‘Gotham’ Suffers The Wrath Of The Villains

Gotham kicked off Season 2 with Rise of the Villains, but now, as the Batman prequel series heads into the last segment of Season 2, Gotham will be exploring the Wrath of the Villains. Even leading up to this new Gotham story arc, fans have seen their favorite characters, those who might have been presumed untouchable, fall on some very hard times. Chiefly among them are Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie).

James Gordon Will Pay The Piper, Says Gotham Actor Ben McKenzie

It’s ironic that Season 2 of Gotham has Jim Gordon killing Theo Galavan on the same docks where he once refused to kill Penguin at the start of Gotham’s first season, especially since Penguin was the one to help Gordon arrange Galavan’s murder. Incidentally, it will also be Penguin who takes the fall for the murder as well.

How Gotham’s mighty have fallen.

While it seems that Gordon has escaped justice and will continue to police the streets of Gotham with his partner, McKenzie says things are very far from okay. Once staunchly dedicated to the ideas of justice and integrity, Gotham’s Jim Gordon has fallen far from that path, embracing his darkness in ways no one ever thought possible.

“The devil’s nipping at his heels as we start off the second half of the second season and it’s taking the form right now of an inquiry into whether Gordon did pull the trigger,” said the Gotham actor.

The guilt of what he’s done is going to weigh heavily on him, says Ben, and it’s going to affect all of his relationships on Gotham. Even at home, Gordon and Lee (Morena Baccarin) will go through some intense drama, all due to Jim’s actions at the Gotham police department.

“You’re going to see Gordon go to some pretty unusual places,” said the Gotham actor. “[He’s] not necessarily more vengeful in his actions but he pays a price for what he’s done.”

Gotham’s Wrath Of The Villains Sends Penguin Through A Massive And Horrifying Change

As has been previously revealed, Gordon’s actions in letting Penguin take the fall for Galavan’s murder is about to have dire consequences for Taylor’s Gotham character. Penguin will be sent to the only place worse than prison on Gotham: Arkham Asylum. There, the Gotham villain will fall prey to an even worse villain. As Dr. Hugo Strange experiments on him, Penguin changes and not for the better.

“I can say that I believe Strange has the best of intentions with Oswald, even though they’re from his own very warped perspective,” Gotham actor Robin Lord Taylor cautiously teased. “And I can also say that it doesn’t, even though they are the best intentions, it’s probably one of the worst things you can do to a person.”

Taylor says that he has found Penguin’s journey on Gotham to be fascinating from an actor’s point of view, as the character has gone through so many extremes. Even in just two seasons of Gotham, Taylor’s character has worked himself up to be the king of Gotham’s underworld, only to be knocked down to the lowest possible rung on the ladder. It’s those extreme variances that keep the character interesting and fun to play, says the Gotham actor.

Robin adds that Penguin’s journey on Gotham is far from over. He says the experience with Dr. Strange will only serve to send Penguin down another new path.

“As you’ll see as we go on…he goes through one of the most horrifying experiences of his life and it’s really fun to play.”

Gotham‘s Wrath of the Villains begins as Season 2 picks back up on Monday, February 29 on Fox.

[Image by Fox]