Gotham: Comic Book Influences (Obvious Spoilers...)

[Slash Man]

Is it just me, or does Maroni look a lot like he does in Batman Forever?




Call it coincidence, but I definitely see it.

[johnnygobbs]

I agree.

For some reason (possibly because of Batman Forever), I have always pictured Maroni as quite a stocky, brutish type much like Dennis Paladino and David Zayas' portrayals.  Whereas I see his rival, Falcone, as a slightly more elegant, old school gangster.

I don't know if this has any basis in the comic-books but it does seem to be the way it's playing out with the show.

[Slash Man]

Wow, it was really cool to see the "things change" exchange between Penguin and Fish. No doubt in my mind they had Returns as a prime influence.

The shady black market surgeon also reminds me of the Joker's plastic surgeon from Batman.

[BatmAngelus]

At first, I thought the "Things change" line from Penguin could've been a coincidence but when Fish repeated it back, I figure it had to be a homage.

"The Mask"

The surgeon doesn't seem to be named but I'd love it if he turned out to be The Crime Doctor.
EDIT: According to the cast list, the character was named Dr. Felton. In the comics, this was the name of Mr. Freeze's doctor at Arkham.

The bully Tommy Elliot is the future Hush and is obviously more antagonistic from the start. He was clearly familiar with Bruce from before, which could imply that they used to be friends, like in the comics. Tommy's questions about the death of Bruce's parents could tie into his own obsession with killing his parents, though in the comics, he killed his father before Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed. Obviously, the Elliots are still alive in this version since Tommy mentions his parents.

UPDATE: Alfred actually did help Bruce with a school bully in The Batman Chronicles #5, "Of Mice and Men," though that story took place when Thomas and Martha Wayne were still alive. In an interesting contrast between the comic version and the TV version, the comic book Alfred advised Bruce to use his mind to defeat the bully, rather than his fist. This was his only role in helping Bruce defeat the bully. Both the comic and the TV show demonstrate this as the beginning of Alfred becoming an enabler to Bruce's future lifestyle and desire for justice.

The Mask/Richard Sionis seems to be a version of Black Mask/Roman Sionis. It's unclear whether this is meant to be the show's Black Mask or if the character is Black Mask's father (in the comics Roman's father was named Charles).

UPDATE: Barbara leaves Jim at the end. This would actually be the first of many times she's done this, in the comics (see Dark Victory as an example where Jim and Barbara are separated).

[BatmAngelus]

"Harvey Dent"

The show seems to take on the Eye of the Beholder/Long Halloween take that Harvey already possessed the two-headed coin before he became Two-Face. In the original version of the origin, the coin was Maroni's and Harvey adopted it for himself.

Montoya and Allen introduce Harvey to Gordon. Montoya's also the one who greets Harvey first in his introductory scene. In the comics, Harvey is infatuated with Montoya, not realizing that she's a lesbian.

Dick Lovecraft is not a comic book character. However, his last name is notable since author H.P. Lovecraft coined the Arkham name (and the "Arkham Sanitorium") in his 1933 short story "The Thing On the Doorstep."

Harvey's outburst toward Lovecraft is reminiscent of the Eye of the Beholder/BTAS take of Harvey Dent, who had early manifestations of his anger/other personality when he was a practicing attorney.

[BatmAngelus]

"Lovecraft"
This episode didn't seem to have comic book influences so much as influences from other adaptations.

The Narrows is mentioned a few times. This Gotham neighborhood is mainly an invention of Nolan and Goyer for Batman Begins, though there was a Gotham Narrows Bridge referenced in Len Wein's Clayface III story.

The female assassin, while not named onscreen, was meant to be Copperhead, according to The Wrap:
http://www.thewrap.com/gothams-copperhead-debuts-on-foxs-fall-finale-exclusive-photos/
In the comics, Copperhead is a male assassin who's able to suffocate victims in a similar way to the Gotham character. It was the Arkham Origins game that reimagined the character as a female and clarified that the Copperhead name was a moniker belonging to a whole group of assassins. If the show follows the same principle, this could leave room for Bruce to grow up and encounter a younger successor who is closer to the comics.

