempted to reason with him, reminding him of their home and of life before he was taken by the Order of Saint Dumas, her exact words being "We were happy once." Given that Hugo Strange confirmed her family members learn to memorize every word of their family's sacred text making them sound like more of a Cult than a family it's not hard to imagine that her upbringing wasn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows. Especially when one considers Theo's treatment of their niece, and the hints of incest between him and Tabitha. It should be noted however that Tabitha has never once attempted to excuse her behavior or blame her childhood.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: It seems she's getting jealous of Barbara setting her sights on Theo. Or maybe she was jealous of Theo in that scene. Or both. In any case, she's still fond enough of Barbara to send hit men after Jim for hurting her even though Theo ordered her to do nothing.
  • Hates Being Alone: The Sirens featurette on the Season 4 DVD suggests this is why she keeps forming friendships with Butch, Barbara, Selina etc. after Theo's death, as up to that point she'd never been without the Dumas family to rely on.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Her outfit of choice is a tight leather outfit and jacket that leaves little to the imagination.
  • Ice Queen: When she's first introduced she's very cold blooded and still remains so in many respects however she's become something of a Defrosting Ice Queen since being with Butch she has revealed somewhat of a kind side and even is visibly upset by learning of his death. Butch even attempted to kill Barbara on his own with the intent of playing dumb because he claimed Tabitha wouldn't have been able to handle killing Barbara. Ironic considering...
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Has an entire quest of this in early season 4, as she tries to reawaken the Butch persona in Solomon Grundy. Ironically, she succeeds, but doesn't realise it as she bludgeons him unconscious with a mace.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Despite being a good shot, she failed to shoot Penguin as she missed every shot despite him running in a straight line to a window to escape with his limp. During a Mexican Standoff between Gordon, Bullock, and Penguin, she finally shot Penguin but only hit his shoulder with a sniper rifle and he got out of the situation alive.
  • In Name Only: She shares her comic namesake of Tigress, but leans more towards the future Catwoman, as Tabitha favors the whip and uses her sexuality. Fittingly, she becomes Selina's mentor in that regard.
  • It's Personal: Wants Gordon dead for putting her brother and Barbara behind bars. She's gotten over it by mid-season 3 though.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite acting like a total bitch and psycho killer in Season 2, Tabitha had shown some kinder elements to her personality such as when she saved her niece from her brother and objected to his treatment of her, as well as taking in a emotionally broken Barbara after Barbara had been turned away by Jim Gordon. Small bits of this continue to be shown in Season 3 when she's shown saving Butch despite saying he meant nothing to her and later willingly giving up her hand to save him, she even struggles with her decision to betray and kill Barbara.
  • Killed Off for Real: In the season 5 opener, she's stabbed in the heart by Oswald after failing to kill him due to a defective bullet.
  • A Lighter Shade of Black: Following her turning on Galavan: she's still technically a bad guy, but she pales in comparison to Penguin and Barbara.
  • Meaningful Name: Barbara and Butch both refer to her as "Tabby" for short, foreshadowing her becoming a mentor to Selina.
  • Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: She turns against Barbara after her boss abused her trust one too many times and kills the mob queenpin herself.
