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Other Criminals

    Jerome Valeska 
An initally innocent-seeming young boy whose mother's murder Gordon investigated - until he was exposed as a deranged psychopath who was Laughing Mad. Over the seasons he would become ever-more dangerous, forming a personal hatred of Bruce, until his death in late season 4 - but even then he would have one last legacy to leave to Gotham. For tropes regarding him, see the Valeska Twins' page.

    Mario Pepper 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mario_pepper.png
Played by: Daniel Stewart Sherman

A small-time crook blamed for the Wayne murders. Father of Ivy Pepper.


  • Abusive Parents: Ivy is not happy in her home.
  • Domestic Abuse: Neither is her mother.
  • Fall Guy: Gordon finds evidence fingering him as the Wayne killer at his house, but the evidence was planted by Falcone to shut the case down. And then Bullock shoots him dead when he attacks Gordon.
  • Notorious Parent: He became a criminal when suspected to be the Waynes' killer. Too bad he also had a daughter.

    Stan Potolsky 

Stan Potolsky

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stan_potolsky.png
Played By: Daniel London

A former employee for Wellzyn, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises that deals in biogenics research. After a falling out with Wellzyn over the research Stan is doing for them, he took to the streets to distribute a dangerous drug, Viper, to strangers. His ear is scarred as a result of self-mutilation done at the lab.


  • Anti-Villain: He's trying to raise public awareness of the amoral research being done at Wellzyn, namely the fatal side-effects and human experimentation.
  • Call-Forward: It's mentioned in passing that Viper was just an early prototype formula, but the labs are already working on an improved version without the fatal side-effects, code-named "Venom" - the super-serum that Bane will eventually use.
  • Evil Genius: He's a brilliant chemist who can manufacture weapons-grade biochemical weapons in a personal lab he's put together.
  • Expy: As a scientist who created a serum that kills people by distorting their bones, he seems to invoke the New 52 version of Doctor Death.
  • Not Afraid to Die: He just wants Gotham to hear his message: when Gordon corners him and holds him at gunpoint, he shows no fear because his work is done.
  • Power Degeneration: Viper gives you incredible strength and endurance, but will eventually kill you, no more than one day after you take it.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: He's just a Villain of the Week in Season 1, but he also created the drug that would be used by Bane, the Big Bad of Season 5.
  • The Stool Pigeon: An unusually murderous version of this trope, but ultimately he is just trying to expose the true corruption of WellZyn to the public.
  • Super Serum: The Viper he created was intended to be one, but had unfortunate fatal side-effects.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: He was spreading Viper to the public to try and bring light to the amoral research Wellzyn was doing, and resorts to increasingly drastic acts when his initial efforts fail.

    Jack Gruber/The Electrocutioner 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_buchinsky.png

An Arkham inmate on the lam, who uses electric shocks to the brain to condition patients, using them as guinea pigs to perfect the process — with the right amounts, they become his obedient minions that do whatever he says. The Gothamverse version of the Electrocutioner.


