'Gotham' Season 3 Premiere: Who Are Fish Mooney's Monsters?

“Gotham” is, for the most part, a show about bad guys — and that means there have been a whole lot of them introduced in the first two seasons.

But even by “Gotham’s” standards, the season 3 premiere was villain overload, thanks to Fish Mooney’s gang of freaks who escaped from Hugo Strange’s Indian Hill facility at the end of season 2.

We didn’t get a good look at them last year, but they were front and center on Monday night — and even for hardcore fans of the DC Comics on which “Gotham” is based will likely have found themselves confused about who all these people were.

Also Read: All Major 'Gotham' Villains Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)

And that’s because nearly all of them are, apparently, original to the show. This would make some thematic sense, as Fish Mooney herself is not drawn from comic book lore. In any case, let’s go through the main ones and take a look at what we’re dealing with here.

The first new beastie we see is a a hulking dinosaur-looking dude listed in the credits as “Ridgeback Monster.” This is likely the show’s version of Killer Croc, which audiences just saw in live action for the first time in “Suicide Squad.” Like many characters who have popped up on “Gotham,” the ridgeback monster might be a “proto” version of Killer Croc rather than the real thing (his design here is not a familiar one, certainly), but since nobody on the show said his name yet only time will tell.

Later, Jim Gordon encountered several of Mooney’s gang while trying to use Ethel Peabody as bait to catch Mooney. The first was a young man, listed in the credits as Sid, who appears to have super speed, which could mean he’s a Reverse-Flash (though this would be an unfamiliar version). Sid was followed by Nancy (this is not the first time “Gotham” has had a low-key Sid and Nancy gag), who is clad in a shiny leather body suit and a breathing mask.

Also Read: 'Gotham' to Cash In on 'Suicide Squad' Buzz With Killer Croc, Harley Quinn

We also see Gordon go toe to toe twice with a man with actual bat wings (pictured above, on the right). The natural connection to make here is Man-Bat, though, again, this is likely not the one we know from the comics. The real Man-Bat fully transforms into a bat rather than just having wings and he also turned himself into a bat rather than being the victim of experiments.

The last major player in this episode is Marv (pictured above, on the left), whose touch causes a person to rapidly age — and he uses this ability on Ethel Peabody, quickly turning her into an elderly corpse.

This is hardly all of Fish’s monster gang, of course, as a number of others are seen in her entourage, like the man with scaly skin (credited as “Scale Skin Man,” which could also make him a sort of Killer Croc-alike), the really tall guy which poofy hair and a woman who, in the teaser for next week’s episode, wields electricity powers.

So, we’ll continue this when we know more.

All Major 'Gotham' Villains Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)

Who's the best bad guy on Fox's "Gotham"? We rank all the bad guys we've seen so far. This list will be updated with new villains as they come in season 3 and beyond, and as characters warrant reevaluation.
Fox
38. Harvey Dent (Nicolas D'Agosto)

Not actually a villain yet, so technically he sucks. I'm sure he'll move up once he becomes Two Face (if that ever happens). For now, he's just generally unhelpful as Gotham's DA.
Fox
37. Mr. Freeze (Nathan Darrow)

Hopefully now that he looks hilarious he'll grow a personality instead of just moping around all the time.
Fox
36. Sal Maroni (David Zayas)

So annoying and bad at being a gangster that I'm surprised he survived almost to the end of the first season.
Fox
35. The Electrocutioner (Christopher Heyerdahl)

The "Gotham" showrunners have so far missed out by not having him back since Mr. Freeze and Firefly came along. We're due for an evil team-up of villains who carry elemental guns. Get on it.
Fox
34. The Red Hood Gang

The only reason I didn't completely forget about these guys is because there was a callback to them late in season 2.
Fox
33. The Spirit of the Goat

This is technically several people, and the actual "goat" is, I guess, the evil therapist (Susan Misner) who managed to convince people to become serial killers. Anyway, points added for excess complexity. Points subtracted for being otherwise boring.
Fox
32. Evil Bruce (David Mazouz)

Very much a dope, and yet to prove his value as part of the Gotham evilness. There's a lot of potential here, at least.
31. Commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari)

Exactly the sort of corrupt police commissioner Gotham needed: incredibly unlikable and irritating. You'd enjoy watching him get his, admit it.
Fox
30. Mayor James (Richard Kind)

A bumbling but fun idiot. It was really kind of a bummer that Galavan didn't kill him.
Fox
29. Matches Malone (Michael Bowen)

Only has two scenes, but one of them was that one where Bruce Wayne's mom and dad get murdered. Because he murdered them. In his other scene he shoots himself in the face. Points for having an efficient arc, I guess.
Fox
28. Mario Falcone (James Carpinello)

Amusing to watch, sure, but "super strong raging lunatic" is not the most inventive brand of "Gotham" villain.
27. Carmine Falcone (John Doman)

A little too vanilla for "Gotham," and doesn't really fit in in the new wacky world of Batman villains. And that contrast becomes even more evident when he returned in season 3. So, yeah, get outta here.
Fox
26. Silver St. Cloud (Natalie Ayn Lind)

Finally, Bruce Wayne has met a girl who can relate to how rich he is. Unfortunately, she's also trying to kill him, and it's impossible to tell when she's being sincere. She thinks dolphins can read minds, though, which is pretty dumb even if she was just trying to be poetic. Children, ugh.
Fox
25. Basil a.k.a. Clayface (Brian McManamon)