  • Moral Myopia: She's enraged by Butch's murder in cold blood and swears vengeance against Penguin for it - which ignores it was Penguin swearing vengeance against her for her murdering his mother in cold blood which led to that in the first place.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She wears a top that shows her cleavage very often, with short skirts baring her legs too, and long leather boots.
  • Never My Fault: A two-sided example: when she tries to kill Penguin for his murder of Butch, he retorts Butch's death was her fault for killing his mother. Tellingly, she's not actually got a good reply before trying to finish him off.
  • The Obi-Wan: For Selina, as it's shown her tutelage under Tabitha is how she acquired both the whip and a lot of the combat skills of the future Catwoman.
  • Odd Couple: With Butch: a former assassin and the Affably Evil Butt-Monkey of the Gotham mobs are an odd fit, but they genuinely love each other.
  • Oh, Crap!: When she sees Barbara is somehow still alive.
  • The Quiet One: She rarely speaks, allowing to let her actions do the talking. But when she does speak, she is quite affable.
  • Race Lift: The various incarnations of the comics character she's based on have all been Caucasian (or in Young Justice, half-Caucasian half-Vietnamese), but she's played by a black Canadian actress on the show.
  • Revenge: She tries to kill Jeremiah for crippling Selina at the end of season 4, then tries to kill Penguin at the start of season 5 for his murder of Butch. Both attempts fails, and the latter ends in her death.
  • Ship Sinking: She and Barbara break up in the third season finale before she attempts to murder her ex-girlfriend herself.
  • The Starscream: Eventually turns on Barbara after she kills Butch.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: A Dark Action Girl with a penchant for black leather, killing using an animalistic style, played by a black Canadian woman with a high ponytail? It's like Copperhead returns in all but name.
  • Thicker Than Water: Played with: she turns on Theo after he himself averts this in trying to kill their niece Silver, but she still wants payback on Penguin and Gordon for his subsequent death. Appears to get over it when Azrael (the resurrected Theo) stabs her into a coma, and Penguin and Butch subsequently obliterate him with a rocket launcher on her behalf.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Sneeringly mocks Penguin, who has already proven immensely resourceful and extremely hard to kill, for doing nothing to avenge his mother's murder. The following season he kills Butch specifically to pay her back for this. Then he kills her at the start of season 5.
  • Twofer Token Minority: Tabitha is a Black bisexual woman here in an otherwise largely straight White cast.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She's the cause of the climactic showdown at Wayne Manor in "Unleashed" as she reminds her brother of his past life.
  • Villain Decay: She was previously The Dragon to Galavan and a feared assassin in Gotham who posed as a serious threat. In the second half of Season 2, she gets Demoted to Satellite Love Interest for Butch. Now in Season 4 she's turned into a loving and sweet mentor for Selina. All in all she's not even half the villain she use to be.
  • When She Smiles: Her rare genuine smiles (usually reserved for Butch) are something to behold.
  • Whip of Dominance: She is a Dominatrix themed leather-clad criminal enforcer who fights with a bullwhip, for the extra symbology. She's the series version of a prototype Catwoman, to the point she becomes the Evil Mentor to Selina Kyle and even passes down her bullwhip to her.
  • Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Her turning on Theo is motivated by his trying to kill their niece Silver, and she later takes in Selina when the thief has nowhere else to go.

