‘Gotham’: Who Is Professor Pyg?

Professor Pyg debuted on Gotham this week and, thanks to the talents of Michael Cerveris, fans have already gotten attached to the terrifying villain.

Unlike other Gotham baddies this season, like Solomon Grundy and Scarecrow, Professor Pyg isn’t quite as widely known. So, if you were watching this episode and had no idea who Pyg was before his debut, don’t worry, you weren’t alone.

Professor Pyg, otherwise known as Lazlo Valentin, is a fairly new villain in the universe of DC Comics. Created by Grant Morrison, Pyg made his debut in Batman #666 in 2007, but it was very short-lived.

The issue took place in the future, long after the death of Bruce Wayne. Damian grew up to be Batman and, when he was working on an investigation, started tracking down Pyg. The villain was found nailed to the wall of the church, dead as can be.

While that counts as Pyg’s first appearance, his first real action came about later in Morrison’s run, during the Batman & Robin series in 2009. In this series, Bruce Wayne was thought to be dead, and Dick Grayson took over as Batman. 10-year-old Damian became his Robin and the dup fought crime together. Pyg was the first main antagonist for the series, using porcelain masks filled with an addictive drug to turn people into dolls that would do his bidding.

Pyg is easily one of the most disturbed villains in Batman’s gallery of rogues, and the character’s debut on Gotham tonight proved just that.

Gotham airs on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.