Addams Family in Gotham is a series of short comedy skit videos created by Nikhil Clayton, spun off of his "Meanwhile, At The IRS" series of skits. First published to TikTok in 2021, it explores the hypothetical crossover scenario of The Addams Familynote moving to Gotham City, and all the kookiness, spookiness, and altogether ookiness that ensues. Among other things: Gomez tries to lose enough money to make Bruce Wayne the richest man in Gotham again; Morticia brutalizes the Joker for his treatment of Harley Quinn; Wednesday strikes up a romantic connection with Damian Wayne; Pugsley tries to die and then come back to life so he can be like his new friend Jason Todd; and both the Bat Family and Gotham's criminal underbelly see their entire dynamic shaken up by the arrival of the family.
Every character is performed by Clayton himself in minimal costuming, usually with a text label to distinguish characters in a scene. The series can be viewed on his TikTok page here
, as well as an official YouTube compilation here
.
For a full list of characters who have made appearances in the series, see the folder below.
- Gomez Addams
- Morticia Addams
- Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
- Jason Todd/Red Hood
- Pugsley Addams
- Rachel Roth/Raven
- The Joker
- Thing
- Uncle Fester Addams
- Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
- Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin
- Wednesday Addams
- Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy
- Bizarro
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Damian Wayne/Robin
- Dick Grayson/Nightwing
- Selina Kyle/Catwoman
- Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle
- Commissioner Jim Gordon
- John Constantine
- Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman
- Edward Nygma/Riddler
- Chuck Brown/Kite Man
- Harvey Dent/Two-Face
- Zatanna Zatara
- Boston Brand/Deadman
- Bane
- Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy
- Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter
- Talia al Ghul
- Ra's al Ghul
- William Cobb/Talon
- Lucifer Morningstar
- Grandmama Esmeralda Addams
- Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow
- Mr. Mxyzptlk
- Commissioner Baker of the IRS
- Amanda Waller
- Helena Bertinelli/Huntress
- Robert DuBois/Bloodsport
- Mitchell Mayo/Condiment King
- Betelgeuse
- Tim Drake/Red Robin
- Harry Potter
- Duke Thomas/Signal
- Lurch
- Death
- Wade Wilson/Deadpool
- Julian Gregory Day/Calendar Man
Addams Family in Gotham contains examples of:
- Acquired Poison Immunity: Implied to be the case with Pugsley, who willingly downs the entire glass of poison the Riddler had set up for him and is just fine afterwards. After all, it's his favorite kind of poison.
- Actor Allusion: When Gomez and Morticia inadvertently summon Betelgeuse, Gomez mistakes him for Bruce, as both characters were played by Michael Keaton at one point.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Duke Thomas is the subject of mockery by the Robins for being the only member of the Bat Family who patrols the daytime rather than night. In his defense, he points out that someone has to cover the other 12 hours in Gotham, and besides, it fits his power set better.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: When meeting Bane, Gomez professes his love for the darkness by saying that he was born in it and molded by it. Bane, of course, thinks Gomez is mocking him, especially since he suspects Gomez may be Batman.
- Crossover: In addition to Gotham City and beyond, non-DC characters like Betelgeuse, Harry Potter, and Deadpool crossover with the Addams in a few episodes. There's also a who arc dedicated to the family taking a vacation to the Marvel Universe.Doctor Strange: You came here all the way from Gotham?Morticia: Yes, of course. It actually wasn't even that far.Doctor Strange: That shouldn't even be— freakin' Parker!
- Crossover Cameo: Baker, Commisioner of the IRS, makes occasional appearances from Clayton's "Meanwhile, At The IRS" series, from which this series is a Spin-Off. Several of the gags around Baker when he appears, such as Mxyzptlk being afraid of him, are Running Gags from that series.
- Composite Character: Grandmama is given the name Esmeralda here, which is a name associated with a different character, Granny Frump, in Addams Family Reunion, suggesting that the two have been merged here.
- Connected All Along: Magic-based superheroes like Justice League Dark and Doctor Strange are already on familiar terms with the Addams. Uncle Fester plays cards with Constantine.
- Continuity Nod: To name a few:
- Fester mentions the Mamushka dance to Dick Grayson, elaborating that it saved his life one time during an amnesiac spell of his.
- The Broadway musical gets a few in via Fester's proclaimed romantic love for the Moon and the game of Full Disclosure being mentioned at the dinner party.
- When Gomez hears that Wednesday has formed a romantic connection with Damian, he wonders aloud if he's another "terribly good young man", possibly referencing two of Wednesday's previous suitors, Joel Glicker and Lucas Beineke.
