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The Gotham Knights
Turner
Turner Hayes
- Played by: Oscar Morgan
The adopted son of Bruce Wayne. When Bruce is murdered, Turner is framed as the mastermind behind the crime, forcing him to go on the run alongside Duela, Cullen, and Harper.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Gender-Inverted Trope, as straitlaced Turner (adopted son of Batman) falls for Duela, the wild and hard-edged daughter of the Joker, saying that he's attracted by how she's herself no matter what.
- Canon Foreigner: He is the only member of the team who doesn't have a direct counterpart in the comics.
- Chekhov's Skill: Bruce pushed him to learn fencing and various forms of martial arts, which comes in handy when he's forced to deal with the Talon.
- Composite Character: He has elements of the various male Robins/sons of Bruce Wayne in the comics, like Dick Grayson's orphaned backstory, Jason Todd's temper, reckless tendencies and working-class background, and Damian Wayne's talent for swordplay, and was created because the showrunners couldn't secure the rights to use any of them outright. Being taken in by the League of Assassins in the finale increases his parallels with Damian and Jason; as do having parents who were assassins for the former and being thought dead for the latter.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Justified. He had no idea that his adoptive dad was Batman, mainly because Bruce wanted to give him as normal a life as possible. Turner doesn't find out until after Bruce is murdered, and somewhat resents that his father kept the truth from him and chose Carrie to be his sidekick instead of him.
- Loony Friends Improve Your Personality: He starts the series extremely uptight and a bit naive. Hanging out with the Row siblings and Duela forces him to loosen up a lot.
- Raised by Rival: His biological parents were members of the League of Assassins who tried to kill Batman. Bruce adopted Turner out of guilt for making him an orphan by killing them while defending himself. Hence, the assassins' kid ended up being raised by and taking on the values of their enemy.
- Self-Made Orphan: Averted. Since he was framed by the Court of Owls for murdering Bruce Wayne.
- Weapon Specialization: Swords. The authorities correctly suspect he's responsible for a dead body they find (the Talon) as it's been decapitated with a sword.
Duela
Duela Doe
- Played by: Olivia Rose Keegan
The alleged daughter of The Joker, born in Arkham Asylum.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Duela had a Multiple-Choice Past in which she claimed to be the daughter of any number of supervillains before it was revealed that she was actually the daughter of Earth-3's Joker counterpart. On this show, she is the daughter of the Joker, born and raised in Arkham Asylum. "Belly of the Beast" adds another major change, revealing that her mother is Jane Doe. "Daddy Issues" introduces another change: She's actually Harvey Dent's daughter, conceived during one of his fugue states. (This was her official backstory in the comics between her introduction in Batman Family #6 (1976) and Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (1985), where Robin suddenly realised the dates didn't work.)
- Ambiguously Bi: While Duela has some Belligerent Sexual Tension with Turner, she also comments that Stephanie can rock a skirt. Considering that she was holding a knife to Steph's throat at the time, it's unclear if this was genuine appreciation for Stephanie's figure or just taunting.
- Canon Character All Along: It was assumed that her mother was just a Canon Foreigner Joker fangirl, along the lines of Kiki Roulette from Batwoman. "Belly of the Beast" reveals that her mother is, in fact, an established character from the comics - serial killer and con artist Jane Doe.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Played with, in that she doesn't care about following in her dad's famous footsteps, but she's still got a massively warped moral compass.
- Deceptive Legacy: Duela's mother Jane Doe had lied to her from the beginning that the Joker was her father (with the Joker's approval); it turns out that Harvey Dent really fathered her.
- Disappeared Dad: Her dad has never been in the picture. She long assumed it was because he was busy being Gotham's most prolific serial killer, but the reality is even more jarring: her dad is Harvey Dent, but he doesn't remember ever having sex with her mother because he was in a fugue state at the time. As a result, Harvey's just as stunned at being told he's her father.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Duela is blunt but has a good point on how Turner can't trust anyone and has to stop thinking like a rich kid to survive. Also, she tells Harper she's "so busy looking out for your little brother, you miss he's a total badass."
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all that she plays at being an aloof, amoral sociopath, she actually does care about her teammates.
- Not Me This Time: In the penultimate episode, she is shocked to discover that her mother drugged Turner and was going to try turning him in for the reward money, though the others (apart from Turner himself) all assume that she was in on the scheme.
- Odd Friendship: She's surprisingly fond of Cullen and Carrie, despite their different personalities, standing up for Cullen when Harper keeps treating him like a kid and giving Carrie the nickname "little bird".
