A recent report has all but confirmed that veteran TV actor Michael Chiklis (The Shield, The Commish, American Horror Story: Freak Show just to name a few) will joing the cast of Fox’s Gotham this season as Captain Nathanial Barnes. Barnes doesn’t exist in the comics, but we know from reports that he’s “he is a law and order zealot; unafraid of making enemies – on either side of the law.” Barnes will also mentor Ben MacKenzie’s James Gordon, but will some day make a “powerful enemy.” Think of it as a reverse Kenobi/Skywalker relationship.
Chiklis’ resume has seen him play both good cop and bad cop, and it seems that Barnes is a bit of both. Is Michael Chiklis a great match for the world of Gotham? Let’s examine why he’ll be a perfect fit for the show.
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Hardly A Rookie To The Comic Book World
Chiklis isn’t a stranger to the world of superhero adaptations, having donned the Thing’s rocky hide for two Fantastic Four movies. He was also in ABC’s kinda-sorta Fantastic-Four analog, No Ordinary Family. Even though it lasted just one season, it still had Chiklis using super powers. Having him in a more “grounded” role doesn’t negate the work he put in a decade ago clobberin’ fools.
His Trademark Intensity
Chiklis’ Vic Mackey from TV’s The Shield redefined the leading man, as Vic wasn’t necessarily a typical nice guy on an atypical cop show. He carved out what it meant to be a bad guy for a generation and made the role is own. To avoid spoilers of any kind for those who might have missed out on The Shield, take a look at his audition tape for the role.
At around the one minute mark, you can see the switch flip in his head. In a city like Gotham, you’re going to need a level of intensity and brutality to take it back from the gangs and hoodlums that have swooped in and made it theirs. Chiklis has that grade of intensity down to a science.
He Isn’t Always The Bad Guy
Chiklis has made hardened characters like Vic Mackey and Vincent Savino (Vegas) part of his legacy, but one of his earlier roles was the polar opposite of what those characters represented. On The Commish, he portrayed New York Police Commissioner Tony Scali, who didn’t just use brutality or force to get the job done, but often with humorous and creative reasoning. Just check out this clip from the pilot that gives you an idea on how things were done.
Barnes sounds like a balancing act between the light and the dark, but a character like Scali shows off Chiklis’ ability to play an equally serious and silly character. Though the Scali-type wouldn’t necessarily work on a show like Gotham, it’s a fine example of Chiklis’ range.
Chiklis’ Vic Mackey is one best TV characters on the new millennium, leaving his mark on TV history as one of the toughest and, at times, most corrupt officers to ever pick up a badge and gun. A character like that is almost necessary for Gotham’s evoultion, and will hopefully light a fire under the rest of the department as a plethora of new villains joins the series. It’s doubtful Chiklis will play Barnes as an exact copy of Mackey, but knowing his style, we wouldn’t be surprised if Chiklis gives us some of the most talked about moments of the new season. Plus, there’s the big question: what happens to the current Captain, Sarah Essen?
Do you readers think that Chiklis will be a great addition to Gotham? Let us know in the comments!
The second season of Gotham returns this September 21st on Fox.
