This past Thursday night, we had Gotham fans on one side of the aisle cheering in their seats the moment they saw Batman after five years of buildup. But on the other, some folks expressed discontent by the Dark Knight’s absence from the bulk of the episode. Granted, we did see him in silhouette as he worked from the shadows, but it’s understandable why full frontal was demanded.
Personally, I would’ve liked to see more of the Caped Crusader, though I assumed his mysteriousness was preserved for good reason. And as it turns out, executive producer and showrunner John Stephens confirmed that suspicion while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter:
“From very early going we knew that the series would end with Gordon looking up and seeing Batman above him. We were telling the story about the city that created Batman, and we were telling it primarily through the eyes of Jim Gordon, the man who was there at the beginning, and without whom, in our eyes, Batman would not have existed. So it felt narratively right that the series would end with Jim looking up and seeing Batman.”
In a way, this is quite similar to how Smallville ended with Clark Kent opening up his shirt to reveal the Superman costume underneath. When you think about it, Batman standing atop a roof and overlooking Gotham City is pretty much his equivalent.
As for the appearance of the costume itself, that’s a topic I think’s been even more divisive. In my view, there’ve been better cosplays, but the suit did the job for which it was intended. If budget was an issue though, then maybe Gotham‘s producers should’ve asked Warner Bros. for a previously existing costume. Don’t forget, Smallville borrowed Superman Returns‘ threads, just as Birds of Prey did with Batman Forever‘s suit for its pilot episode.