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Nothing speaks more to how terrifying the Court of Owls is than how the normally wacky Duela is dead serious when talking about how dangerous they are.
- Refuge in Audacity: In the pilot, Duela distracts the police in a police transport by ineffectually picking the lock on her handcuffs in front of them. Meanwhile, as Duela points out, Harper and Cullen have already gotten out of their cuffs just fine, and ambush the distracted officers.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- Duela tries this in episode 2, wanting to just run and leave Turner behind. Harper is tempted, but Cullen surprises them both by wanting to clear their names rather than live the rest of his life running from a crime he didn't commit.
- In the penultimate episode, she considers leaving Gotham forever with her mother, but can't bring herself to abandon her friends.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: In "Belly of the Beast" when Duela puts on a fancy dress along with doing her hair, Turner is briefly stunned at seeing her. Though she's pretty, Duela's usually much less concerned with her looks, so it's definitely noticeable.
- Token Evil Teammate: Duela is the most likely to act violently, exploit one of her teammates, or suggest doing something unethical. There's no evidence she's ever killed someone, though.
- Zip Me Up: As part of their general Ship Tease, Duela asks Turner to do this for her in "Belly of the Beast" once they've changed into formalwear for infiltrating the Court's gala.
Harper
Harper Row
- Played by: Fallon Smythe
A runaway turned thief.
- Abusive Parents: She and Cullen ran away from an abusive, homophobic/transphobic father.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: She and Stephanie constantly butt heads. While she's admitted that much of this is because she envies Stephanie for her privileged background, "Good to Be Bad" shows her getting flustered when Stephanie helps her clean up a bullet wound, suggesting that she might also be attracted to Steph. Happily, it turns out that Steph feels the same way, and they finally kiss in "Daddy Issues".
- Berserk Button: Harper, who was abused by her dad, jumps out and angrily tells off Stephanie's mother for slapping her the moment she sees it.
- Big Sister Instinct: Most of her decisions are fueled by a desire to protect her little brother Cullen. In the first episode, she even tries unsuccessfully to take the rap for killing Bruce Wayne in exchange for Cullen being let go. Another episode reveals that she took jobs with an Irish gang to earn money to pay for Cullen's transition.
- Braids of Action: Harper is an Action Girl who starts to wear her hair in two braids after joining up with Turner and co.
- Closet Key: Stephanie becoming attracted to Harper makes Steph finally realize that she's a lesbian before kissing her. Harper, a bisexual girl, was attracted to Steph already so she reciprocates.
- Hidden Buxom: Most of her outfits, though not modest exactly, don't show her figure either. She's shown to have a large bust when she puts on a rather tight shirt in "City of Owls".
Cullen
Cullen Row
- Played by: Tyler Di Chiara
Harper's trans-masc younger brother, and a burgeoning thief.
- Abusive Parents: His dad was a major homophobe and transphobe, causing him and Harper to run away for their own safety.
- Adaptational Gender Identity: In the comics, Cullen is a cisgender boy. In this show, he's a transgender boy.
- The Heart: He's the glue that holds the team together. Even Duela respects him.
- Impersonating an Officer: He's been able to sneak in and out of the GCPD while disguised as a rookie cop, and the only time he ran into trouble was when he failed to bring a coffee for the cop on desk duty. Except for a fake mustache, glasses and accent, all Cullen does is put on the uniform, acting like he belongs.
- Not So Above It All: While he has more of a conventional moral compass than Harper or Duela, he's not above stealing things.
Stephanie
Stephanie Brown
- Played by: Anna Lore
Turner's classmate and best friend, and the daughter of Gotham's most beloved game-show host, Arthur Brown, and his wife Crystal Brown.
- Abusive Parents: Her mother is a druggie addicted to painkillers, and her father forces her to stick to hiding that, lest the family's reputation be spoiled, even when he's filling out prescriptions under her name. She eventually has enough and lets the police arrest her father. Her mother slaps her for daring to stand up to her, resulting in Harper giving Crystal a scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech to get her to back down.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Stephanie became the heroine Spoiler because her father was a supervillain called Cluemaster who kept escaping from prison. In this series, Arthur Brown is still a reputable game-show host and Stephanie has not adopted her superhero identity yet. Additionally, this version of Stephanie is wealthier than her comic book counterpart. However, the rest of her backstory (abusive father, drug-addicted mother) is pretty much the same.
- Adaptational Sexuality: In the comics, Stephanie only recently showed signs of possibly being bisexual, but here she is a lesbian.
