‘Gotham’ villains: Why the Mad Hatter should create a little madness in season 2
Through all comic-book shows on TV, few have the potential that “Gotham” does. The Batman universe is right up there with Spider-Man when it comes to having one of the coolest array of adversaries out there, and they really come from all walks of life.
We’ll go ahead and say that if “Gotham” does decide to eventually bring in some of the more “creative” villains into their world, we’re certainly all for it. We’d love to see Killer Croc or Clayface, though we see them more as villains better suited for small arcs rather than a full 22-episode season. These guys are so physical that they would more than likely burn out quickly.
As for the Mad Hatter, this is an entirely different story. This “Alice in Wonderland” inspired foe is perfect for the world “Gotham” has created already, and he’s also one that the show would not have to change too much based on the source material. He’s craft, obsessive, and certainly a little bit bad. We like to think of him almost as a combination between the Joker and the Trickster from “The Flash” universe.
What he brings to the table – Dr. Jervis Tetch is a guy who brings a lot to the table in terms of his backstory alone. He’s a social outcast, and someone whose obsessions have led in part to his descent into madness. We think he does possess some more motivations and goals than the Joker ever did, so he may know when to strike and when to lay low a little bit more than Jerome. He would introduce a new intellectual challenge for Jim Gordon, since this is someone who would not engage with the detective physically so much as find other ways to trick him us using devices and machinery.
One other thing about him that we like is that in some Batman comics, he’s already an older villain. Therefore, there’s less of a need to cast a child for the part when you can have a teenager or a young adult play a version of the character.
How to use him – Maybe you could start to see some of his rise from petty criminal to them working on longer, more elaborate operations. He’s someone who would be an interesting counterpoint to the Riddler, the Penguin, or many of the show’s other villains. While we could see either of them tiring of Tetch overtime, there could be a short span of time in which the collaboration works.
Odds of appearance – Moderate. We’ve heard “Gotham” producers say this past spring that they had plans for the character, but Victor Fries seems to be more of the Big Bad for the second half of the season. Eventually, we’ll probably get to the Mad Hatter; we’re just not sure anyone is in a hurry.
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