‘Gotham’ Showrunner Says Barbara Ends the Series as a Hero

Perhaps no other character has gone through more changes over the course of Gotham‘s first four seasons that Barbara Keen. Played by Erin Richards, the character has been a wealthy love interest, crooked business owner, psychopathic inmate, ruthless gang leader, and so much more. However, before the series is all said and done, Barbara has one more role to play, and that’s the role of hero.

Ahead of Gotham‘s final appearance at New York Comic Con, ComicBook.com visited the show’s set where we spoke to showrunner and executive producer John Stephens about the upcoming fifth season.

When we asked about Barbara’s final arc on the show, and what would be in store for her between now and the series finale, Stephens told us that a redemptive arc was probably in her future.

“I think she probably will go through one more evolution of character,” Stephens said. “In many ways, Barbara has changed more than any other character in the course of this show. She’s changed from being art gallery owner in season 1 to all her other iterations, you know? So she changes once again on the way there, yeah, to her final evolution. You know, she I think at the end she becomes a hero.”

For a character who has spent so much time as a villain, a turn like this at the end of the series might seem a bit surprising. Then again, when you think about the comic book futures of a character like Jim Gordon, a heroic turn for Barbara does make a lot of sense.

If you recall, Barbara and Jim were together when the series started, but she quickly spiraled out of control and turned to crime. They’ve acted as rivals ever sense. In the comics, the character of Jim Gordon goes on to have a daughter named Barbara, who eventually becomes Batgirl. As it stands now, there’s no way that a guy like Jim would name his daughter after his crazy ex-lover, right? Something will have to change between the two characters between now and the time the series ends, and we know that Jim Gordon isn’t breaking bad any time soon.

Do you think Barbara will become a hero by the time Gotham ends in 2019? Let us know in the comments!