- Alcoholic Parent: Her mother is a lush and a pill-popper, and Stephanie spends a lot of time hanging out with the Gotham Knights as an excuse to avoid going home.
- Closet Gay: She realized that she wasn't into boys at some point after dating Brody, but continued dating him because she knew her parents would probably react badly to finding out that she's gay.
- The Dog Bites Back: In Episode 11, the GCPD arrests her father for filling out illegal prescriptions to keep feeding her mother's addiction, and will only back down assuming she turns on her friends. She lets her father take the fall and refuses to be her mother's pawn anymore.
- Hackette: Stephanie takes to the Batcave computer like a duck to water, hacking the Gotham City bank system easily.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Stephanie is a feminine girl with long hair, usually dressed in a blouse and skirt. It turns out she's a lesbian who's attracted to Harper.
- Playful Hacker: Stephanie Brown uses the Batcave computer to hack into the Bank of Gotham in the pilot, and mentions having always wanted to do so.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: She has a bad tendency to rely on her computer to solve any given problem.
Carrie Kelly
Carrie Kelley
- Played by: Navia Ziralli Robinson
Batman's sidekick at the time of his death, fighting crime under the name Robin.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Carrie was the daughter of a pair of drug addicts. Here, she's the daughter of a respectable, albeit overworked, doctor. She's also apparently the first and only Robin.
- Affectionate Nickname: Duela is oddly fond of her, and has given her the nickname "little bird".
- Disappeared Dad: Her father isn't in the picture. She admits to Turner that she envies him because she saw Bruce as a father figure, but Turner is the one who actually got to see his fatherly side.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Carrie is Batman's protégé Robin. This fairly petite teenage girl, even so, manages to overpower larger opponents (like the Mutant Leader, a man who outweighs her significantly) with her keen skill at martial arts and various bat gadgets.
- Race Lift: Carrie is black in this series, whereas she was white in the original comics.
Gotham Characters
Bruce Wayne/Batman
Batman
The wealthiest man in Gotham, who secretly took on the mantle of a crime-fighting vigilante to avenge the death of his parents, and Turner's adoptive father.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the comics and other iterations where he fought the Court of Owls, Bruce struggled, but he was able to push through and hold out against them. In this version, the Court manages to kill him because the normally Crazy-Prepared Bruce failed to discover Cressida was secretly helping them, and drugged him on their behalf.
- Adapted Out: Because Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake were being used on Titans (2018) and Damian Wayne was earmarked for a film adaption of The Brave and the Bold, he never had them as his children or employed them as his Robins. Instead, Carrie is the only person to become his sidekick, and Canon Foreigner Turner more-or-less borrows all the elements of the other four Robins.
- The Atoner: The reason he took in Turner Hayes was because his parents were assassins who tried to kill Batman, and Bruce was forced to kill them in self-defense. He tried to give Turner as normal a life as a billionaire socialite's son could have, which is why he never revealed he was Batman or made Turner his sidekick, although he did make sure he had the martial arts and sword training to defend himself if necessary. He also allowed Turner to keep thinking the best of his biological parents and not know they were proliferate murderers.
- Death by Adaptation: Unlike the other Batmen of film and TV who've lived to fight another day, Bruce is killed in the pilot episode.
- Disproportionate Retribution: On the receiving end of it. Why did the Court have Bruce killed? He was going to give all his money to the poor, thus eliminating the wealth gap in Gotham and rendering the Court's efforts powerless. On top of that, Rebecca had a vendetta against the Waynes because Alan Wayne broke off their engagement.
- Fiction 500: He was the owner of Wayne Enterprises, one of the largest companies in Gotham.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death is what drives the whole plot, as the Court of Owls frames his own son and his soon-to-be allies for killing him.
- Thou Shall Not Kill: The characters mention many times that Bruce had a code, though it appears Subverted given he apparently killed The Joker, and killed Turner's parents in self-defense because they had been sent to kill him.
- The Worf Effect: Batman is known as The Dreaded in every continuity because he's a one-man fighting force against crime. His dying at the hands of the Court of Owls is a sign that they aren't to be trifled with.
- Worf Had the Flu: He gets killed by the Talon because Cressida drugged his tea to dull his reflexes.
Harvey Dent
Harvey Dent
- Played by: Misha Collins
Gotham's District Attorney, and a longtime friend of the late Bruce Wayne.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In contrast to previous Two-Faces, who wind up being transformed into the villain early in Batman's career, Harvey is still a loyal friend to Bruce well into the latter's long career as Batman. In fact, he becomes Two-Face after Batman dies.
