Theodore Galavan (Gotham)

Azrael
Gotham‎ and Pennyworth
Gallery
Real Name	Theodore Galavan
Main Alias	Azrael
Other Aliases	Theo Galavan, Dumas, Patient 44, Angel of Death, Archangel of Death
Relatives	Adam Dumas (distant ancestor) Caleb Dumas (ancestor) Lord Dumas (father) Tabitha Galavan (sister, deceased) Silver St. Cloud (niece)
Affiliation	Order of St. Dumas Professor Hugo Strange
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Public Identity
Citizenship	American
Marital Status	Single
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Blue
Hair	Black
Origin
Universe	Gotham (TV Series)
Creators	Bruno Heller
First Appearance	"Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..." (September 21, 2015)
Appearance of Death	"Wrath of the Villains: Unleashed" (May 9, 2016)

I am Azrael, righteous scourge of sinners, and I have come to kill you, James Gordon.

— Azrael

Theo Galavan, is a prominent businessman in Gotham City with motives to overthrow the established order.

History

Dumas family origins

The Galavan family was originally the Dumas family. After Caleb Dumas had an illicit affair with Celestine Wayne, the Wayne Family forced the Dumas' into exile and changed the name of every street and building that was named after the rival family. With the help of the Order of St. Dumas, the Dumas family formed a long-term plan to right the perceived sins of the Wayne family. The first step was changing their name to Galavan, so the Waynes wouldn't know them when they returned. (Ironically, by the time they did return, there was only one Wayne left, and he didn't know anything about the Dumas/Wayne family feud.)

Rise of the Villains

Theo Galavan and his sister Tabitha returned to Gotham, allying themselves with an assortment of villains in order to overthrow the Wayne Family. By kidnapping, murdering and pressuring his opponents, Theo Galavan was eventually elected mayor.

Galavan initially had an ally in police detective James Gordon, but Gordon eventually discovered Galavan's true intentions, vowing to put an end to his crimes. Gordon was able to obtain a reasonable cause to arrest Galavan, but Galavan used his influence to have himself cleared of all criminal charges.

When Galavan murdered the mother of crime lord Oswald Cobblepot, he became a prime target of the vengeful kingpin. After kidnapping Bruce Wayne, the last remaining descendant of the Wayne family, Gordon attempted to arrest Galavan again but Cobblepot convinced Gordon that Galavan was too dangerous to be kept alive. Gordon murdered Galavan, as Cobblepot desecrated his corpse with an umbrella. Galavan's corpse was obtained by Professor Hugo Strange, who was searching for a means to reanimate the dead.

After many failed attempts, Strange finally managed to successfully reanimate Theo Galavan.

Rebirth as "Azrael"

Upon resurrection, Galavan suffered severe amnesia and some dementia, with little to no memory of his life prior to his resurrection. According to Strange, Galavan's mind was unable to reconcile the process of death and rebirth. Researching Dumas' family history and the Order of Saint Dumas, Strange used this knowledge to convince Galavan that he (Strange) was Galavan's lord and father. Strange told his "son", Galavan, that he was resurrected so that he may become Azrael, an ancient holy knight that serves the Order of Saint Dumas. Strange convinced Azrael that James Gordon is a sinner, sending him to kill Gordon. Azrael went after Gordon but failed to murder him. Azrael did, however, manage to mortally wound Nathaniel Barnes. In a struggle with James Gordon, Azrael's mask fell off of his face, revealing his identity to both Gordon and the public. Oswald Cobblepot also learned of Galavan's return after watching a television report.

As Azrael began to regain lost memories, he remembered the Order of Saint Dumas' mission to kill Bruce Wayne. Azrael retrieved the Sword of Sin from a Gotham City cemetery and went to Wayne Manor to murder Wayne. However, before he could do so, Oswald Cobblepot, allied with Butch Gilzean, arrived. The two used a bazooka to kill Azrael, while simultaneously destroying his remains, making another resurrection impossible.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Unique Physiology: As a side effect of the process used to resurrect him, Galavan now has abilities that exceed that of the average human.
  • Superhuman Strength
  • Superhuman Durability
  • Superhuman Agility
  • Accelerated Healing

Abilities

• Martial Arts
• Deception
• Firearms
• Swordsmanship
• Historiography

Other Characteristics

• Mental Disorder: Theo's mind couldn't cope with the fact that he was no longer dead causing his mind to fracture.
  • Amnesia: Due to his mind fracturing as a result of the resurrecting process, Galavan no longer remembers who he is, but can recall events related to his life before his death when he sees things associated with his past such as one of his old campaign posters.
    

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Body-Armour

Weapons

• Sword of Sin

Notes

• The character of Theo Galavan was created specifically for Gotham. The costumed identity of "Azrael" was created by Dennis O'Neil and Joe Quesada, first appearing in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1.
• Theo Galavan was played by James Frain.

Related

• 21 Appearances of Theodore Galavan (Gotham)
• 3 Images featuring Theodore Galavan (Gotham)
• 3 Quotations by or about Theodore Galavan (Gotham)
• Character Gallery: Theodore Galavan (Gotham)