Aside from what’s sure to be an unforgettable series finale yet to come, there were two major boxes I was looking forward to seeing Gotham check off in 2019: One was that of the Joker’s origin, with the other being the arrival of Bane. And now that the former has occurred, I’m counting down the days to the latter.
Granted, we’ve already met Shane West’s Eduardo Dorrance, but we’ve yet to see him as a full-on Bane on the small screen. You’ll probably recall seeing photos of him in costume last fall, which ended up being met with criticism. Though I personally think he looks more like Mortal Kombat‘s Kabal, call me crazy, but I’d like to actually see the actor’s performance before passing judgment.
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait a little longer than expected to meet the brute because the show is taking March 14th off. But on March 21st, Gotham’s reckoning will arrive in “I am Bane,” an episode named for Tom King and David Finch’s modern classic of a comic book arc:
On the precipice of Gotham’s reunification, Gordon and Bruce find themselves face-to-face with a newly transformed Eduardo, and discover the real mastermind behind the city’s current chaos. Meanwhile, a pregnant Barbara turns to Lee for help in the all-new “I Am Bane” episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, March 21 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (GTH-508) (TV-14 L, V)
It’s also worth mentioning that B.D. Wong will return as Hugo Strange, as he’s supposedly got something to do with the origin of this iteration of Bane. I guess that’s fitting because any weirdo experiment conducted in this town since season 2 has had his dirty fingerprints all over it.
After this, it’ll be full speed ahead as we race toward the aforementioned series finale. Once we get there, expect to jump ten years into the future for a meeting with Batman himself and a fully formed rogues gallery. This, my friends, is what we’ve waited for since the pilot episode aired.
Gotham airs on Thursday nights on Fox.