- Jason's death at the hands of the Joker (and subsequent resurrection) is brought up more than once. Pugsley, hoping to die and then come back to life himself, wonders if his death has to be by crowbar too in order for it to work.
- Dick Grayson, upon hearing of Fester's bout of amnesia, reflects on the time he also lost his memory and started going by "Rick".
- Both Bruce and Selina mention "the starfish" when listing the children the former has adopted over the years, referring to Jarro, an offspring of Starro the Conqueror who Bruce adopted and briefly turned into a Robin. Yes, really.
- Commissioner Gordon insists that Batman tell him "You're a damn good cop, Jim"; this was the title of Gordon's debut episode on Harley Quinn.
- When Bruce points out to Clark that he's still in his Superman costume at the dinner party, the latter asks to be pointed towards the nearest phone booth. Supes also expresses regret that the Super Friends changed their name to the Justice League.
- Zatanna at one point asks Morticia how John Constantine is doing, hinting at their former love affair in the comics.
- Crossover Relatives: Fittingly, Zatanna is a cousin of the Addams family.
-
Crossover Ship: Wednesday Addams and Damian Wayne. Also, Grandmama Addams has had past flings with both John Constanine and Lucifer Morningstar. - Death Is Cheap: It's pointed out numerous times that people dying and coming back to life is not an uncommon occurrence in Gotham City, which of course makes the Addams family feel right at home.
- Death Seeker: All of the Addams, of course, but especially Pugsley, who hears about how many people have died and come back to life in Gotham and doesn't want to feel left out. This is a constant source of stress for Jason whenever he has to babysit the Addams children.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Riddler is mortified to learn that Two-Face tipped someone with nothing but one of his signature coins; the latter defends himself by claiming it was only a $3 purchase anyway.
- Ra's al Ghul honors Gomez's challenge to a duel despite being on a mission to find his grandson Damian, simply because he's a guest in his home and it would be rude not to accept.
- Everyone Has Standards: The Addams Family may love pain and torture more than anyone else, but even they agree that the Joker takes it too far.
- Fiction 500: Gomez is, as per the usual, obscenely wealthy. Notably, he's way richer than Bruce Wayne himself, and is able to do things like instantly rehabilitate Mr. Freeze by simply giving him so much money he'll never have to steal to conduct experiments again, something the Batfam teases Bruce about never being rich enough to do. Indeed, several of Gotham's rogues end up being more or less defanged simply because patronizing the Addams is far more lucrative than crime.
- Flipping the Bird: Thing (represented as a hand mannequin) does this to Batman when the latter considers it a potential threat for forming a fist.
- The Ghost: Some characters, such as Cousin Itt and Killer Croc, are mentioned but never seen.
- Haunted House: The Addams family move into one on the Gotham City Cemetery, which is later revealed to have once belonged to Cyrus Gold, who is buried in said cemetery and soon rises again as "Solomon Grundy"; it later becomes truly haunted when Betelgeuse shows up.
- Inspector Javert: Commissioner Gordon becomes one of these after Morticia beats the Joker to near death, trying multiple times to arrest her for the act.
- Joker Immunity: Morticia genuinely tried to kill the Joker, but was inexplicably unable to actually finish the job. Gomez finds this puzzling.
- Mistaken for Gay: Harley assumes this of Morticia when they first meet, and is momentarily shocked when the latter mentions her husband.
- Mythology Gag:
- Batman mentions how both he and Gomez have met Mystery Inc. before on separate occasions.
- Mr. Mxyzptlk threatens to paint the walls of the Addams mansion pink; this was the color of the walls on the set of the original Addams Family series, so that they would show up well in black-and-white.
- Joker may be a psychopathic criminal that everyone hates and fears, but he is noted for being able to consistently pay his taxes.
- Named by the Adaptation: Past Addams Family media has been intentionally vague about Grandmama Addams' name; here, her name is given as Esmeralda.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!:
- When the Addams family pays off Mr. Freeze so he can finally afford treatment for his dear wife Nora, the Penguin is suddenly down a valuable henchman, and Cobblepot comes to the Addams mansion himself to express his displeasure.
- On a much larger scale, Morticia brutalizing the Joker creates a power vacuum within Gotham's criminal underbelly, leading to Riddler, Kite Man, and Two-Face kidnapping Gomez and Pugsley (not that they mind). It also deprives the IRS of their most reliable source of tax money in Gotham.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Within minutes of Morticia hearing of the Joker's abuse of Harley Quinn, she announces to Gomez that she has to go "kill a clown", and she comes very close.