  • Arc Villain: He is the main villain of the two-parter episode where Gordon is assigned to Arkham.
  • Awesome, but Impractical: Pretty much every weapon he uses after his escape fall into this category.
    • His deadly taser weapon for killing one person in an electrical shop, although capable of killing someone through a door, required two people to operate (or even carry).
    • His Electrical grenade despite looking really cool ultimately did absolutely nothing but cause some minor electrical burns to Maroni's crew in the restaurant it was used in.
    • His Super generator for attacking the GCPD was only capable of knocking out everyone in there, apart from Gordon because he wore thicker shoes.
    • His homemade electrocutioner suit was capable of disarming Gordon from a fair distance and could probably have been very lethal if it charged fully; but Gordon easily destroys the contraption with a splash of water and thus rendered completely harmless.
  • Ax-Crazy: Downplayed but present: he has absolutely no problems casually killing anyone in his way. When he electrocutes the entire GCPD, he expresses dismay it "only" knocked them unconscious.
  • Canon Character All Along: While he initially seemed like to be a new character using an established villain identity like Temple Fugate or Kyle Griffin, "Jack Gruber" is is ultimately revealed to be an alias and his real name is Jack Buchinsky", which means he's either the original Electrocutioner undergoing Named by the Adaptationnote  or the third undergoing Adaptation Name Changenote .
  • The Chessmaster: Plays Gordon like a fiddle, orchestrating a prison escape right under his nose. He also came very close to winning, having a Near-Villain Victory where he successfully used his electricity to shock the entire GCPD unconscious.
  • Cold Ham: When he's on-stage he's a shouting rip-roaring ham, but off-stage he's quiet and unassuming.
  • Composite Character: The use of electricity on criminals is reminiscent of the Electrocutioner, while also bearing similarities with Maxie Zeus in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison as well as the Earth-One Dr. Hugo Strange, who not only wears glasses but also escaped Arkham with inmates he uses as test subjects.
  • Evil Is Bigger: Comes with being played by the 6ft 5in Christopher Heyerdahl - he's even taller than his brainwashed muscle (who's apparently 6ft 4in) and towers over Gordon.
  • Evil Versus Evil: Once he escapes Arkham, his targets are other criminals who betrayed him and got him locked up. He just doesn't care about the innocents that get in the way of his pursuit, making him a villainous Knight Templar.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He's pretty friendly and polite, even when congratulating one of his victims on snapping a guard's neck as ordered. He also leaves Gordon an eloquent goodbye letter telling him what he's done and that he's going to keep doing it.
  • Four Eyes, Zero Soul: A bespectacled criminal mastermind.
  • Graceful Loser: Surprisingly, given Gordon foils his entire scheme, his response is to more or less accept it. He doesn't even look that upset when posing for the pictures after being caught.
  • Mad Scientist: He really loves exploring electricity's more dangerous applications from using behavioural modification shocks to practice brainwashing, to murdering people. His own partner even kept all his kit serviceable for years, because he knew how important his "experiments" were to him.
  • Not Wearing Tights: Instead of the Electrocutioner suit of the comics, he holsters his Shock and Awe equipment to carry out his crimes.
  • Obfuscating Insanity: His entire psychological profile is based on a persona he made up to be admitted to Arkham so that he could experiment on patients and lay low waiting for vengeance on his compatriots.
  • Pragmatic Adaptation: Rather than being able to project bolts of electricity, this Electrocutioner needs his gear to make physical contact with a metal surface to discharge.
  • Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Averted. He fabricated a profile for himself under the alias of "Jack Gruber" in order to get himself incarcerated in Arkham, being described as a Serial Rapist. His true identity is Jack Buchinsky, the brains behind a string of bank robberies under the employment of Sal Maroni.
  • Shock and Awe: He certainly has a way with electricity. He manages to rig a trap that electrocutes and incapacitates the entire GCPD.
  • Shout-Out: Possibly to Batman: Arkham Origins, which also saw the Electrocutioner being defeated very easily, although the characters themselves are very different.
  • The Sociopath: Subverted. His Arkham file identifies him as one, but this turned out to be a fabricated identity. Though he does meet some qualifications such as being a Consummate Liar and having a disregard for human life.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: He's very calm and even-toned always.
  • Spanner in the Works: He throws a wrench into the Falcone-Maroni war when he electrocutes Cobblepot, and in a fit of shock he lets slip to Maroni he was going to meet Falcone.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: He's foiled and captured by a cup of water; Gordon uses it to short out his equipment and render him helpless.
  • Wicked Cultured: Is introduced performing in a classic playnote , which is revealed to be of his own choosing.

    Ian Hargrove 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ian_hargrove.png
Played By: Leslie Odom Jr.

A bomb specialist who was convicted for bombing twelve buildings in Gotham. He's broken out of prison by the late Nikolai's surviving men to make bombs for them as part of Fish's moves against Falcone.


  • Anti-Villain: He only bombs munitions plants and never meant to actually kill anyone. Hargrove has a mental illness and was convinced he was making a heroic protest by blowing up weapons used to hurt other people. He always bombed at night when no one was supposed to be in the factories. When his last bombing accidentally got two janitors killed, his brother claims he was guilt-stricken and practically turned himself in, and readily plead guilty. While officially not guilty by reason of mental illness, he wasn't put in a mental institution to get help due to Gotham's lack of funding, and was simply shoved into the general population at Blackgate prison. He also betrays his employers with his Batman Gambit.
  • Bald of Evil: Is entirely bald, subverted as he's not really evil.
  • Batman Gambit: He plants a nameplate from the factory he's kept in among the shrapnel in his bomb, banking on the cops retrieving it and finding him.
  • Canon Foreigner: Is not based on a character from the comics.
  • Evil Genius: Invoked when the guard describes him as a "genius bomber". Apparently, one of his explosives was made with nothing more than match-heads and apple cider vinegar. Subverted in that he really isn't very "evil".
  • Insane Equals Violent: Subverted as it turns out. He may have a mental illness and he did kill people, but only by accident. He makes bombs for shady people because they threatened his brother and is only too happy when the police come to stop him.
  • Mad Bomber: He's not fully insane, but clearly has mental problems. He was just blowing up empty buildings, though, as a protest. He never wanted to harm anyone.
  • Scary Black Man: He's tall, muscular, and African American. Subverted when he turns out to be a tortured and sympathetic Anti-Villain.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: He took care to never kill people in his bombings. When he eventually took victims by accident, he was horrified by what he'd done.

