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Villain Overview

So rude. You know, I'm gonna make a prediction. Within a year, Jim and I will be back together. Want to know why? Because we're both the same. We both have a dark side. And one day, we will tell our grandchildren about this man-eating harpy who almost tore us apart! But in the end... love conquered all.
~ Barbara Kean to Lee Thompkins; her most famous quote
Because when I woke up from that coma, the first image I saw was your face as you were holding onto me from the church window. You were trying to save me, because in that moment you didn't see the monster. You just saw me. That's what I've been holding on to. If you could just look at me like that again, I'd be okay. I'd make it.
~ Barbara Kean apologizing to Jim Gordon.
Look around, Jim. We're all slowly dying. It's just that some of us get to choose how.
~ Barbara Kean to Jim in Season 5.

Barbara Kean is a major antagonist in the TV series Gotham. She is Jim Gordon's ex-fiancée and while originally appearing as an understanding, supportive, and strong woman, she developed her own character outside of Jim as the series went on. She is based off Barbara Eileen Gordon.

She was portrayed by Erin Richards.

Overview[]

At the end of the first season, it is revealed that she is truly mentally unstable, and after an encounter with the dangerous serial killer known as The Ogre, where he tortured and brainwashed her, it causes her to completely lose her grip on sanity. She is sent to Arkham Asylum but is busted out by Theo Galavan who plans for her to become a member of the Maniax. After Jerome's death, Barbara became rather aggressive towards Jim Gordon and started torturing both him and Lee Thompkins, though she eventually got out of the screen on episode 8 where she fell from the top of the Gotham Cathedral, barely surviving.

During the third season, she runs a nightclub with the late Theo Galavan's sister Tabitha Galavan and is shown to have high ambitions on taking over the Gotham Criminal Underworld. She develops into a nemesis for Oswald Cobblepot, and she teams up with Edward Nygma, Tabitha and Butch Gilzean to destroy him. Later, she becomes the "queen of Gotham", and leads a crime family, with Butch and Tabitha as her former lieutenants. Later, Barbara recreates The Sirens, under Oswald's leadership. However, as Oswald and Cherry send Bridgit Pike/Firefly to burn The Narrows down, she plots to once again betray The Penguin and kill him. She becomes Sofia Falcone's right-hand woman, and a powerful mercenary and criminal in Gotham.

Personality[]

Barbara initially appeared to be a moral, kind, caring, benevolent, and selfless individual, she risked her own life to save Jim, by going to Carmine Falcone and pleading for Jim's life. She had an addictive personality, as she was shown to have been addicted to alcohol and drugs in the past. She ended her relationship with Jim Gordon, because she did not feel that he included her in his life; and he did not provide emotional support for her after she was held captive by Carmine, as well as the fact that she was afraid of being around the dangers that Jim brings as a police detective.

Upon leaving Barbara resumes a relationship with Renee Montoya, who breaks up with her because she had relapsed into abusing drugs, she goes to see Jim at the police precinct but finds him kissing Leslie, and flees, unknown to anyone at the time, Barbara was (secretly) mentally unstable, after she was forced to kill her parents (off-screen) by Jason Skolimski, Barbara's unstable nature had awoken. She tells Leslie that she killed her own parents, attacks Leslie and tried to kill her with a knife - presumably because Leslie is now Jim's girlfriend.

After Barbara's psychotic break, she became arrogant, aggressive, violent, immoral, unstable and delusional, although after she comes out of her coma, she (apparently) has guilt and remorse for her actions, and was (apparently) horrified at what she had become/done. Although she claimed she was sane after being released from Arkham, she seemed to suffer another psychotic break after Jim rejected her, her latest personality was not without affection or care for those close to her, but she was also proven to be cold and conniving. She had little respect for authority of any kind and was prone to a violent and sadistic nature. Even Ra's told her this after he reveals that he got resurrected.

After the end of No Man's Land, Barbara ended up reforming and became a real estate agent. Having shed most if not all of her selfish traits, she became a loving mother towards Barbara Lee who she shares joint custody with Jim and Lee. That said, she does imply that she still retains a crazy side as shown when she states that she's still amazing when distracting Edward.

