Tabitha Galavan

Tabitha Galavan
Full name	Tabitha Galavan (formerly Dumas)
Alias	Tigress Tiger Lady Tabby Tabs Sister (by Theo) Pretty Lady (by Grundy)
Family	Caleb Dumas (ancestor; deceased) Unnamed (grandfather; deceased) Theo Galavan (brother; deceased) Unnamed (step-brother; deceased) Silver St. Cloud (step-niece)
Affiliation	Galavan family The Sirens (formerly) Kean crime family (formerly) Gilzean crime family (formerly) Order of St. Dumas (formerly)
Occupation	Member of The Sirens (formerly) Assassin (formerly) Owner of The Sirens (formerly)
Status	Deceased
First	"Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..."
Appeared in	45 episodes (see below)
Portrayed by	Jessica Lucas

"There's always a choice."

—Tabitha Galavan to Barbara Kean^[src]

Tabitha Galavan (formerly Dumas) is a former main character on Fox's TV show Gotham.  after Theo's death, she opened the The Sirens Club with Barbara, helping her to overthrow Oswald Cobblepot. As she grew closer with Butch, her relationship with Barbara suffered, culminating in Barbara's apparent death. She trained Selina Kyle in whipmanship, re-teamed with Barbara on leading an all-female faction of the League of Shadows, and mourned Butch's death at the hands of Oswald. During No Man's Land, Tabitha was stabbed in the heart by Penguin and died.

Biography

Early life

Tabitha and her brother, Theo, grew up on a seaside estate until a private sect of monks took Theo away to groom him for the Galavan usurper plot. 

Tabitha broke six inmates out of Arkham Asylum and killed one unsuitable candidate, Richard Sionis, at Theo's request. Tabitha and Barbara jointly tortured Mayor James by whipping him, a nod to their blossoming relationship - cut short when Tabitha saw Barbara kissing Theo. 

Tabitha approached Oswald Cobblepot to invite him to meet her brother and later taunted him with CCTV footage of his mother, Gertrud Cobblepot, imprisioned in a cell. When Oswald tried to implant Butch as a mole in Theo's inner circle, Tabitha voted to let Butch stay based on the idea of attaching tools, like a mallet, to his stump. Later, she tortures him to reverse Victor Zsasz's conditioning.

After Oswald's rescue attempt failed, Tabitha stabbed Gertrud in the back, killing her. When Theo is elected Mayor, Tabitha snipes policemen and later Oswald, when he's on the verge of revealing Theo's plans.

Avenging Barbara

Theo allowed Barbara to kill Jim Gordon in a fake wedding scenario and Tabitha pitched in by kidnapping Leslie Thompkins, bringing her to the church. After Barbara sustained life-threatening injuries falling out of a window, Tabitha struck out to get revenge on Gordon. She commissioned The Lady to put a hit out on Gordon, which backfired, prompting Theo to threaten to kill her if Tabitha disobeys him again. 

Betraying her brother

Alfred Pennyworth broke into the Galavans' apartment while trying to locate Bruce and fights Tabitha; both sustained gunshot wounds and Alfred got away in a garbage truck.  Freed from jail, Theo informed Tabitha the Order of St. Dumas is descending on Gotham. With growing contempt, Tabitha watched Theo psychologically manipulate their niece, Silver St. Cloud. She was present during the ceremony where Father Creel prepared to kill Bruce Wayne, which is interrupted by a joint rescue operation by Jim, Oswald, Selina Kyle, and Harvey Bullock. Tabitha, Theo, and Silver planned to parachute out of the building and escape, though only two parachutes are present. Theo attempts to strangle Silver to remove her from the equation but Tabitha comes to her rescue, leaving Theo at the mercy of Gordon and Oswald.

Butch

Tabitha persuades Butch to initate a partnership between them and they kiss, watched discreetly by Selina.  Tabitha was present when Oswald Cobbleplot arrived to beg Butch's forgiveness for, and insisted that Oswald still needed to be punished.Tabitha invited Barbara into her and Butch's shared home, with Barbara's erratic behavior putting Butch on edge. Subsequently, Tabitha was shocked to see on the news that Theo was back from the dead and donning a warrior-like costume.