    Selina Kyle 

The Lady's assassins

     The Lady 
Played By: Michelle Gomez
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_lady_4.png
"I accept the job, the job gets done. Period. You see, I believe in the beauty of extreme measures."
A mysterious lady who runs an organization of assassins.
  • Ambiguously Gay: She wears masculine clothing and seems attracted to Barbara Kean.
  • Carnival of Killers: Her organization's rules include sending more killers after a target if the first one fails.
  • Den of Iniquity: She runs a gambling den where her assassins hang out.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Possibly. Prior to "A Bitter Pill to Swallow", she had fired Flamingo due to his cannibalism, although she re-hires him in the episode when she has no other assassins to turn to.
  • Murder, Inc.: She runs it.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Her real name has yet to be spoken in the show.
  • Shout-Out: Bears a resemblance to one of Michelle Gomez's other recent roles, Missy.

    The Wayne Killer/Matches Malone 

The Wayne Killer / Patrick "Matches" Malone

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matches_malone.png
Played By: Danny Schoch (first appearance), Michael Bowen

Unknown masked man who shot and killed Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their son Bruce, as they were walking through Crime Alley. In Gotham, he is not the same person as "Joe Chill" from the comics.


  • Affably Evil: When he shakes off the crust and his initial reaction to "kids now", believing he's talking to a nervous client, he's... disturbingly supportive at "Who do you want dead?"
  • Age Lift: While Matches Malone's age in the comics was never specified, he was young enough for Batman to pull a Dead Person Impersonation and use his identity to spy on criminals. Here, he's already an adult.
  • Alliterative Name: Well, alliterative nickname, anyway.
  • But for Me, It Was Tuesday: He's killed so many people, he can't even remember all of them. It takes a surprise visit from Bruce Wayne for him to remember two of his victims.
  • Composite Character: Matches Malone takes over Joe Chill's role as the killer of Bruce's parents.
  • Driven to Suicide: Guilt from having killed Thomas and Martha Wayne, and being denied death by their son's hands, drove him to kill himself just as Gordon was about to show up.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: He won't kill babies for any amount of money.
  • Face Death with Dignity: When faced with death by Bruce's gun, he just takes it in stride and actually encourages him to pull the trigger. Bruce catches on quickly and refuses, and when he alerts Gordon to his location, he simply takes the gun Bruce left behind and shoots himself.
  • The Ghost:
    • As Bullock summed it up, it was just one out of ten thousand street muggings that just happened to go bad, and the odds are astronomically low that they will ever find him. There are no repeat muggings, and his face is never seen. This makes him become more of a concept for Bruce than a solid human being, as if he's just a personification of "random street crime" that appeared one night, then evaporated.
    • As well as the people who hired him to kill Bruce's parents.
  • Harmful to Minors: Two parents and their son walking down the street at night in the city, and get surprised by a (seemingly) random street mugger pointing a gun at them. They don't try anything. He brutally shoots them both dead anyway, right in front of their son, then disappears into the night from whence he came.
  • The Heavy: He isn't the main villain, but his actions are what help the dark secrets of Gotham start to unravel, as well as changing Bruce's life forever.
  • Honor Among Thieves: Claims a "killer's code" isn't much, but he won't say anything about who hired him.
  • Impossibly Mundane Explanation: Zigzagged back and forth and up and down with Arkham's Razor. It just doesn't sit right with Gordon that one of the wealthiest couples in the city would be shot dead in a random street mugging, and thinks it must have been some kind of assassination...or was it? The local mafia set up a fall guy (shot while resisting arrest), but Don Falcone explains that this was not to cover up a hit made on the Waynes, it was simply done to bring a quick end to the police sweep so their organized crime could continue without interference. Gordon isn't satisfied with this explanation, or at least doesn't think he should take Falcone at his word for it. Pretty much the only things that stand out about the guy are that he was wearing unusually expensive, shiny shoes for a random street mugger, and forensics revealed that the bullets he shot the Waynes with were unusually expensive bullets of above-average quality ($6 each round). But maybe he just stole those shoes, maybe he just stole expensive bullets, or a dozen other mundane explanations.
  • Karma Houdini Warranty: He's gotten away with lots of murders in his lifetime and suffered no retribution for it. When Bruce finally catches up to Patrick Malone and makes him remember the Waynes, he reveals that he's actually tired of being a Karma Houdini and encourages Bruce to pull the trigger on him. When Bruce chooses not to, Malone pulls the trigger on himself.
  • Leave Behind a Pistol: Bruce leaves behind the gun he brought to kill him and Malone uses it to commit suicide.
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: The Waynes gave him their money, but he killed them anyway, suggesting it was a hired hit made to look like random street crime.
  • Malevolent Masked Men: Wears a ski mask, so Bruce never got a good look at him. He could be anyone. The only physical details of note were that he was relatively tall, and that he wore somewhat expensive shiny shoes. Selina provides a description of him for the GCPD sketch artist, but the result is generic enough to be any heavyset man with a five o'clock shadow.
  • Named by the Adaptation: The show gives him the first name Patrick.
  • Not Worth Killing: Bruce chose not to kill him as he's "just a man".
  • Once Done, Never Forgotten: He's been known by the name "Matches" ever since that one hit where he burned someone to death.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: In Bruce's words: "I wish you were a monster, but you're just a man."
  • Teens Are Monsters: He made his first kill at 15.
  • Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Played with. After shooting Bruce's parents, he aims his gun at the boy...silently hesitates for a few seconds, then quietly puts his gun down and walks away. It later turns out he does kill kids if hired to do so; he simply charges triple the normal rate for the hit. Also, he does not kill babies.

     Eduardo Flamingo 
See his entry here.

Indian Hill Escapees

    Karen Jennings 
Played By: Julia Taylor Ross
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karen_jennings.png
A product of the original Indian Hill project, she was freed by Thomas Wayne and hidden away.

    Marv 
Played By: Victor Pagan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marv__monster.png

A member of Fish's gang capable of accelerating aging through touch.


