Gotham season 4 promo banner teases the Bruce Wayne – Dark Knight transformation
A Dark Knight is the subtitle that Gotham seems to be going for through the first half of its upcoming season, and it’s an interesting choice for a few different reasons. For one, it’s the obvious callout to Batman, and more than that it’s closely tied to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. It’s a lofty goal to throw yourself into that same rare space, especially since this version of Bruce Wayne is still a teenager. He doesn’t have the full costume, and he doesn’t even know the name Batman yet. He’s just a kid wanting to use the tools taught to him by Alfred and Ra’s al Ghul to help a city he cares deeply for. It’s ambitious to think that he is anywhere close to becoming Batman, but it’s incredibly cool so see him starting to take shape.
We do think that A Dark Knight is being used intentionally as opposed to The Dark Knight to signify a difference. Right now, Bruce is someone trying to stop crime, but he’s one of many people with that job description. He’s a Dark Knight among many as opposed to a hero who stands alone. There’s an important distinction there that Fox is subtly calling out and we think it’s incredibly smart. We don’t foresee Bruce becoming Batman anytime soon, but they want you thinking in that direction.
Beyond just the promo art trying to sell you on the concept of Bruce’s evolution, we do also think that there is a far greater purpose here: Gotham trying to promote itself to viewers who haven’t seen the show. Think in these terms: This is a show that is moving to a new night on Thursdays, and what better way to attract a new audience than to reference once of the greatest superheroes in comic-book history? It’s a very smart way to go about this, especially since you’ve got many familiar villains turning up on this season. We’ve already reported that both Poison Ivy and Victor Szasz will be in the premiere, and to go along with that the Scarecrow is coming up. You’ll get your first look at Solomon Grundy at around episode 5 of the season (see more at this link in terms of what Drew Powell has to say about that), and we’re beyond excited to see more of what’s in store for Selina.
All in all, the pieces are set for the new season — we’ve got new villains, returning villains, the evolution of a hero, and a man at the center of the chaos in Jim Gordon trying to figure it all out. He could begin his journey to Commissioner this season — we just hope that in the process of that, he does find a way to retain his humanity after losing some of it in season 3.
What do you think about the Gotham season 4 art below? Does this make you more excited in any way for the new season? Be sure to share in the comments below! (Photo: Fox)