[BatmAngelus]

"Rogues' Gallery"

And we're back.

- Much like his comic book counterpart, Oswald has taken the name Penguin and changed it from a nickname he hated into the criminal name he uses to establish himself in the gangster world.

- Leslie Thompkins has been added to the show now. She was originally created as the woman who comforted Bruce in Crime Alley, she's now been reimagined as a doctor who meets Gordon at Arkham Asylum (and could be a potential love interest. One episode in and I think Thompkins is already more palatable to fans than Barbara's character. One wonders how it would've turned out if they introduced her in the pilot, kept Gordon single, cut Barbara entirely, and had the main romance between the two characters from the beginning).

- Selina brings Ivy to the Gordon penthouse. Catwoman and Ivy would later become roommates, with Harley Quinn, in the Gotham City Sirens series.

- Ivy pretends to be a "friend of Jim Gordon's" when she picks up Barbara's phone call. Possible foreshadowing of her future as a seductress.

- While Jack Gruber isn't a character in the comics, the promo reveals that he is the Electrocutioner, who kills using electricity. In the comics, the character's name is Lester Buchinsky. Right now, we don't know if Gruber is a precursor to the Buchinsky version or if he simply has a changed name.

- In a similar way, the bald inmate Aaron is actually Aaron Helzinger/Amygdala, the bald childlike inmate prone to homicidal rages, who was featured prominently in the Knightfall series. We'll see how he behaves in the next episode.

[Slash Man]

Once I saw the use of electricity as a weapon, I thought wouldn't it be funny if it somehow tied into the Electrocutioner? Though I only knew it was supposed to be him after reading your post. He seemed more Hannibal Lector influenced than anything.

I also saw Jack Gruber more as a Dr. Strange villain, specifically when he alters missing convicts into obedient monsters in his second(?) appearance.

[BatmAngelus]

A lot of different characters went through my head and it was only after I saw the promo for the next ep that I found out Gruber was Electrocutioner (and a Wikipedia search led me to find out Aaron was Amygdala).

In the opening, I was guessing the actor might be playing Maxie Zeus. Maybe it's 'cause of how he looked like in the play. And then when the electricity stuff came about, I thought maybe they were going the "realistic" route and that was their equivalent to his lightning.

When the mind control came in, I wondered if he was some kind of precursor to Mad Hatter.

I also thought, given his bald appearance, child-like appearance, and the backstory of having killed his family, that "Aaron" was a version of Humpty Dumpty. Maybe I've been watching too much Beware the Batman lately...

I wasn't really thinking about Hugo Strange as I had read an interview with the creator of the show, who hinted at Hugo being part of the Arkham staff (considering what happened to Dr. Lang at the end, I'd say there's an opening in the department...). The actor's performance and appearance, however, would make him a good choice. Hopefully, their real take on Strange is an even more appropriate casting choice.

[BatmAngelus]

"What The Little Bird Told Him"

The Electrocutioner's real last name is revealed to be Buchinsky, though his first name is still Jack. This implies that he may be the brother of Lester Buchinsky, since the first Electrocutioner was Lester's unnamed brother.

His henchman's name is revealed to be Aaron Danzig, which casts some doubt on the Amygdala reference.

Commissioner Loeb, while bespectacled and thin rather than overweight, is portrayed as corrupt and there's already no love lost between him and Gordon. A closer interpretation to the source material than the Begins/Dark Knight version.
UPDATE: Loeb's appearance is actually close to the New 52/Zero Year version of the character.

Dash Mihok plays the cop who tells Nygma to stop talking to Kringle. He is credited as Detective Flass. The jury is out on how Gotham will portray him in the series.

Speculation is that, with Fish imprisoned by Falcone, her nightclub could actually be the future Iceberg Lounge.