‘Gotham’ New Arrival Dishes On His Mad Hatter

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of Gotham.

As the Season 3 premiere of Gotham draws near, fans are obviously eager to learn more about what to expect, but what that really means is that there’s a deep interest in the season’s new villains. We know Robin Lord Taylor will be back as Penguin and there’s Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) who’s also not quite out of the picture, among the most popular villains. There’s also that whole bus load of unbalanced baddies, led by Jada Pinkett Smith’s Fish Mooney, but Gotham fans are more intrigued by the new faces. One such face is that of Mad Hatter, to be played by Benedict Samuel of The Walking Dead.

Gotham Newbie Benedict Samuel Teases His Mad Hatter

We all know the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, but, in the Batman universe, the character is as devious as he is unhinged. Of course, as Zap2It shares, he doesn’t start out that way. As has been the case with quite a few Gotham villains, Mad Hatter is put through a tragedy and, driven by emotional pain, he’s motivated to turn to crime. When Season 3 of Gotham introduces Jervis Tetch (A.K.A. The Mad Hatter), it’s as a brother in search of his lost sister.

“His purpose is to find his sister and I think he’ll move hell and high earth to find her,” the Gotham actor shares.

Ready for the twist?

Jervis’ sister is Alice (Naian Gonzalez Norvind) and she doesn’t want to be found.

There’s a reason Alice ran away and is desperate to lose herself among the gloomy streets of Gotham. Jervis is already somewhat cracked, reveals Samuel.

“There are so many pieces to him,” the Gotham actor teases. “There’s a child in there and there’s also a psychopath.”

For Gotham fans wondering if Mad Hatter does get his sister back and what his plans might be for Gotham after that, Samuel says even he doesn’t know. It’s all hush hush. The Mad Hatter actor likes it that way, though. He says it shows that the Gotham showrunners care about their fans.

Or maybe they just like to torture us with the suspense?

Gotham Showrunner Bruno Heller Says Superheroes Don’t Work Well On T.V.

“I don’t think superheroes work very well on TV,” Bruno Heller told the Edinburgh Television Festival on Thursday. “Probably because of the costume thing.”

The Hollywood Reporter covers Bruno Heller’s statement, during which he says television, as a medium, is more about realism than about the supernatural stories. The Gotham showrunner adds, for that reason, he chose Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as the show’s hero. Even so, he admits Gotham is different because it’s one of those rare shows that has to incorporate aspects from the real and from the fantastic.

“[Gotham] has to be both a crime procedural and a mythic, epic, grand comic book saga,” Heller says. “It’s a tricky combination because you have to keep it real and unreal at the same time.”

Bruno also took the time to explain why Poison Ivy was aged for the Season 3 premiere and why he felt it was time to introduce Mad Hatter. The Gotham showrunner explained that each season advances closer to the period at which Bruce Wayne takes on the Batman persona and begins fighting crime.

“So every season is doubling down on the chaos and anarchy that is overtaking Gotham. So, things keep getting worse.”

Mr. Heller also revealed that Gordon isn’t quite ready to step back into his ethically bound police life Instead, James Gordon will become another vigilante, as he seeks out the criminals who were let loose in the Gotham Season 2 finale.

“What’s fun to write is the morale and sort of psychological collapse of Gordon.”

The Season 3 premiere of Gotham is set to air on Monday, September 19 on Fox.

[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]