Gotham: Five Major Moments from Azrael

Well, it’s finally here, our first fully-costumed, superpowered villain on Gotham. The character, Azrael, has many identities in the pages of DC Comics, but here he’s the resurrected Theo Galavan.

And what an entrance the avenging angel made. In his premiere episode, he killed many, terrorized more, and may have inspired one in particular.

The Will and Order of St. Dumas

Very early in the episode, we’re introduced to the book, “The Will and Order of St. Dumas.” It may not seem like much, but this kind of very direct expansion of the universe in which Gotham resides is huge. With a real past, and a deep, rich history to the citizens of Gotham City, we have a higher chance of seeing other nooks and crannies of it. Between a rich history and a resurrection, well, it sure feels like they’re setting up the Court of Owls, bit by bit.

The Dark Knight Rises?

Azrael, having faced down several armed attackers, goes up a wall, cape billowing, making a dramatic show of his exit. He looked powerful, mythic, and inspiring (despite being, you know, crazy and evil).

And who’s watching all this looking up in awe? A young Bruce Wayne. You can practically hear him say “MUST DO THIS” with his eyes. It’s a fun little peek at the future. You know, David Mazouz is growing up pretty fast…

Nygma Shows His Genius

While Nygma’s done a lot lately to show his crazy, and his homicidal nature, this episode saw him displaying his intelligence and problem solving, and it made for a heckuva B-story to the episode. Seeing the way Nygma’s able to instantly asses an entire room full of people is actually another glimpse at a future Batman skill. The idea that several of his villains all contain an aspect of Batman in them is nothing new, but for them to display it ahead of Bruce is a cool twist.

A Smashing Entrance

The Batman-esque excitement continued when Azrael went to assault the GCPD. After smashing through the window in an wonderfully intimidating moment, Azrael swooped around the room, taking cops out one by one on the ground and in the air. It was basically a live-action Arkham game, and it gives us a touch of Batman on Gotham that Bruce (no matter how he looks at it) isn’t ready for yet.

Theo Revealed

Thanks to a very public broadcast, everyone now knows that Theo Galavan is alive (again), and the anticipation turns to how they’ll all react. We know Barnes (if he survives) won’t think he came back from the dead, but rather that he was wrong about Jim killing him, possibly giving Jim another chance. Penguin will go after him for revenge, while Tabitha will go after him to try to help him. And Bruce? Well, we’ve covered his take on Azrael, haven’t we?