Gotham’s Most Wanted: Drew Powell, Robin Lord Taylor, and David Mazouz at Heroes and Villains Fan Fest Chicago

Normally if Bruce Wayne, Solomon Grundy, and Penguin were sitting in the same room, you would expect an epic fight to break out. But that wasn’t the case at this year’s Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in Chicago.

The actors Drew Powell, David Mazouz, and Robin Lord Taylor brought a warm comradery to the Gotham panel that wasn’t quite expected from characters that are normally at each other’s throats.

Robin Lord Taylor — possibly the kindest man I ever met — started things off by stating how wonderful it was to be back in his home area. He continued with saying he grew up in the neighborhood of Joliet, Illinois, and then exclaiming, “Go Hawks!”

This turned into Drew Powell and David Mazouz promoting their favorite sports teams. Drew Powell responded, “Where my Hoosiers at?” and David Mazouz gave a shy little, “Go Lakers!”

With the hope of steering the panel in a different direction, the moderator brought up the physicality of Gotham Season 4.

Robin Lord Taylor replied, “When doing stunts, you always want to get as close to that line of hurting yourself — without really hurting yourself — because that’s what looks real.”

Drew Powell continued, “For me, the Solomon Grundy thing is the most physical thing I have ever had to do.”

Powell mentioned that knowing you are going to be on national television mostly naked is a great motivator to get in shape. He joked that he was glad he was far away from Chicago and our pizza.

It is always great to hear the actors really giving it all for their roles — not to mention the sacrifices they make. But please guys, don’t lose any limbs on our behalf. That’s what the CGI and stuntmen are for.

Robin Lord Taylor and Drew Powell pointed out that David Mazouz has been taking martial arts training for his role as Bruce Wayne.

Mazouz responded, “I was taking down guys three times my size. And it was so funny because they were all like so excited to beat up on me. And I was like, you know in real life I would never be able to beat you up.”

Come on though, who wouldn’t take their chance to give a swift kick to Bruce? Especially after how he treated Alfred earlier this season.

Mazouz continued, “I have barely any martial arts training. It’s all fake.”

Job well done, Mr. Mazouz, you have plenty of us fooled.

Once the panel is handed over to the audience, the stars are baffled by their first question. The fans wondered aloud what the stars most surprising and shocking moments of the script were.

None of the stars had much of an answer besides pointing to the Season 4 finale. Drew Powell eventually said, “We can’t tell you much else, or else we would have to kill you.”

A death threat from Solomon Grundy? Man, I wish I asked that question.

A man named Ricky then stood up and asked if Bruce Wayne will be meeting more villains head-on anytime soon.

David Mazouz responded, “Bruce is rising as a vigilante. We saw in the last couple of episodes that he is actually trying to take down Jerome. Bruce is going to be out there.”

Mazouz continued, “Bruce is definitely going to be taking on our classic villains.”

I for one am looking forward to an episode that could be called, “When Bruce Met Grundy.” A teenage vigilante versus a criminal-minded hulk. Can we work on this storyline asap?

Another fan asked about their initial take on the scripts that introduced the series. Drew Powell answered, “There are a millions places you can watch Batman. This is something different — it’s a prequel.”

“I’ve always loved that part of it, that we get to see these things before all of the other Batman stuff that we know and love,” Powell continued.

So many people seem to get caught up on what they feel Gotham should or could have been. If you can let go of your preconceived notions of how it should all play out, then the show is much more enjoyable, at least that is my two cents.

Further down the road, the topic of Bruce Wayne’s rebellious streak came to light. David Mazouz replied with a bit of a chuckle, “You’ve got to learn from your own mistakes. Where are my teenagers at?”

In contrast, the sweetest part of the panel was when a very young fan had her mother ask for a hug from Robin Lord Taylor. He graciously accepted the invitation and welcomed her down to the stage with open arms.

Without the confirmation of Gotham being renewed for Season 5 yet, the stars offered up suggestions as to how they would like to see the show end for their character. David Mazouz said that, of course, it would have to be with Bruce putting on the cowl.

Robin Lord Taylor commented, “For Oswald, I think the last scene should be him just like all shut off. His heart is his weakness, and it is going to lead to his downfall.”

Rubbish, I tell you! This series should never end! This show should tie with Supernatural for the longest-running show ever!

Gotham airs Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX.

For more coverage from Heroes and Villains Fan Fest, check back regularly. Find out more about Heroes and Villians Fan Fest here.

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