'Gotham' season 3 spoilers: Nygma turns into The Riddler; David Mazouz hints bigger story arc for The Court of Owls

Nygma (Corey Michael Smith) will be at the center of Gotham when Fox's hit crime drama "Gotham" returns for the back half of season 3 this spring.

The show's winter finale left off with the end of the Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) story arc. Nygma also took a major step to his villainous side as The Riddler, leading to speculations that the back half of season 3 will focus on his character. Titled "How the Riddler Got His Name," the upcoming midseason premiere revolves around Nygma's journey to being the Riddler. It is believed that he might also be the next mayor of the city after a preview clip showed him killing Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor).

While fans have yet to see Nygma's new look, Smith said in an interview that a major part of the original Riddler's costume will be absent in the character's small screen version. "I do not have a cane yet, but I want one so badly for a few different reasons," he said. "I won't tell you all of them so I don't spoil anything, but I'm pitching very hard for a cane. Plus, we do have somewhere to go and add some stuff, so maybe in the future, there will be a cane," he went on to say.

Aside from Nygma's rise to power, the latter part of season 3 will explore the Court of Owls as they try to take over Gotham. Since they have their eyes set on Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), the Court of Owls becomes "very present" in the future episodes. Speaking with TV Guide, Mazouz teased that fans should look forward to how the underground group will take action to get what they want. "They do something to him ... that will change him forever, emotionally," Mazouz explained."There are some very, very emotional things that happen to Bruce," the actor added.

The Court already has Bruce's doppelganger, which means they have the power to convince Gotham that Bruce is one of their group. There are speculations that their next move will be another important step in establishing Bruce as the future Batman.

The third season of "Gotham" returns on Monday, April 24, at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.