When the idea of GOTHAM was first pitched to me, I truly thought it would be a gritty cop show with a little bit of fan service here and there. I wanted to see as little of Bruce Wayne as possible, and only wanted the smallest of inklings that some of the big bads would eventually become a huge problem in the city.

Needless to say, my hopes and dreams of that TV show were dashed almost immediately. The tone of the series was something of a contradiction. It was bloody and violent, but juxtaposed against that were the bright colors and dashes of cartoony jokes. It was a tone that didn’t work for a lot of people, but as the series went on, it started to grow on me. Now that I have more of a grasp of what to expect of the series–rather than being constantly disappointed by the fact that it’s not the show I wanted it to be–I’m more willing to accept the strange and unbelievable.

That revelation couldn’t have come at a better time, as it looks like GOTHAM is set to bring in some of Batman’s rogues’ gallery much sooner than later.

In an interview with Comicbook.com, executive producer John Stephens discussed the “baby steps” the series has made to the big bads that we have yet to see in season two.

“I think [the character of] Firefly was someone who, while she can’t fly like the one from the comics, she isn’t wielding guns and knives. She has a Gotham-ized armature. I think Theo Galavan was another baby step toward that world; he had the connection to the Order of St. Dumas, and was a villain that we might not have seen at the beginning of season one. The Maniax were another baby step toward that kind of anarchic pre-Joker type of villain that paves the way.”

Stephens went on to talk about the impending arrival of Mr. Freeze, and how he’s the next logical step for the series to take. He also said that the outrageous characters like Mr. Freeze were kinds of villains that they’d always wanted to put in their world. What’s more is that Mr. Freeze is set to pave the way for more baddies in the future like Solomon Grundy and Killer Croc.

“I feel like those characters are out there, and ifwe can figure out a way to do them where the reality of our world can stay intact, approach them in a way where people say ‘I can imagine them existing in our world,’ then yes, I’d keep us open to all of those characters. We’re hesitant to go down any mystical routes. If we can solve those riddles ourselves, it’ll be exciting to have those people in our world.”

But don’t expect to see those types of villains any time soon. While they are starting to lead in that direction, Stephens assured the outlet that for the time being, Mr. Freeze has some roots in reality. They haven’t made the leap yet.

“We really want our villains to be as human and relatable as possible. We wanted to give Freeze a compressed version of what we gave to someone like Nygma, who we gave an emotional reason to why he became the person he became. We also wanted him to serve as a mirror to what’s going on in Jim and Lee’s life, at the same time. Those coincide together, so that the path Freeze goes down mirrors the path that Jim’s going down, and they sort of go down that together.”

What are your thoughts on Stephens’ comments? Let us know in the comments down below!

SOURCE: Comicbook.com