'Gotham' Gives A Familiar Character A New Role

Well, that was something that not even Gotham puppetmaster Hugo Strange saw coming: Theo Galavan transformed into Azrael. The doctor and his assistant, Ms. Peabody, were experimenting on cloned versions of the villain, but didn't expect to see him get up and start walking around so quickly. And when he started demonstrating superpowers, including super-strength? I couldn't even tell if the doctors remembered that they wanted Galavan to have superhuman powers, because they were so shocked. And it seems one thing they absolutely did not intend was to see clone-Galavan begin speaking to himself about his "sister" and his religious destiny. It seems like unlike the rest of the villains that Strange is manipulating, Galavan will be a whole lot harder to control.

But the episode closed out with Galavan adopting a new identity: Azrael, a character from DC Comics. Although, "Azrael" is less of a name, and more of a title. In the comics, Azrael is the flaming sword-wielding "champion" of Galavan's religion, the Sacred Order of the St. Dumas, but it's a role that's taken on by different people at different times. The Azrael is tasked with protecting the Sacred Order of the St. Dumas against other members of other super-secret religious orders by brandishing their sword and wearing mystical armor dating back to the Crusades called "The Suit of Sorrows." That seems like something Father Creel and the Brothers of the St. Dumas would have hiding somewhere, and if Galavan/Azrael gets his hands on that, he might be unstoppable.

Unfortunately, there's a precedent for these Azraels to be driven insane by both their duties and their armor. Hugo Strange has already built a suit for one future villain, Mr. Freeze, who also seems to have some rage issues. So if you see him starting to experiment on a flamethrower and a suit of armor, prepare to watch as Dr. Strange's ambitions finally get the best of him.

Images: Jeff Neumann/FOX; Giphy