[SPOILERS for those not caught up on Gotham season 2 ahead.]

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The last time we saw Gotham, everything seemed to hit the fan. On the one hand, we had a sense of closure with the end of Theo Galavan, but the repercussions of that event may cause unending ripples for the heroes of this show. As far as the emotional state of our characters, Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins, are concerned, this ending might as well have been a cliffhanger. Jim asked Lee to marry him, but Jim also shot Theo Galavan in cold blood. That might not sit well with Lee. But that’s not the only reason we can look forward to the midseason premiere of Gotham in February.

In the past, we’ve learned that there will be new Batman villains or other interesting characters joining the show. The midseason finale gave us our first glimpse of Mr. Freeze, but we’ve also seen proof of Penguin’s father, a new character called The Knife, M. Malone, and Hugo Strange. And now we have a little more information on those last two.

TVGuide’s interview with Gotham creator/showrunner Bruno Heller has revealed a few more details about Hugo Strange’s involvement, the identity of the Waynes’ killer, and the impact that Jim Gordon’s actions will have on his life. According to Heller, it sounds like Jim’s murder of Theo Galavan is going to backfire in many ways.

In addition to commentary on Jim Gordon’s decision, Bruno Heller also had some interesting words about Hugo Strange and the Waynes’ killer.

“He’s certainly compromised. He’s stepped over that moral line. Jim Gordon has made a terrible mistake, which he’s going to pay for. The biggest price he will pay is in his relationship with Lee Tompkins. Jim’s essentially an honest man, so the need to have honest relationships does betray him in the end.”

“Dr. Hugo Strange [guest star B.D. Wong] has a profound effect on Penguin. He makes a new man of him in many ways. Plus: Bruce Wayne will finally find out who killed his parents!”

So it sounds like Hugo Strange will not have a large role, but it will be a profound one. At the end of the last episode we learned that Theo Galavan’s corpse was taken to Indian Hill facility, where it is heavily implied that he might return in some altered form thanks to heavy experimentation (probably by Strange). We don’t know what effect Strange will have on Penguin, but it sounds like their interaction will be a character defining moment for the emerging crime boss. Hugo Strange is played by B.D. Wong who you may remember as one of the (mad?) scientists behind the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise.

It’s also interesting that Bruno Heller states outright that Bruce will learn the identity of his parents’ killer. So far, the show has revealed that M. Malone is the man who murdered the Waynes, but perhaps we are in for a big twist. All we have at this point is the name, but we know that Michael Bowen was cast to play M. Malone, so we’ll probably have more answers once we get to see him on screen.

In the DC Comics Universe, Matches Malone is often an alias that Batman himself takes when going undercover in Gotham, though the name also applies to another character in the comics. It could be, in this version of the Batman mythos, that M. Malone is also an alias taken by one person after another, or perhaps this really is a single man who killed the Waynes. The writers behind Gotham have often strayed from the traditional mythos in the past, so it’s hard to know what to expect. Regardless, we’ll know soon enough.

Gotham returns to FOX on Monday, February 29th, 2016 at 8/7c.

Source: TVGuide