'Gotham' Turns Tabitha Galavan Into A DC Villain

The tagline for Gotham's second season is "Villains Will Rise," and in order to stay true to that tease, it's added a few new baddies. Among them is Theo Galavan, a billionaire returning to Gotham with a grudge, and his sister, Tabitha Galavan, who will appear in the Gotham Season 2 premiere. She'll be the violent muscle behind her brother, according to ComicBookMovie.com, helping him in his plans to take over the city. But there's a lot to Tabitha, most notably that she'll become DC Comics villain Tigress, and I think the audience will be getting some hints about her future as a supervillain in the first few episodes of Season 2, just like Penguin and Catwoman last season.

Surprisingly, instead of trying to keep her identity a secret, ever since Jessica Lucas was cast in the role, the character has been openly referred to as the future Tigress, a villain from the Batman comics whose powers include martial arts, combat skills, and archery. There are two versions of Tigress. Paula Brooks is a former hero who later became the villainous Huntress. And her daughter, Artemis Crock, also took the name of Tigress to become a villain to live up to her parents' evil legacy. Tabitha's family history, beyond her relationship with Theo, is still a mystery, so it remains to be seen whether she's going to be trying to live up to her parents' legacy or making her own, but here's what is known about Gotham's take on Tigress so far.

She'll Meet Butch & Penguin

So Theo and Tabitha are going to eventually share some scenes with Gotham's underworld kingpins. I don't think that meeting will be totally peaceful.

She's Tight With Her Bro

This IG shot from actress Lucas shows that Theo and Tabitha are going to be side by side in plenty of scenes. Hopefully their relationship gets a few scenes, to be fleshed out.

She's A Fighter, Not A Talker

While Theo's backstory is pretty straightforward, it's unclear how and why Tabitha got involved with his grudge. She's his sister, but doesn't pampered in the way the sinister Theo does. Instead, she's a ruthless and tough fighter, so I wonder if somehow, these siblings lead different lives.

She's Incredibly Tough

Maybe those differences are what makes these siblings such a good pair — Theo is the charmer, while Tabitha takes them down. And a formula like that, in which a woman finishes the job after a man lures them in, isn't often seen in comics, so I'm excited for Gotham to potentially show a new dynamic.

She Wields A Whip

That's not unlike another famous female villain — Catwoman. ComicBookMovie.com theorizes that Tabitha's weapon could inspire Selina to take up whips. It also cuts down on the potential for gore, because crossbow wounds (Tigress' chosen weapon in the comics) are much bloodier and more graphic than a whip.

So far, there's a lot to know about Tabitha, but all of these little tidbits don't add up yet. Only after watching this new villain on Gotham will questions about her begin to be answered.

Images: Nicole Rivelli, Mark Seliger/FOX