- Alcoholic Parent: His father was a mean drunk who used to beat him up for not meeting his standards.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He was repeatedly abused by his father, and eventually he snapped and developed a split personality and arranged his father's death.
- Honorary Uncle: As a close friend of Bruce Wayne, he was a constant presence in young Turner Hayes' life, and thus Turner regards him as an uncle.
- Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: A twofer, appropriately enough. He gets his scarred coin first after Duela shoots him, ironically saving his life, then gains his famous scarring in the finale, completing his transformation.
- In the Blood: Harvey, after learning about his split personality, believes he's inherited this from his father, reflecting on how his dad would alternate between being loving and caring or a drunken, abusive nightmare at other times.
- Split Personality: As with the comics, Harvey has a "bad side" that does the things Harvey himself wouldn't even think of, being the result of an abusive father beating him every night.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: In "Poison Pill", Harvey's alternate self anticipated his exact reactions to the video he left for him.
- Two-Faced: Jane Doe claims this of the man who's known as the Trope Namer in real life for randomly claiming he never knew her, then begging for her back all in the same day. And like with most Two-Faces, the series ends with him getting that scarring.
Brody March
Brody March
- Played by: Rahart Adams
Stephanie Brown's boyfriend, and the son of powerful socialite Lincoln March and his wife Rebecca March.
- The Beard: In "Daddy Issues", Stephanie confesses to Harper that she only dated Brody because she figured that her parents would be happy she was seeing a March and it would stave off questions about her sexuality until she was able to go away to college.
- Canon Foreigner: Lincoln March does not have a son in the comics.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: It turns out that his mother gave him Electrum at some point, allowing him to survive being stabbed and shot multiple times. It also prevents him from experiencing asphyxiation or starvation, given that he survives multiple days locked in a coffin no worse for wear.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He figured out that his dad was in the Court of Owls, but neglected to find out if his mom was an Owl, too. Consequently, when he tried to warn his mom, she stabbed him.
- Joined Your Party: Joins the team in the last two episodes after Stephanie and Harper release him from the coffin where his parents left him.
- Weapon Specialization: Like Turner, he carries a sword into battle on his back.
- White Sheep: Unlike his monstrous parents, Brody is 100% a good guy.
The Joker
The Joker
The self-proclaimed "Clown Prince of Crime" and the Arch-Enemy of Batman, who died sometime before the start of the series.
- Ambiguous Situation: With the reveal about Duela, it's unclear whether he actually ever had a relationship with Jane Doe, or whether that too was part of the fabricated story.
- Ax-Crazy: Like any Joker, he was known to kill on a whim, laughing while doing it.
- Death by Adaptation: He was killed by Batman before the series started, in contrast to other Jokers who are usually still around to keep up their little game with Batsy.
- The Dreaded: Duela isn't known as the most dangerous woman in Gotham for nothing; her daddy's The Joker himself. Though it turns out it was really Harvey, and Joker went along with the gag for laughs.
- Evil Laugh: Duela has a memory of going to see Joker on her birthday, and he's in isolation giggling like a madman.
- For the Lulz: Joker really wasn't Duela's father; Jane Doe just convinced him to go along with it, and he thought the idea was hilarious.
- It's All About Me: According to Duela, Joker would tell stories about famous serial killers—all of whom were nothing compared to him, of course.
- Like Parent, Like Child: Being Joker's daughter, Duela picked up a good chunk of his insane tendencies, including his propensity for violence and an obsession with a Bat. Subverted when it turns out she's not Joker's daughter at all.
- Parental Abandonment: He ditched Jane Doe and ran off with some floozy named Harley Quinn, leaving Duela to fend for herself as Jane was locked up in Arkham too, unable to care for her.
- Pet the Dog: He did seem to genuinely like Duela, despite the fact he's loonier than the whole of Arkham Asylum.
- Posthumous Character: Joker was killed by Batman sometime before the series began, which leads the GCPD to suspect that Duela played a hand in his death out of revenge for his demise.
The Court of Owls
Talon
Felix Harmon
Formerly the Butcher of Gotham, a notorious serial killer from the early 20th century, and now the implacable enforcer for the Court of Owls.
- Came Back Strong: As the Talon, he is incredibly hard to hurt thanks to the Electrum in his system.
- The Dragon: As in the comics, the Talon serves as the Court of Owls' enforcer.
