Gotham Season 5 Casts Shane West--And We Think He's Playing Bane

The fifth and final season of Fox's Batman prequel series Gotham won't debut until 2019, but the show is currently in production in New York City and has just enlisted a very interesting new cast member. Nikita alum Shane West will appear as a villain in the final episodes of the show, in a role that opens the door to quite a bit of speculation.

According to Deadline, West will play Eduardo Dorrance. The character is a friend of Jim Gordon's (Ben McKenzie) from his days in the military. Now, with Gotham City having become No Man's Land, he has arrived with a group of elite soldiers to restore order. However, it becomes apparent that he has his own evil ends in mind with the task.

For those that know the Batman universe, the name Eduardo Dorrance might sound familiar. In the comics, Sir Edmund Dorrance is the villain known as King Snake. Edmund also happens to be the father of none other than Bane. While Bane's true first name has never been revealed in the comics, this new character could be a potential suspect.

After all, with Gotham ending, it seems logical to introducer another major Batman villain--and Bane might be the biggest one the show has yet to tackle. As it stands, Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy all play major roles in the show. What's more, the series has also woven in the likes of Ra's al Ghul, Mad Hatter, Solomon Grundy, Azrael, and Harvey Dent into its stories over four seasons. And, of course, the show has its own take on Joker with the dueling characters of Jerome and Jeremiah--both played by Cameron Monaghan. With a rogue's gallery of baddies like that, Bane could be a perfect fit.

Of course, Gotham could also try something completely new. With this being the final stretch of episodes, though, our money is on West becoming Bane. That should prove to be very interesting for the shows young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), as he continues his journey to become Batman. Hopefully, Bane doesn't break his spine too quickly.

Gotham returns to Fox in 2019.