'Gotham' season 2: New characters to be featured

"Gotham" is set to return next month for the second half of its second season. This time around, new characters will be appearing on the series which tells the story of Batman's beginnings and the villains who are out to get him.

E! News confirmed that series star Ben McKenzie's former "The O.C." castmate Melinda Clarke is coming to the Fox show as the attractive and cultured Grace Van Dahl. According to the website, Grace -- who is not a DC comics character -- is desperate for money and power. And while she perfectly plays the part of the ideal hostess and dutiful wife, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Paul Reubens, who is best known for playing Pee-Wee Herman, will be playing the Penguin's (Robin Lord Taylor) father in the second half of the season. This is the second time for the actor to play the father of the Batman villain. He had appeared as Penguin's father in the 1992 movie "Batman Returns."

Reubens's casting was first announced by Taylor at last year's New York Comic Con. The actor even tweeted a digitally altered photo of himself with Reubens and Carol Kane and wrote, "Big News: Paul Reubens will be playing Penguin's father in @Gotham. Unreal. I have the best tv parents. Legends."

"Breaking Bad" alum Michael Bowen is also set to join the show this year as Patrick "Matches" Malone." According to Comicbook.com, Bowen's character will debut in an upcoming episode. And while details about the character are few, his description as the "weathered, philosophical hitman who may be the triggerman behind one of the most important crimes in Gotham's history" suggests that Malone might be the one who killed Bruce's parents.

"Gotham" returns on Feb. 29, 2016 on Fox.

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