The final stand to save Gotham City has begun. The fifth and final season of Gotham won’t premiere until 2019, but the cast and executive producer John Stephens took part in their final New York Comic Con panel to give the first look at the new episodes and share some news about what this show’s version of the “No Man’s Land” comic book story arc will look like.
That arc will include a new character played by Shane West, who was previously announced for the series. Stephens finally confirmed that West will play Bane, pulled directly from the comics. In fact, there will be one showdown between Bane and Alfred that will see the butler’s back get broken.
In a short sizzle reel that included new footage, the future of Gotham looked bleak. After Jeremiah (Cameron Monaghan) blew up the bridges to the city, essentially cutting off the outside world, Gotham has descended into something resembling The Purge–except, it’s everyday life.
In the new Gotham, the city has been divided up into pieces controlled by various villains, with a small green zone right in the center of town that Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and the GCPD are keeping safe. The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has taken over City Hall, Poison Ivy (Peyton List) ruling Central Park, and the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) making the Gotham Public Library his own domain.
Additionally, Penguin has naturally found a way to make himself a vital piece of Gotham’s underworld. He’s essentially a war profiteer, controlling the city’s ammunition. If anyone wants bullets, they’re forced to go to him. Barbara (Erin Richards), meanwhile, has enforced a man-free zone of Gotham and will suffer a major loss early in the season. Our guess is it’s Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) that will bite the bullet, propelling Babs on one final tear through Gotham City.
As for Selina (Camren Bicondova), who was shot and potentially paralyzed in the Season 4 finale, the new episodes will find her suicidal as she copes with her injuries. “We find her in a place where we’ve never seen her before,” Bicondova said. “We find her in a place of despair… The Selina we’ve known for the past four seasons goes completely out the window.”
With so much bad happening on Gotham–including even more new villains, like a Harley Quinn-esque girlfriend for Jeremiah–the need for a Batman continues to grow and fans are finally going to get that. Mazouz confirmed during the panel that, “Bruce is going to become Batman,” in the final season. Of course, you’re going to have to wait for that as it won’t be happening until late in the season.
As for when Gotham will premiere, a date was not announced. However, the final ten episodes will air sometime in early 2019 on Fox.