    Dick Lovecraft 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dick_lovecraft.png
Played By: Al Sapienza

A billionaire and entrepreneur, who had a longstanding feud with Thomas Wayne about Gotham City.


  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: He was a corrupt CEO and billionaire, and Harvey Dent had been trying to get charges against to no avail.
  • He Knows Too Much: According to him, he knew vital information regarding the Waynes murder.
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: He is choked out by Copperhead, but is later killed with Gordon's pistol, making it look like he was killed by the cop.
  • Red Herring: He is set up as the main POI to the Waynes murder with a connection to Thomas Wayne, only to be killed by Copperhead.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: The Mayor makes him seem like an upstanding citizen who cracked under the pressure from an "over-zealous" officer (Gordon) and then killed himself.

    Mace 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6a9a5927_669f_4ce2_a9de_cfa7b66171c8.png
Played By: Babs Olusanmokun

A prisoner in Dullmacher's facility. Rules over the other prisoners.


  • Character Death: He's literally shivved in the neck by Fish.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: He drops his guard when Fish flirts with him and pays the price when she kills him.
  • Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: He's unmistakably the absolute ruler of the prisoners. At least until Fish shivs him.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Fish clearly warned him not to call her 'baby', and dies for his stubbornness. There's also him at least not bothering to have his henchman armed, as he's the only one with a weapon. This easily allowed Fish to kill him and assume rulership.
  • Unholy Matrimony: Attempts this with Fish, but she clearly had other plans.

    Miriam Loeb 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/75fb93ac_01ba_4b48_91b9_ef843ff9a7e8.jpeg
Played By: Nicholle Tom

Commissioner Gillian Loeb's daughter.


  • Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Spends her time in the attic dancing, singing, and playing with teacups.
  • Madwoman in the Attic: Loeb keeps her in a farm owned by Falcone and cared for by a couple of elderly underlings of his to keep her from being sent to Arkham.
  • Matricide: She hits her mother over the head with a candlestick for singing when Miriam wanted to sing.
  • Psychopathic Womanchild: In spades. She habitually kills birds to make jewelry out of their bones.

    Maria Kyle 

Maria Kyle

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b3e1ec5_6e70_4e44_8dc2_a704ec8e1e0f.png

Selina's long-lost mother, who returns briefly in season 3.


  • Adaptational Badass: Comic!Maria was not the badass thief that she is in the show.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Defends Bruce and Selina from one of the Talons in her debut appearance.
  • Broken Pedestal: Selina ultimately learns that her mother didn't come back to Gotham to reconnect with her, but to pull off a cheap con to use Selina to sucker money out of Bruce Wayne, then skip town.
  • Missing Mom: Hasn't been in contact with Selina for a good six years at the start of the series.
  • Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: "Mommy" in this case. She claims that she left Selina behind because she was in trouble, and couldn't go on the run with a five-year-old.
  • Notorious Parent: This is whole reason why she had to leave Selina in the first place.
  • Put on a Bus: After her scam is discovered by Selina, Maria leaves town again without a look back.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: She commits suicide in the comics, but is alive and well here.

    Cherry 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cherry__gotham__0001.jpg
Played By: Marina Benedict

Proprietor of a Narrows Fight Club, who employs Grundy and Nygma after their return. De facto ruler of the Narrows until being killed by Barbara Kean and replaced by Lee Thompkins.


  • Bad Guy Bar: Owns one and runs the underground fights out of it.
  • Boom, Headshot!: How Barbara takes her out.
  • Expy: Of Roulette, a character from the DC universe who hosts prize fights between super-powered individuals.
  • The Fashionista: She's decked out in outlandish clothing and makeup.
  • In Love with Your Carnage: All this violence is a clear turn-on for her.
  • Large Ham: She's a Gotham criminal. It comes with the territory.
  • Pet the Dog: Unscrupulous she may be, but she does let Lee maintain a free clinic in exchange for her services.
  • The Quisling: She sells out Grundy and Nygma as soon as Penguin starts looking for them.


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