  • The Dragon: To Fish, while she is leading the Indian Hill escapees.
  • The Gloves Come Off: Literally. If he removes his gloves, someone's about to die.
  • Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He doesn't express any regret for the murders he commits.
  • Karma Houdini: Is one of the few villains in Fish's gang to escape completely unpunished for his crimes.
  • Touch of Death: It only takes a few seconds of skin contact to age someone to the point where their organs fail.

    Nancy 
Played By: Bianca Rutigliano
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nancy_5.png
An Indian Hill escapee and member of Fish's gang.

    Sid 
Played By: Michael Lorz
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sid_97.png
An Indian Hill escapee and member of Fish's gang.

    Tweaker 
Played By: Mike Cannon
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tweaker.png
An Indian Hill escapee and member of Fish's gang.
  • Femme Fatalons: A rare male example.
  • Winged Humanoid: He has a pair of bat wings, functional ones if his attempted escape out a window is any indicator.

    Alice Tetch 

Alice Tetch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_tetch.png
Played By: Naian Gonzalez Norvind
An Indian Hill patient who had her powers before experimentation. The sister of Jervis Tetch.
  • Brother–Sister Incest: Jervis puts "thoughts a brother should never have" into her head as a game. It's why she wants to kill him.
  • Canon Foreigner: The Mad Hatter never had a sister in the comics. Though in Batman: The Animated Series, he was obsessed with his secretary, named Alice.
  • Kill It with Fire:
    • If she gets so much as a paper cut she'll burn the place to the ground to prevent any possible contamination.
    • Defied after death. When her body is stolen from the morgue, the tag with her name on it is shown to also bear strict written orders to not burn her (“DO NOT INCINERATE”).
  • Hate Plague: Exposure to her blood induces short term incapacitation, followed by murderous rage. According to her the effect transfers to the blood of anyone infected as well.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How she dies.
  • Non-Malicious Monster: She even tries to stop a man attacking her from getting exposed to her blood.
  • Outside-Context Problem: Unlike the other escapees from Indian Hill, she already had her powers before Strange got to her.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: Despite being killed off after two episodes, her poisonous blood has a huge impact on the rest of Season 3. Nicknamed the "Tetch Virus", it's thoroughly responsible for Barnes's, Mario's , and eventually Lee's Sanity Slippage. It also becomes the driving force of the season finale's conflict, as it's weaponized into a bomb by the Court of Owls and used upon the entire city, plunging it into chaos and turning its citizens into complete monsters.
  • Typhoid Mary: She does her best to stop anyone else from getting infected. Unfortunately, this involves some murder and quite a bit of arson.

    Jane Cartwright 

Please see Serial Killers.

The Cult of Jerome

     Jerome Valeska 

See here.

    Jeri 

Jeri

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gotham1.jpg
Played By: Lori Petty

A rock musician to Gotham's criminal underground, and another contender for the future Joker.


    Dwight Pollard 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dwight_pollard.png

Dwight Pollard is a former Indian Hill employee and part of a movement who are fanatic followers of Jerome Valeska.


  • Asshole Victim: He gets killed by Jerome.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: He wanted Jerome back and he succeeded. Too bad he gets killed by him soon after their first meeting.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: He tries to fill in Jerome's shoes by leading his followers, but as Gordon points out he doesn't have the same strong presence as the old maniac did.
  • Casting Gag: Dastmalchian played a lunatic follower of the Joker's in The Dark Knight.
  • Cult: Dwight leads one filled with clownish figures who pattern after Jerome Valeska.
  • Dr. Jerk: He's a doctor at Indian Hill and a total lunatic.
  • Jack the Ripoff: His cult and himself all pattern after Jerome.
  • Karmic Death: Gets killed by his own hero after resurrecting him.
  • Kill It with Fire: Jerome blows him up with a bomb.
  • Large Ham: While he can be hammy, Dwight doesn't have the right amount pizzazz that Jerome had once he starts wearing Jerome's face.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: You can thank this guy for bringing Jerome back into the fray. Hell, if he hadn't resurrected him, the latter would've never gotten the chance to turn his twin brother into the Joker!
  • Sucksessor: Jerome sees him as a poser, and even Gordon berates him for being the one thing Jerome never was - boring.

