Exclusive: ‘Gotham’ Season 5 to Adapt ‘Batman: Zero Year’

After a season that saw both The Killing Joke and “No Man’s Land” stories brought to life, FOX’s Gotham is taking another swing at popular Batman mythos in its final installment next year.

In addition to the continuation, and eventual resolution of the “No Man’s Land” arc, Gotham is preparing to adapt the Batman: Zero Year.

Following the earth-shattering events of Thursday’s Season Four finale, ComicBook.com had the chance to talk with Gotham executive producer John Stephens about what’s to come when the show returns, and which popular comic series would be adapted in the final season.

“You mean besides ‘No Man’s Land”‘?” Stephens joked. Given that the current season ended with the complete destruction of the city, it was pretty safe to assume that “No Man’s Land” had just begun. However, as Stephens continued, he mentioned that one of the New 52 arcs would come into play.

“There are, and I’m trying to remember which [stories] they actually are,” Stephens said. “There’s gonna be a little bit of Zero Year in there, you know as well. [You know] some of that stuff, especially with Nygma. And there’s another one but if I tell you what it is it really does spoil the story.”

For those who are familiar, Batman: Zero Year came from the minds of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo during their popular run of New 52 Batman comics. The story, particularly the second arc “Dark City,” was all about Bruce’s initial time as Batman, and his efforts to stop The Riddler from taking over the city.

Not only does this story work for Gotham in the sense that Bruce Wayne is making his transition into Batman, but it finally brings one of the show’s most popular villains to the forefront. Of course, we’re talking about Ed Nygma, a.k.a. The Riddler.

At the end of last week’s finale, Nygma and Lee were dropped off at Hugo Strange’s lab after fatally stabbing one another, and the mad scientist was given instructions to “resurrect them.” It’s implied that Strange has something monstrous in mind, so expect Nygma to return more powerful than ever before. This potential Zero Year storyline could set up Riddler as one of Bruce’s biggest adversaries in the show’s history, and coule be used to push him towards his future as the Dark Knight.

The Zero Year story also includes appearances from Red Hood and Doctor Death, though it hasn’t been revealed if they will appear on the show or not.

Do you think Batman: Zero Year will be a good fit for Gotham? Let us know in the comments!