List of Victims[]

It's believed she murdered over 27 people.

  • Her parents - stabbed multiple times, throats slit
  • Butch Gilzean - shot in head (resurrected before getting killed again by Oswald after getting restored to his normal self)
  • Five Deamonz members - shot
  • Cherry - shot in head
  • League of Shadows member - stabbed in chest
  • Multiple Jeremiah followers - shot
  • Ra's al Ghul - stabbed in the stomach with Bruce Wayne holding the dagger
  • Four Soothsayer members - shot
  • Six Undead members - shot
  • Leader of the Street Demonz - poison
  • Three Nyssa Al Ghul's henchmen - shot

Appearances[]

Appearances for Barbara Kean

Season 1[]

  • "Pilot"
  • "Selina Kyle"
  • "The Balloonman"
  • "Arkham"
  • "Spirit of the Goat"
  • "Penguin's Umbrella"
  • "The Mask"
  • "Harvey Dent"
  • "Rogues' Gallery"
  • "What The Little Bird Told Him"
  • "The Blind Fortune Teller"
  • "Red Hood"
  • "Under the Knife"
  • "The Anvil or the Hammer"
  • "All Happy Families Are Alike"

Season 2[]

  • "Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..."
  • "Rise of the Villains: Knock, Knock"
  • "Rise of the Villains: The Last Laugh"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force"
  • "Rise of the Villains: By Fire"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Tonight’s the Night"
  • "Rise of the Villains: A Bitter Pill to Swallow"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Worse Than A Crime" (flashback)
  • "Wrath of the Villains: A Dead Man Feels No Cold"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Mad Grey Dawn"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Into the Woods"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Pinewood"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Azrael"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Transference"

Season 3[]

  • "Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell..."
  • "Mad City: Burn the Witch..."
  • "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes"
  • "Mad City: New Day Rising"
  • "Mad City: Anything for You"
  • "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit"
  • "Mad City: Red Queen" (hallucination)
  • "Mad City: Blood Rush"
  • "Mad City: Time Bomb"
  • "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster"
  • "Mad City: Ghosts"
  • "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It"
  • "Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies"
  • "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions"
  • "Heroes Rise: The Primal Riddle"
  • "Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine"
  • "Heroes Rise: Destiny Calling"
  • "Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul"

Season 4[]

  • "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper"
  • "A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Demon's Head"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path"
  • "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"
  • "A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself"
  • "A Dark Knight: Things That Go Boom"
  • "A Dark Knight: Queen Takes Knight"
  • "A Dark Knight: Pieces of a Broken Mirror"
  • "A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship and The Grand Applause"
  • "A Dark Knight: One of my Three Soups"
  • "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment"
  • "A Dark Knight: To our Deaths and Beyond"
  • "A Dark Knight: One Bad Day"
  • "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land"

Season 5[]

  • "Year Zero"
  • "Trespassers"
  • "Penguin, Our Hero"
  • "Ruin"
  • "Pena Dura"
  • "13 Stitches"
  • "Ace Chemicals"

Trivia[]