Fearing Theo's retribution, Tabitha prepared to leave Gotham but was interrupted by Gordon and Bullock demanding answers. She explained that Theo was no longer her brother, and had instead become a warrior named Azrael. Tabitha showed the cops the Dumas crypt where her grandfather is buried with Azrael's ancient sword. Azreal ambushed them and Tabitha sections the siblings off to try and reach Theo, but it's no use and he stabbed her, sending her into a coma. At the hospital, Butch told an unconscious Tabitha how much he loves her. At some point after this, she ended their relationship.

Running the Sirens Nightclub

Tabitha opens a nightclub with Barbara called the Sirens Nightclub. They are propositioned by Oswald to share the profits, which she emphatically denies. Later, Butch attempted to reclaim the nightclub, ending with Barbara and Tabitha killing his men. They hired Jervis Tech, a hypnotist, as entertainment, who briefly hypnotized Barbara into loving him; earning a jealous reaction from Tabitha,

Tabitha was taken hostage by Victor Zsasz, under persuasion from Edward Nygma who was convinced that Butch was responsible for Isabella's death. Butch was captured but Tabitha, evidently still harboring feelings for him, freed him, and the two went into hiding together.

Nygma kidnapped Butch and Tabitha again and subjected them to a series of tortures, intent on breaking Butch's heart. Throughout, Butch seemed more concerned with Tabitha's safety than his own, and in the final test, Tabitha got her hand cut off to save Butch from being electrocuted to death. The hand was reattached.

Destroying Penguin's empire

Tabitha killed Tommy Bones and propositioned Barbara to kill Nygma too, but she denied her with a kiss. She also captured Penguin and taunted him about the night she killed his mother.

Turning on Barbara

After Barbara became Queen of Gotham, Tabitha acted as her apersonal assistant and torturer. Jim asked Barbara to interrogate witnesses to a potential move by the the Court of Owls, but they were interrupted by a Talon, and Barbara barely escaped. 

Tabitha later stole a bomb to hurt Jim with, but she goes behind Barbara's back by phoning Jim to tell him how to disarm it. Barbara yelled at her, and Butch said that Jim was right and Barbara doesn't care about her anymore.

Nygma visited the Sirens imploring Barbara to team-up with him to destroy Oswald's empire, and despite Tabitha's objections, Barbara considered it. Further enraging them, Barbara threw Tabitha and Butch out of the room during her interrogation of Selina, saying, "the adults need to talk." At some point, Penguin re-took the Sirens club and Barbara and Tabitha found, ending with Barbara being electrocuted to death.

Mentoring Selina

Tabitha complimented Selina on beating up some assailants with her whip and invited her to her new low-rent apartment. There, Victor Zsasz invited them to Penguin's new club, "The Iceberg Lounge", for a ring-kissing visit and to collect her criminal license. Escaping Zsasz, Tabitha and Selina headed to a mysterious building to be greeted by Barbara - alive.

Despite Tabitha pulling a knife and threatening to kill her again, Barbara apologized and implored the two of them to join her at her new arms dealing business. Tabitha refused.

The Sirens

Selina Kyle tried to convince Tabitha that rejoining Barbara is in their best interests. With a contribution from Ivy Pepper, Tabitha sends a message of affirmation to Barbara, but wants something in return. She demanded Barbara's hand - something both she and Butch lost. Barbara agreed, however she purposefully missed with the cleaver, saying her trust in Barbara is restored. ​​​​​​

Tabitha helped the renegade faction of the League of Shadows resurrect Ra's al Ghul. Ra's was disappointed by Barbara's lack of ambition and tried to take it back. After using the power to see the future death of Tabitha, Barbara willingly gave up the power to save her life, helping them reconcile.

An Unlikely Alliance

As Barbara and Tabitha watched the smoke plume from the Gotham Clock Tower, Tabitha remarks, "Good riddance." Oswald arrived, offering to undertake a joint robbery in order to finance Butch's recovery via kidnapping Hugo Strange. Tabitha implores Barbara to allow the team-up.

Tabitha, Barbara, Butch and Penguin confront Jeremiah.

Later, Barbara, Tabitha, and Penguin confronted Jeremiah and demand $50 million, to which he responded he will detonate the bombs earlier than scheduled. After their defeat, the group return to the Sirens Club and Oswald suggests the idea of bringing Butch to Hugo Strange to cure him, with Tabitha threatening to force him if need be.