- The Dreaded: He's one of the few people capable of scaring even Duela.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As part of his compensation for serving in the Court, the Owls have taken care of his beloved daughter Eunice, even in her advanced age. He also still sends her gifts.
- Healing Factor: The Talon is capable of healing from even injuries that would be otherwise lethal, such as multiple gunshots from close range or being crushed by debris.
- Legacy Character: There have been several Talons before the current one, each of which ultimately died when they had been injured so many times that their Electrum was used up.
- Really 700 Years Old: The Talon turns out to be a serial killer who supposedly was hanged for multiple murders over a century before.
The Judge of Owls
Lincoln March
- Played by: Damon Dayoub
A candidate for Mayor of Gotham, and the current leader of the Court of Owls.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Lincoln March is a name adopted by Batman villain Owlman, who is really Bruce Wayne's long-lost older brother Thomas Wayne Junior. Here, it's his real identity and the Marches are an old Gotham family. This also makes them Unrelated in the Adaptation.
- Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Despite his criminal activities, he's tried to give his son Brody a normal life.
- Puppet King: He's actually just a figurehead; the real leader of the Court is his wife Rebecca.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Rebecca poisons him in the penultimate episode and leaves him for dead. Previous exposure to Electrum means he won't actually die, but he would be mistaken for dead, and by the time he recovered, he'd be buried.
Rebecca March (AKA Rebekah Leviticus)
- Played by: Lauren Stamile
Lincoln's wife, and the real head of the Court of Owls. Also secretly the scientist who discovered Electrum.
- Canon Character All Along: In the comics, Lincoln March does not have a wife, which makes her seem to be a Canon Foreigner. However, she's a Gender Flipped adaptation of Doctor Leviticus.
- Deadlier Than The Male: She's noted both by herself and her son to be even worse than her husband. Some of her dialogue indicates she in fact has a chip on her shoulder about being underestimated because of her gender.
- Mad Scientist: She's a scientist who created the Immortality Inducer Electrum treatment, and is totally free of morals.
- Naturalized Name: Her real name is Rebekah Leviticus. She's adopted various aliases over the years.
- Really 700 Years Old: She is over two hundred years old, even though she only looks to be in her forties.
- Woman Scorned: The Court's obsession with the Wayne family began with her and her failed attempts to woo Alan Wayne. When he rejected her, she arranged his death and has been tormenting his descendants ever since.
Eunice
Eunice Harmon
- Played by: Veronica Cartwright
The elderly daughter of the Talon.
- Daddy's Little Villain: She adores her father, a serial killer, who dotes on her even now, fully supporting his murderous work as the Court of Owls' top enforcer. However, being an old lady in a nursing home, she doesn't actively do anything but voice moral support of him.
- Racist Grandma: Perhaps "classist" is the better term, but she is a deep believer in the Court's cause, even if she's too old to serve them.
Cressida
Cressida Clarke
- Played by: K.K. Moggie
The former valet to the late Bruce Wayne, and the Court's eyes inside Wayne Manor.
- Becoming the Mask: While she was initially placed within Wayne Manor solely to keep an eye on Bruce, she grew to love his adopted son Turner as if he were her own.
- Parental Substitute: She was a surrogate mother-figure to Turner Hayes, in much the same way that her predecessor Alfred became a father figure to Bruce Wayne.
- Recruited from the Gutter: She came from a poor background before being taken in by the Court.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: She is murdered by the Judge of Owls following her betrayals, although she did manage to redeem herself to Turner beforehand.
The League of Assassins
The Leader (Spoilers)
Henri Ducard
- Played by: Charles Mesure
The leader of a shadowy international organization of assassins, who trained Bruce Wayne and Turner's parents.
- Aborted Arc: Any plans of his to train Turner will never come to fruition on account of the show being canceled.
- Ambiguous Situation: Henri Ducard is an actual comics character and corrupt detective/international crook, but the last time Ducard appeared onscreen, it was really a cover name for Ra's Al Ghul. Given that this Ducard is in charge of a shadowy League of Assassins rather than being a solo investigator/criminal for hire as in the comics, it's hard to say if this iteration is just a cover for Ra's or if it's just a case of Ducard undergoing Adaptational Villainy.
- Small Role, Big Impact: By having two of his assassins, namely Turner's biological parents, attempt to kill Batman, they wound up being killed by the Dark Knight in self-defense, leading Bruce to adopt Turner out of guilt for orphaning him. This put Turner in a prime position to bring down the Court of Owls—the biggest conspiracy to exist in Gotham—after the Court succeeded in killing Batman whereas Ducard did not.
