- "The Waynes forbade the press from even mentioning the Dumas. They renamed streets and buildings. The remnants of the Dumas family were forced to change their name. The Waynes wiped the Dumas out of our city's history... They changed their name to Galavan."
- —Edwige reveals to Oswald Cobblepot how the Dumas family was erased from Gotham's history
The Galavan family, formerly known as the Dumas family, was one of the five families that ruled Gotham high society.
In the modern era, it was headed by Theo Galavan. Upon Theo's death, there has been no clear successor, though it can be assumed Tabitha Galavan succeeded him.
History
The Galavan family are descended from 12th Century Knights, a heritage of which they are proud and have documented in a book named The Will and Order of St. Dumas.
Nearly 200 years before the events of Gotham, the Dumas were one of the five families that ruled Gotham high society along with the Waynes, the Kanes, the Crownes, and the Elliots.
Exile
After Caleb Dumas was (according to Dumas lore) falsely accused of forcing himself upon Celestine Wayne, his right hand was cut off by Celestine's brother Jonathan Wayne and the Dumas family holdings were seized and they were banished socially. The Dumas were forbidden from being mentioned by the press on orders from the Wayne family and streets and buildings were renamed that then carried the Dumas name, gradually erasing the Dumas family from popular knowledge. While most of them went into exile in Europe, with some of them establishing a religious sect, the remnants of the Dumas family that were still in Gotham City were later forced to change their surname to Galavan.[1]
Return to Gotham
Theo Galavan along with his sister Tabitha Galavan later returned to Gotham under the intentions of punishing those who wronged his ancestors, and reclaiming what was rightfully theirs.[2]
To this end, he formed The Maniax and recruited the Order of St. Dumas to cleanse Gotham of the Waynes' sins via the blood of the nine culminating in the death of the Son of Gotham. He also had his step-niece Silver St. Cloud get close to Bruce. This plan failed and the Order and Galavan were killed in battle with James Gordon and his allies, Tabitha joined forces with Butch Gilzean, and Silver St. Cloud hasn't been seen since.[3]
Known family members
Known allies
- Jerome Valeska (betrayed; deceased)
- Arnold Dobkins (deceased)
- Robert Greenwood (deceased)
- Aaron Helzinger
- Barbara Kean (formerly)
- Butch Gilzean (deceased)
Notes
- In DC Comics, the five families that founded Gotham City are the Waynes, Kanes, Crownes, Elliots, and the Cobblepots. In Gotham, the Cobblepots' role as one of the founding families was replaced with the Dumas.
- The Dumas family plan to get revenge can be seen as overzealous, as the Wayne family had been severly crippled by the deaths of Thomas and Martha already, leaving Bruce the only member left.
References
- ↑ Harper, Jordan (writer) & Eagles, Bill (director) (October 19, 2015). "Rise of the Villains: Scarification". Gotham. Season 2. Episode 5. FOX.
- ↑ Stephens, John (writer) & Egilsson, Eagle (director) (October 5, 2015). "Rise of the Villains: The Last Laugh". Gotham. Season 2. Episode 3. FOX.
- ↑ Heller, Bruno (writer) & Hunter, Jeffrey (director) (November 30, 2015). "Rise of the Villains: Worse Than A Crime". Gotham. Season 2. Episode 11. FOX.