Battle for Gotham

At the Sirens Club, Tabitha informed Barbara that Jeremiah had escaped the GCPD and likely re-grouped with Ra's al Ghul, prompting Barbara to take out the cursed dagger as the means to kill Ra's. Oswald, Alfred, Tabitha and the Sisters of the League formed up to engage the League of Shadows.

During the warehouse fight, Tabitha strangled Jeremiah with her whip, who stabbed her and prepared to deliver the killing blow, before she was rescued by Oswald. Tabitha watched with the others as the bridges fell and Gotham burned.

Losing Butch again

Tabitha watches as Butch dies in her arms

Oswald and Tabitha returned to the Falcone Mansion, where Butch revealed his fully restored human form, thanks to Hugo Strange. The lovers reunited and confessed their love for each other, whereupon Oswald drew his gun and shot Butch in the chest. As she knelt over his dying body, Oswald said explained that he took away the one person she loved in return for killing his mother, years ago. Tabitha rushed him, vowing to kill him, and he shot her in the leg. Oswald told Tabitha that he believed in an eye for an eye and wants her to suffer the same pain he felt until she was ready for him to end her life. Tabitha was then taken away by his men.

No Man's Land

The Siren's lair.

Tabitha returned to the Sirens Club, where Barbara was being towed by male members of the League. Upon seeing her, Barbara declared that men were the true source of corruption in Gotham and designated Siren's territory as a "NO MEN" zone.

Death

Tabitha's corpse.

With the Sirens comfortably holding ground in Gotham, they agreed to trade food for bullets with Oswald. However, Tabitha still resented him for killing Butch, so she raced to intercept a downed supply helicopter containing Oswald's supplies. In the ensuing firefight between Sirens and Oswald's men, Tabitha shot him, the faulty bullet broke apart, and he stabbed her. To Barbara, Tabitha's final words were "Barbara, don't."

Legacy

Barbara swore to avenge Tabitha's death by killing Penguin and feeding his guts to the rats. Instead, Barabara, heartbroken and withrdrawn, had one final tryst with Jim Gordon, leading to the birth of Barbara Lee Gordon. Penguin's plan to use Hugo Strange to cure Butch, only to kill his former henchman in order to hurt Tabitha for killing his mother, set up the events of Season 4.

Personality

In Season 2, Tabitha was shown to be less calculating than Theo who was bored and wanted some fun. She even have a soft side of her mourning Barbara Kean and wanting to avenge her by putting a bounty on James Gordon. 

Later in the seasons, she proven to be caring, loyal, sensitive, and deadly. She has a low tolerance whoever threatens her with violence, she also likes to flirt with her enemies. In Season 4, Tabitha became an anti- hero more than an villain. She worked so hard to cure Butch Gilzean (her boyfriend) . Mentoring Selina Kyle , gave Barbara Kean another chance and overall tried to save the city at the end of Season 4. In Season 5, she became vengeful and angry for revenge on Oswald Cobblepot for killing Butch Gilzean. But her not listening to Barbara got her killed. 

"My sister is too blunt. But she is honest."

—Theo Galavan to Oswald Cobblepot^[src]

Relationships

Despite her persona of aloofness,Tabitha showed deep love and loyalty toward Butch and Barbara. She secretly adored Butch, even going so far as to sacrifice her hand to save his life. After she and Butch enter a relationship, Tabitha began opening up to him and worked hard to find a cure for his condition. Post death, she became obsessed with avenging him by killing Oswald Cobblepot.

Barbara, on the other hand, presented a more complex relationship. While their initial connection seemed based on meaningless kinky sex, Tabitha's relationship flourished once Barbara struck out on her own as a villaous entrepreneour. Their relationship hit the rocks when Barbara began treating her as an underling, triggering Tabitha's contempt for autho

Abilities

• Peak human condition: As an assassin, Tabitha was in top physical condition.
• Expert martial artist: Tabitha was highly trained in hand-to-hand combat, which she infuses with gymnastic flair.
• Skilled knife-wielder: Tabitha is a skilled knife-thrower, weilding with precision and versalilty.

"Word is, you're quite the deadeye yourself."

