Did the New ‘Gotham’ Trailer Reveal Batman?

Has Batman finally arrived on Gotham?

FOX’s DC Comics series has been hinting at Bruce Wayne‘s transition into the Caped Crusader for some time now, but many have thought that the show would wait until the very end to reveal the finished hero. However, in the extended sneak peek that was released on Saturday, it looked as though the hero actually appeared to Bruce in some kind of dream or vision.

The new footage from next month’s midseason premiere began with Bruce telling Alfred, “I think I saw who I really am,” followed by a caped figure leaping onto him from a fire escape. Bruce’s line there, along coupled with the Batman-like character makes it seem as though the wheels in his head are turning, and his idea about who he’s eventually going to be is finally forming.

Later, that same figure appears to Bruce in a cave, giving us the best look at the potential dream version of Batman. Bruce is trapped below the ground, alone, when he hears a sound coming from the distance. He calls out, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Across the room, the caped figure appears once again, telling Bruce that he is the future the young man can’t escape.

It seems as though the figure is Bruce’s future self, after he becomes Batman, revealing the truth to his young counterpart. This is probably what brings Bruce back from the renegade party life he’s been living, and gets him back on the path towards vigilantism.

The final time you see the figure in the promo, he begins flying toward Bruce with his cape out wide, just like a set of bat wings. Just as he nears Bruce, he turns into hundreds of bats that fly in every direction, providing perhaps the biggest hint that this is a vision of Batman.

In a recent interview, star David Mazouz teased that Bruce would experience his own version of the iconic bat encounter that every other iteration of the character has gone through at one point or another.

“But bats will be on the show very soon, and there will be a form of bat encounter,” Mazouz said. “There will be a very clear form of that iconic moment of Bruce being afraid of bats and having a connection to bats and it won’t be in the way that it’s already been done. This is a new approach and it is going to be an alternative version. But that encounter will definitely happen and it will happen fairly soon when we come back.”

By the looks of the trailer, Bruce will soon remember who it is he’s supposed to be, eventually turning into the hero Gotham City needs. Until then, dreams and visions of Batman will have to do.

Gotham returns to FOX on Thursday, March 1 at 8pm ET.