Is Man-Bat Coming To Gotham?

Gotham has made it clear that Man-Bat wouldn’t be appearing on the series. Producer John Stephens stressed the batty villain was one viewers could live without – but is that still the case? According to Ken Woodruff, Kirk Langstrom could come to Gotham

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the executive producer spoke about how Gotham would change once Season 3 premieres. “The last season was really an attempt to say, this is how supervillains exist; this is why. They didn’t just pop into being, they were birthed out of Indian Hill and some of the things that were going on in the city at the time,” he explained.

“That was always the goal. And how it changes the show going forward is that we can still always pull from that Carmine Falcone mobster, more gritty, noir-ish world to tell stories, but we can also have this new element of Man Bat or Firefly or Mr. Freeze and the technology that surrounds that.”

Those words couldn’t be more different from what John Stephens told Blastr last year. The executive producer made it clear that Man-Bat didn’t fit into the scope of Gotham.

“There’s some [villains] you’re never going to see — you’re never going to see Man-Bat,” he stated. “That one might break the reality of the show we’ve established.”

If you aren’t familiar with Man-Bat, then you should know the character is more than a ‘punny’ take on Batman’s alias. The villain originated in Detective Comics #400 as Dr. Kirk Langstrom, a zoologist studying the sonar senses of bats. Wanting to give those abilities to humans, Kirk tested an experimental formula on himself that ultimately turned him into a gruesome anthropomorphic bat. Kirk was turned crazy by the serum, pushing him into a rampage through Gotham that only Batman could stop.

With Gotham Season 3 set to return this evening, fans might be wondering if or when Man-Bat might be introduced. After all, the latest update from Ken Woodruff seems to indicate the villain is coming to the small screen. And, when fans consider the villain-centric theme for Gotham this season, it would make sense of Man-Bat to at least cameo.

The upcoming season will focus on how the rise of the show’s super-villains will make heroes fall. “The idea and notion of heroes falling is the bigger thing that we’re accomplishing for the season as a whole,” Ken Woodruff said. “If last season was about, how did supervillains come into existence, then this season is about the other half of that, which is not only do you need supervillains to exist for a city to fall, but also you need your heroes to fall.”

So, let us know what you think? Could Man-Bat be coming to Gotham, and if so, how do you think the villain might fit into the series? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Heading into Season Three, Gotham will continue to follow the evolving stories of the city’s most malevolent villains: The Penguin; Edward Nygma/The Riddler; Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman; and Barbara Kean. Gotham also will dive into the origin stories of The Mad Hatter and the Tweed Brothers, and will peel back the curtain on the Court of Owls.

Gotham will premiere on Monday, September 19th at 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT.

[H/T] THR, Blastr