Warden Reed

Warden Reed is a minor villain in the fourth season of Gotham. He is portrayed by Damian Young.

Biography
Reed is the warden of Arkham Asylum, having taking over the position of the equally - if not more - corrupt Professor Strange. Reed is dispassionate about his work and uses opportunities to make some money on the side. As his corruption seems to be well known among the employees at Arkham, one former orderly - who meanwhile has joined a criminal gang - eventually contacts Reed. Crime in Gotham City has recently been licensed by Penguin and the criminal gang is not willing to pay up to Cobblepot. To find a way to protect themselves against Cobblepot, they contact Reed who knows a solution.

Reed introduces them to one of his inmates, Jonathan Crane. He reveals to the gang that Crane was subjected to a high dose of fear toxin by his father Gerald, which overloaded his fear reception and caused him to feel great fear whenever confronted by something that resembles a scarecrow. Reed mentions that he exploits this fear to keep Crane under control. The gang leader then pays Reed, who then gives Jonathan up to them.

Directly after the gang's first robbery with fear gas, GCPD detective Jim Gordon connects the attack to Gerald Crane. He and his partner Harvey Bullock head to Arkham where they meet up with Reed. They want to see Crane but Reed prevents it. When Bullock asks whether any of the employees or orderlies have not come in for work that day, Reed denies it without even looking. Bullock sarcastically calls it remarkable that Reed knows about the comings and goings of all his employees and claims that he wouldn't even be able to recount that for his own police force. Reed drily replies that it seems that the two of them have a different work ethic. From Reed's reactions, both Gordon and Bullock deduce that he has a hand in the fear gas attack. In order to make him talk, Gordon threatens that they will unleash Penguin's top-hitman, Victor Zsasz, on Reed as Reed openly defied Penguin's licensing business. Fearing violent retribution from Penguin, Reed gives up the name of the former orderly, but adds that they forced him and that he didn't have a choice.