Who Will Replace Fish Mooney On 'Gotham'?

On Friday, the Gotham fandom was dealt a devastating blow when the news broke that Jada Pinkett Smith a.k.a. Fish Mooney is leaving Gotham . This blow is devastating because, well, let's be real. In the absence of Batman, Fish makes the entire show. She's an original creation for the television series, and she steals every scene that she's in thanks to Smith's deliciously overdramatic acting. Since Smith's exit means it's a guarantee that Fish is going to die at the end of Gotham Season 1, I'm sure I'm not the only one who is wondering exactly how the show is going to fill her considerable shoes. Who will replace Fish Mooney? Can anyone replace Fish Mooney?

The thing is that Fish has been driving a lot of plot over the course of the season. Not only is she the secret paramour of GCPD cop Harvey Bullock, but she is also scheming to take control of the Falcone Family, and thus Gotham itself, from Carmine Falcone. She was a woman with big plans, and, even when those plans blew up in her face, she has thus far managed to avoid being assassinated and come out on top somewhere else. Do the remaining Gotham villains have what it takes to drive a plot quite like Fish can? Well, let's see.

Oswald Cobblepot

The Man Who Will Be Known As Penguin has already got possession of Fish's club as well as Fish's right hand man. Clearly, he's already spending Season 1 trying to be the new Fish. And it's equally clear that he has chronic backstabbing disorder (unless, apparently, your name is Jim Gordon), so Falcone will find him very difficult to control indeed. Oswald is the best candidate we have for our new Fish when Season 2 rolls around.

Ed Nygma

Ed is remaining firmly on the side of good — although he's more of a creepy good in his time before becoming The Riddler. We have no idea what other trauma is yet to befall him between now and the season finale, but he could get tipped onto the path to evil sooner than we think. Imagine a Season 2 driven by Jim Gordon trying to track down Ed, who knows much more about the GCPD and their inner workings than anyone would want a villain like The Riddler to know.

Selina Kyle

It's highly doubtful that Selina is going to be the new Fish for the sheer fact that Selina drives enough plot all on her own — and most of it is tied up with Bruce Wayne, for obvious reasons. Besides, she's still just a child, so she's more likely to be affected by what the adults around her are doing than she is to be scheming anything on her own.

Ivy Pepper

There's just something that isn't quite right about Ivy. She's a child just like Selina is, but she's a different kind of child. She's frighteningly sharp and frighteningly disturbed, so it wouldn't surprise me if she joined the dark side sooner than any of us might have predicted. Her father, Mario Pepper, was a common thug, so it's just a matter of time before Ivy starts looking into her father's criminal contacts...

Carmine Falcone

Well, Fish was already trying to be the new Carmine Falcone. With her gone, perhaps Falcone will get the chance to show everyone exactly why he is the one in control of the Falcone Crime Family. (Although that time he strangled Liza to death said enough.)

Sal Maroni

Maroni is kind of a joke compared to Falcone. It's not that he's less terrifying, per say, but he seems to be outwitted by Falcone a lot more often than Falcone is outwitted by him. I mean, he couldn't even manage to kill Penguin when Penguin was in a car about to be compressed. It could just be me, but I'm not sure he has what it takes to be Fish.

Butch Gilzean

As Fish's right hand man, Butch would know more about Fish's operations — and have more trust from Fish's associates — than anyone else on this list. If he can gain the upper hand over Penguin, then there's a good chance that we might see a Season 2 driven by Butch's attempts to gain control over the Falcone Family and avenge Fish's name. He's the second most likely candidate to replace Fish.

The Joker

Okay, so it's unconfirmed that Jerome is the Joker. But isn't it about time that the Joker shows up to start doing crazy things before he ever even puts that clown mask on? Have the people who watched Gotham not waited long enough? That could carry them straight through the series finale, not just the season finale.

Image: Justin Stephens/FOX; FOX (8)