Basil, who can shapeshift after being resurrected by Hugo Strange, brings tremendous sitcom-ish potential to "Gotham." His face is hilarious.
Fox
24. Zaardon (David Fierro)

A truly delightful fake villain who belches a blue smoky toxin. Even in death he entertains.
Fox
23. The Lady (Michelle Gomez)

Pretty much a video-game villain, having had her business ruined by single dude (Jim Gordon) who fought off her army of hired killers.
Fox
21-22. Gerald Crane and Jonathan Crane (Julian Sands and Charlie Tahan)

Tragic figures on "Gotham" tend to be pretty meh unless they are so tragic you start to feel real emotions about them. The Cranes (Jonathan will eventually become the Scarecrow) actually manage to pull that off!
Fox
20. Theo Galavan/Azrael (James Frain)

An excellent schemer who ends up foiled by Tabitha, killed by Penguin and Gordon, resurrected by Hugo Strange (who tricks him into thinking he's the 300-year-old St. Dumas warrior Azrael), then blown up with a rocket launcher by Butch. Now THAT is a fully formed character arc.

Fox
19. The Flamingo (Raul Castillo)

"It's not a job if you love what you do," Eduardo Flamingo says as he's torturing and getting ready to eat a dude. It's a little bit hard to hate this guy.
Fox
18. Richard Sionis (Todd Stashwick)

A corporate boss who makes the interns fight each other with swords to determine who gets the real job. That probably makes him my role model.
Fox
17. Father Creel (Ron Rifkin)

Not only is Creel a priest who sacrifices children, but he's also an old man who can jump real high. A double whammy of Cool Villain Things.
Fox
16. Copperhead (Leslie-Ann Brandt)

"Gotham" may be overflowing with assassin characters, but they aren't all super-memorable. Copperhead definitely is, though, despite only appearing in one episode -- she's one of the few bad guys on the show who are calm and rational instead of being unhinged in some way.
Fox
15. Poison Ivy (Claire Foley, Maggie Geha)

Possibly the most relatable character on the show: a grump who just wants all these nerds to go away. And then, once she's turned into a teenager, takes advantage of lusty men in order to steal their stuff.
Fox
14. Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis)

Yes, ole Captain Barnes has the same affliction as Mario Falcone. BUT Barnes is played by Michael Chiklis and is the GCPD captain, so by default he's way more fun.
13. Tabitha Galavan (Jessica Lucas)

Good with a whip, doesn't take any crap from her brother Theo, apparently is into base jumping, and stabs a guy in the neck with her heel that one time. All of this is awesome.
Fox
12. Firefly (Michelle Veintimilla)

They turned Firefly into a woman! Awesome. I'm sure the genderbending made some dude on the internet mad, which automatically puts Firefly in the upper echelon of "Gotham" villains. That she's actually cool anyway is icing on the cake.
Fox
11. Butch (Drew Powell)

Plays the straight man to basically every other character on the show -- until Penguin chops off his right hand and they start affixing tools to his stump. My favorite is the power drill.
Fox
10. The Court of Owls

They've had a hand in lots of the wacky events that have taken place so far, their masks are funny, and they almost killed Alfred. Gotta respect all of that.
Fox
9. Victor Zsasz (Anthony Carrigan)

Sure, he's a bad person, but he always looks like he's having so much fun when he's murdering everybody. We all should admire how he does what he loves.
Fox
8. The Mad Hatter (Benedict Samuel)

Samuel is solidly theatrical, and the incredible cruelty of the Hatter in general goes a long way on a list like this.
Fox
7. Ed Nygma/The Riddler (Corey Michael Smith)

So good that I could totally watch a "Hannibal"-like show that's just about him.
Fox
6. Hugo Strange (B.D. Wong)

His totally calm demeanor and permanent condescending smile makes all those horrible experiments seem totally reasonable.
Fox
5. Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor)

It was almost sad when his stay at Arkham Asylum in season 2 mellowed him out, but the payoff was worth it: He killed the Van Dahl siblings, cooked them and then fed them to their mother. "Game of Thrones" totally ripped that off, by the way. (That was a joke. Don't @ me.)
Fox
4. The Dollmaker (Colm Feore)

If we were ranking these "Gotham" bad guys solely on the fear factor, Dr. Dullmacher's brand of body horror would probably win by default.
Fox
3. Barbara Kean (Erin Richards)

In the DC Comics annals, Barbara is supposed to marry Jim Gordon and have a kid with him, and so it's super fun that "Gotham" turned her into a murderer there for a while.
Fox
2. Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan)

Is he the Joker, or just a "proto-Joker"? I don't know, but he's super fun and steals every scene he's in, as well as all of the ones he's merely mentioned in.
Fox
1. Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith)

There are a handful of actors on "Gotham" who really, truly got what kind of show it was trying to be in the early going, and Jada Pinkett led the way. To our great relief she kept all her memories when Hugo Strange resurrected her. There's been a seriously troubling lack of Fish in season 3.
Fox

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We’ve got the definitive rankings of Gotham City’s baddies in Fox’s Batman prequel show

Who's the best bad guy on Fox's "Gotham"? We rank all the bad guys we've seen so far. This list will be updated with new villains as they come in season 3 and beyond, and as characters warrant reevaluation.

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All Major 'Gotham' Villains Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)

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