- No-Sell: Naturally, any attempt by an established Gothamite to intimidate any member of the Addams family will only entice them more. In fact, this is what caused them to move there in the first place.Gomez: Okay, my dear friend, you can stop, you've sold us! We should have moved here years ago! Morticia, I've found paradise!
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Clayton rarely, if ever, changes his voice to portray different characters, meaning characters who should have accents other than American (such as the Liverpudlian John Constantine) just... don't.
- Not So Above It All: Even in the process of assessing whether or not the new family of weirdos who moved in suddenly are a threat to Gotham City, Batman can't resist obliging Gomez's request for a sword duel because, as he puts it, he also enjoys a good duel.
- Ra's al Ghul is not immune to this either. He and Talia are at the Addams mansion to find Damian, but Ra's will not deny Gomez his duel. After all, he's a guest in his home, and so it would be rude not to accept.
- Oblivious to Love: Damian is at first unaware that he and Wednesday have formed a "romantic connection"; however, when he hears her describe it as such, he decides to go along with it anyway. He is 12, after all.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Morticia beating the Joker to near death over his mistreatment of Harley Quinn. We aren't shown the act, but we are told that the Joker was sent to the hospital afterward, while Morticia left the scene covered in the clown's blood.
- Also, any time Gomez duels somebody. Particularly his duel with Ra's al Ghul, where it's stated that he actually managed to beat the practically-immortal leader of the League of Assassins.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Bruce Wayne does a lot of questionable things while hosting a dinner party for the Addams family, such as asking Commissioner Gordon to turn off the Batsignal for the night, relocating the dinner to the Batcave, and blowing off a summons from the Justice League; all this causes both Gordon and Superman to suspect that something is seriously off.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: When the Bat Family is discussing the Addams Family:Batman: They are obsessed with the concepts of darkness and pain and fear.Nightwing: So! Are! You!
- Puppy Love: Since neither of them are likely older than 12, the romantic connection between Wednesday and Damian counts as this.
- Running Gag:
- Whenever anyone mentions the "Addams Family", at least two people in the conversation are compelled to act out the show's iconic theme song; one person sings the first few notes, then the other snaps their fingers twice. Apparently, neither action is voluntary.
- Similarly, The Addams will often describe themselves or things they like as "altogether ooky." Whoever they're talking to will invariably ask what "ooky" is, to which they always simply non-explain it as "the next part."
- Whenever someone questions whose uncle Fester is in the family, the response that's always given is "He's somebody's uncle, I'm sure." The same applies to Grandmama and the family's various cousins.
- Before her appearance, any reference to Talia al Ghul is brushed away with "It's a whole situation..."
- Characters who know both of them well will invariably point out that Gomez Addams is basically Bruce Wayne, if Bruce was less uptight and felt free to actually own his eccentricities, much to Bruce's chagrin whenever it comes up. This amusingly leads to a lot of Gotham coming to assume that he is Batman, since he seems like the obvious canditate.
- Sadistic Choice: The Riddler tries to force this on Gomez: either pay him a large amount of money, or watch as Pugsley is forced to drink poison. Emphasis on "tries", as of course, Gomez, being Gomez, wonders if there's an option that lets him pay the Riddler while Pugsley still gets to drink his poison.
- Satan: Or rather, the DCU equivalent, Lucifer Morningstar. Naturally, when he shows up to the Addams mansion, the entire family is over the moon to be meeting him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Mr. Mxyzptlk, in the process of tormenting the Addams family by painting their walls pink, willingly says his name backwards to banish himself to the 5th Dimension for 90 days when he sees Commissioner Baker of the IRS approaching.
- Seen It All: There's an arc where the family decides to visit New York City, meeting up with a random civilian who is unfazed by the family's quirks.
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Batman and Commissioner Gordon ask Morticia exactly how she was able to hospitalize the Joker without being harmed herself:Morticia: Well, honestly, with ridiculous ease. I don't know if you two knew this, but he is just a clown. He's susceptible to all the normal kinds of pain.
- Stealth Hi/Bye:
- Pugsley does this constantly to the various Robins he hangs out with, to the point where Jason eventually suggests that they put a bell on him.
- Batman, of all people, is subjected to this by John Constantine.John Constantine: Not used to being on the receiving end of that, are you, Bats?
- Stealth Insult: Damian gets one in against Dick by excluding him from the list of Robins he considers to be "great detectives". Dick calls him out immediately for it.
- Take That!:
- Harry Potter's appearance is capped off by Gomez and Morticia being baffled by the boy's insistence that a person's gender and biological sex are one and the same, in reference to similarly infamous stances taken by his author.
- Very subtly; Clayton wears an Orange Lantern ring when playing Commissioner Baker of the IRS.
