Is A ‘Gotham’ Batman Ever Going To Happen, Or Will They Give Us A Sequel ‘Batman’ Series Instead?
Ever since the show first aired, people have been wondering whether a Gotham Batman appearance would ever happen. Yes, we were given the almost urchin-cheeked Bruce Wayne, Alfred, and Wayne Manor, but the Batman himself has been notable for his absence from the Gotham TV series. Will they ever give us Batman on Gotham, or could they be setting the stage for a sequel Batman series to follow when Gotham leaves the air?
The DC TV Universe and Batman
Aside from various animated series, there hasn’t been a Batman on television since the 1960s. This seems a bit odd, given that we’ve had several incarnations of Superman on television since then, including the versions offered up by Dean Cain and Tom Welling.
Of course, in the intervening years, there were a number of successful – and in some cases not so successful – Batman movies on the big screen, which probably discourage the studio from watering down the product by offering it up on television as well.
So many fans of the character were extremely disappointed with the premise of the Gotham series, which is essentially a prequel to the Batman universe in which Batman himself only appears as a young boy. Viewers have wondered exactly when – if ever – Batman would actually appear in this Fox Gotham series.
If the producers of the show are to be believed, the answer is that he will appear in the very last shot of the very last scene ever filmed for the series. This is not a particularly satisfying answer for Batman fans hoping for a weekly dose of their favorite DC character.
As pointed out by Cinema Blend, the Gotham creators just weren’t interested in a Gotham Batman. They wanted to focus on all of the other rich characters making up Batman’s universe even prior to his appearance on the scene. Of course – as pointed out above – the studio in itself probably didn’t want to slum Batman around on television.
Of Batman in the DC TV Universe
Even so, there are hints on The CW DC superhero series – that include The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow – that Bruce Wayne and Batman may just be out there somewhere after all.
Barry's phone on Earth-2!??
Bruce(Batman), Hal(Green Lantern) and Diana(Wonder Woman) ?? @CW_TheFlash #TheFlash pic.twitter.com/MJoDvnyiXO— Nariman (@slytherinus) February 10, 2016
In an episode of The Flash in which Barry first visits Earth Two, the alternate Barry Allen’s telephone seems to have a list of numbers for other members of the Justice League, including Bruce – i.e. Bruce Wayne.
Then there was a line in a Supergirl episode this season in which Supergirl spoke about a vigilante that her cousin – Superman – had encountered before:
“My cousin worked with a vigilante once. Tons of gadgets, lots of demons. Vigilantes are nuts!”
So given all of these hints, is it possible that the producers of Gotham might follow up their prequel to Batman with a sequel? In other words, will they finally give us the cape and the cowl?
Doing so wouldn’t require a great deal of planning on their part since they would simply have to begin the new show – chronologically – a few years after the end of Gotham. More than this, they could even name it Gotham: Batman.
There is the nagging problem of Warner Bros. studios not wanting to allow the character of Batman to actually appear on television. But there have been recent indications that the studio may be relaxing the stranglehold they have on the big three – Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman – when it comes to them appearing on television.
It wasn’t that long ago that they attempted a reboot of a Wonder Woman television series. And more recently, they allowed Superman – as played by Tyler Hoechlin – to actually appear again on television on the Supergirl series for several episodes. And he’s very likely to return by the end of the season. Given all of this, there is a slim chance that we might eventually get a Gotham Batman on television.
[Featured Image by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]