    Mummer 
A mysterious Jester who appeared to Jerome's cult after his death to give them Jerome's posthumous directions. For more information about her see Gotham - Rogues Gallery: Cellblock A.

Other Criminal Gangs

    The Red Hood 
Played By: Michael Goldsmith (Gus Floyd), Jonny Coyne (Clyde Destro), Peter Brensinger (Trope), Kevin T. Collins (Regan), Peter Albrink (Haskins)
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/second_red_hood_gang_season_3.png
A gang of small-time robbers who hit banks, but only steal from the registers instead of the vault so they can get out in time before the cops arrive. A Red Hood, which ends up becoming the symbol of the gang, is passed among them.
  • Artifact of Doom: Whoever wears the hood is compelled to follow the example of the original owner — hammy, addresses the people, throws money at them, stands on desk to command the robbery, etc. However, it also marks them for death in the imminent future.
  • Decomposite Character: None of the men who don the mask fall into a vat of chemicals and become the Joker. That honor goes to Jeremiah Valeska.
  • Iconic Outfit: The red hood becomes a symbol of the gang.
  • In the Hood: The red hood itself.
  • Legacy Character: The first person to wear the hood is killed by the leader of the gang for trying to take over, and he takes it in turn only to be killed and have it taken by another member. As Gordon notes, anyone could put the hood on to become the Red Hood, it doesn't have to be the same person. By the end of the episode the gang is all dead, but another person finds the hood, implying its legacy will continue.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Though the hood is ostensibly just a piece of red cloth with holes cut in it, it does seem to have a curious power over those who wear it — such as the fact everyone who wears it gets shot. It's left ambiguous if it's just a combination of psychological power and coincidence, or something more.
  • Shadow Archetype: To Batman, as a cloaked figure that the people end up championing. However, Batman is a billionaire trying to stop criminals, the Red Hood is a guy who steals from rich banks and gives some back to the people. The original wearer proclaiming the hood is a symbol is particularly striking.
  • Start of Darkness: Given how the Joker started out as the Red Hood in the comics, the random kid who picks the hood up after the gang is wiped out is another candidate for the role.

    The Merton Gang 
Played By: Michael Buscemi (Merton), Michael Maize (Grady Harris)
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merton_3.png
Merton
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grady_harris.png
Merton's Cousin Grady Harris
Bank robbers from "the sticks" who appear in Season 4, intending to operate in Gotham without one of Penguin's licenses. They abscond with Jonathan Crane to force him to weaponize his father's fear serum, but their abuse of Crane and defiance of the Penguin come back to bite them hard.
  • Asshole Victim: All of them suffer serious comeuppances by the end of their debut.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: They seeks to take over Gotham's criminal underworld despite not being as threatening as they think they are.
  • Fingore: Merton gets one of his fingers shot off by Victor Zsasz for holding up a wedding without a license.
  • Gas Mask Mooks: How they dress for the bank robbery. Justified because they're deploying the Crane fear-toxin with gas-sprayers.
  • Kick the Dog: They frequently torment Jonathan Crane by mocking his fear of the scarecrow, but they really go too far when they lock the kid inside a closet with a grotesque scarecrow to torture him For the Evulz.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: They accidentally turn Jonathan Crane from this weak, timid boy into the master of fear thanks to their abusive behavior towards him.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: The gang leader looks vaguely similar to Christopher Walken in his Max Shreck look.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: They're pretty much filler villains, but they accidentally cause Crane to become the Scarecrow.
  • Stupid Evil: They come to Gotham to grow as the most powerful gang, but they do so by challenging The Penguin, a well-known mob boss who owns the town and makes it clear that his forces are unstoppable.
  • Too Dumb to Live: After torturing Crane for days, one of the mooks tries to force him to make more fear toxin to help bust his buddies out of prison. However, when he sees that Crane has gone off the deep end now donning a deformed scarecrow costume, the thug just stares at the villain completely dumbstruck before Scarecrow infects him with fear toxin instead of getting away from the obviously deranged psychopath.


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