  • Barbara is based off Barbara Gordon Sr., the first wife of Jim Gordon. However unlike this incarnation she wasn't a villain. In the comic continuity Barbara and Jim had a daughter who went on to become Batgirl (although in some continuities she is Jim's niece). Barbara and Jim also have a son named James Gordon Jr. who is a supervillain and psychopath, traits which may have been the inspiration for Barbara's villainy in the show.
    • That being said, it is revealed that Barbara is pregnant in 13 Stitches. She later shares joint custody of Barbara Lee Gordon with Jim and Lee.
  • This version of Barbara takes some elements from Harley Quinn - the girlfriend of the Joker in the comics - as she is seen participating alongside Jerome Valeska (the proto-Joker) during his sadistic games in the season 2 third episode "The Last Laugh" and even knocks out Theo Galavan with a hammer. Some of her costumes in season 4 also have color schemes similar to Harley's outfits, such as black and red. This lead to speculation that Barbara may actually become the Gotham-verse's version of Harley Quinn, which the producers did confirm that they included elements of the character in Barbara rather than using Harleen Quinzel.
  • Producers originally pondered to make Barbara the show's version of Magpie, but this was scrapped. Magpie herself would appear as her own character in an episode of season 5.
  • Her plot against Oswald Cobblepot in season 3 and wish to take over the criminal underworld makes her similar to that Fish Mooney, one of the primary antagonists of the first season. Fish herself planned to overthrow former crime boss Carmine Falcone and cement her status as Queen of Gotham City's criminal underworld. Unlike Fish whose plans failed thanks to Oswald Cobblepot, Barbara does succeed in her goals with the combined help of Tabitha, Butch and Edward Nygma.
  • Being electrocuted in Season 3 seems to have turned her hair white. It also seems to have altered her personality, making her more calm and rational; however, she remains cruel and dismissive. Her calm and rational personality was later revealed to be an act in order to make Tabitha and Selina allies. However, she becomes far calmer and eventually, better person during the final season.

External links[]

Navigation[]

           Gotham-5428254c4abd4 Villains

Gotham City Police Department
Gillian Loeb | Nathaniel Barnes | Arnold Flass | Tom Dougherty | Edward Nygma

Falcone Crime Family
Carmine Falcone | Mario Calvi | Sofia Falcone | Fish Mooney | Butch Gilzean | Aubrey James | Oswald Cobblepot | Victor Zsasz | Arthur Penn

Trident Intercontinental Shipping
The Dollmaker | Patti and Doug | Thomas Schmidt | The Catcher

Maroni Crime Family
Salvatore Maroni | Frankie Carbone | Gabe | Oswald Cobblepot

Court of Owls
Ra's al Ghul | Shaman | Kathryn Monroe | Hugo Strange | Ethel Peabody | Talons

Penguin's Gang
Oswald Cobblepot | Edward Nygma | Butch Gilzean | Gabe | Arthur Penn | Victor Zsasz | Headhunter | Ivy Pepper | Victor Fries | Bridgit Pike | The Penguins

Wayne Enterprises
Sid Bunderslaw | Reginald Payne

Red Hood Gang
Butch Gilzean | Gus Floyd | Clyde Destro | Trope | Regan | Haskins

Order of St. Dumas
Father Creel | Theo Galavan | Tabitha Galavan

The Maniax
Theo Galavan | Barbara Kean | Jerome Valeska | Robert Greenwood | Aaron Helzinger | Arnold Dobkins

The Lady's Organization
The Lady | Matches Malone | Eduardo Flamingo | Billy Boy

Monsters
Theo Galavan/Azrael | Bridgit Pike | Victor Fries | Fish Mooney | Nancy | Sid | Subject 514A | Ridgeback Monster | Basil Karlo | Marv | Tweaker

The Mutants
Mutant Leader

Cult of Jerome
Jerome Valeska | Dwight Pollard

League of Shadows
Ra's al Ghul | Nyssa al Ghul | Shaman | Anubis & The Hunter | Eduardo Dorrance | Barbara Kean

Church of Jeremiah
Jeremiah Valeska | Ecco | Sykes

Legion of Horribles
Jerome Valeska | Oswald Cobblepot | Butch Gilzean | Jervis Tetch | Jonathan Crane | Victor Fries | Bridgit Pike

Raven Society
James Harwood | Bet Sykes | Peggy Sykes | Frances Gaunt | John Salt | Nelson Thursday | Arthur Pennyworth

Others
Mario Pepper | Davis Lamond | Richard Gladwell | Stan Potolsky | Electrocutioner | Aaron Danzig | Dorothy Duncan | Leslie Thompkins | Dr. Marks | Gerald Crane | The Ogre | Dick Lovecraft | Larissa Diaz | Grace van Dahl | Carlson Grey | Professor Pyg | Richard Sionis | Deever and Dumfree Tweed | Zaardon | Merton | Warden Reed | Jane Cartwright | Magpie

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