—The Lady^[src]

• Expert markswoman: Tabitha was an unparalleled sniper, successfully killing Arnold Dobkins and hitting Oswald Cobblepot in long-range combat. 
• Manipulation: Tabitha was a talented persuader, seducing  Butch Gilzean to become his right-hand woman and a key player in Gotham's criminal underworld. She also likes to distract her opponents by flirting with them.

• Bomb Disarmer: Tabitha was a capable enough bomb disposalist to dictate to Jim Gordon over the phone how to disable an explosive threatening Aubrey James.
• Whip whiler : Tabitha was able to use a whip during the overall seasons but she gave it up to Selina Kyle.
• ​​​​​​

Equipment

• Bullwhip: Tabithas used a black bullwhip to perform her signature move - strangling a victim by wrapping the business end around their throat. 
• Tigress outfit: Tabitha's combat outfits were varitations on a black leather bodysuit with ulility pouches and high-heeled boots. The material offered flexibility and room to conceal knives and other projectiles. Her heeled boots were capable of stabbing a victim through the jugular. 
• Guns/Firearms: Tabitha weilded handguns and assault rifles, as well as sniper rifles.
• Karambit knife: A karambit knife was Tabitha's offhand weapon, which she kept hidden in the top of her boot in the event that she olst her whip. 
• Combat knife: Tabitha used a combat knife to kill Oswald's mother.
• Crossbow: Tabitha used a crossbow to kill Cobblepot's henchmen during her attempt on his life.

Appearances

Season 2 "Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..." "Rise of the Villains: Knock, Knock" "Rise of the Villains: The Last Laugh" "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force" "Rise of the Villains: Scarification" "Rise of the Villains: By Fire" "Rise of the Villains: Mommy's Little Monster" "Rise of the Villains: Tonight’s the Night" "Rise of the Villains: A Bitter Pill to Swallow" "Rise of the Villains: The Son of Gotham" "Rise of the Villains: Worse Than A Crime" "Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze" "Wrath of the Villains: Mad Grey Dawn" "Wrath of the Villains: Pinewood" "Wrath of the Villains: Azrael" "Wrath of the Villains: Unleashed" Season 3 "Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell..." "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes" "Mad City: Anything for You" "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit" "Mad City: Time Bomb" "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster" "Mad City: Ghosts" "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It" "Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" "Heroes Rise: How the Riddler Got His Name" (deleted scene) "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions" "Heroes Rise: The Primal Riddle" "Heroes Rise: Light The Wick" "Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine" "Heroes Rise: Destiny Calling" "Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul" Season 4 "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina" "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper" "A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks" (mentioned) "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path" (mentioned) "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows" "A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself" "A Dark Knight: Things That Go Boom" "A Dark Knight: Queen Takes Knight" "A Dark Knight: Pieces of a Broken Mirror" "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause" "A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups" "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting" (mentioned) "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment" "A Dark Knight: To Our Deaths and Beyond" "A Dark Knight: One Bad Day" "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land" Season 5 "Year Zero" "Trespassers" (mentioned) "Ruin" (mentioned) "13 Stitches" (mentioned) "Ace Chemicals" (mentioned) Gotham: A City Gone Mad "A City Gone Mad: Sirens" "A City Gone Mad: The Interview" "A City Gone Mad: Mommy's Home"

Notes

• In DC Comics, Tigress is a legacy supervillain persona passed down from the original, mother to daughter. In Gotham, the title of Tigress is occupied by Tabitha alone.
  • Had the show continued beyond the shortened season 5, Tabitha would have fully embraced her super-villain identity as the Tigress during the No Man's Land storyline. When the show was only given one final shortened season, her arc had to be abandoned and the character was killed off in the season premiere.
• Tabitha's appearance, particularly her debut outfit, is reminiscent of Catwoman in the third season of the Batman TV series (1966-1968), portrayed by actress and singer Eartha Kitt. Her weapon of choice, a whip, is also a nod to Catwoman.
  • As such, Tabitha becomes a young Selina Kyle's mentor and teaches her how to weild the whip.

Trivia

• Tabitha's appearance and choice of clothing is extremely similar to Larissa Diaz (Copperhead) from Season 1.
• Tabitha was the triary antagonist of Season 2, a supporting antagonist in Season 3, and an anti-hero in Season 4 and season 5.