The 5 most likely suspects in my eyes are
-King Snake
-Bullet points
•British native who first distinguished himself in the Royal Artillery (a corps of the British Army)
•while in Santa Prisca working with local rebels, came under gunfire. He fled the country, leaving for dead a female rebel with whom he had slept. She bore him a child in the villain Bane.
•moved to Hong Kong to start a double life. Known as a businessman worth millions, in secret, a giant in the heroin trade.
•moved to Gotham, where he wrested control of the Chinatown district away from the Triad gangs
<why not connect him to the ex-spy who currently resides a the Butler to the most powerful prepubescent in Gotham? Make them old rivals. What if his drug connections led him to needing the Waynes dead and out of the way? What if Alfred was assigned to protect the Waynes>
% odds that he is behind their death... 8-1 odds ... Let's face it as much as I love the idea, it's probably a no-go.
-Lew Moxen
-Bullet points
•Thomas Wayne is taken from a party at gunpoint to meet racketeer and bank robber, Lew Moxen, who orders Thomas Wayne to remove a bullet from his shoulder. Thomas Wayne carries out the operation before overpowering Moxen and his men.
•arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery.
•ordered Joe Chill to kill the Waynes but keep young Bruce alive, thus providing a convincing alibi for Moxen.
% odds that he is behind their death... 7-1 odds ... With no mention of Moxen yet, and the allusion that Falcone is the most powerful gangster in Gotham, Moxen seems to, once again, be an after thought.
-Rupert Thorne
-Bullet points
•played up as a crooked politician or an underworld kingpin, Thorne is deeper down this list based on relevance due to the animated series
•maybe Carmine Falcone was so involved in protecting the killer because he answers to a higher level of power than we know
% odds that he is behind their death... 7-1 odds ... As unlikely as Moxen.
-Carmine Falcone
-Bullet points
•Mafia Don who has Gotham City in his pocket.
•claims to want a stable, if compliant, Gotham City
•claims not to know who really killed the Waynes.
•his power may be lessening as if there are greater strengths enveloping the city.
% odds that he is behind their death... 4-1 odds ... Likely that he is behind there deaths. However, in order to emphasize his decreasing stranglehold on the city, his "love" for order and organization (alluding his need to keep peacekeepers like the Waynes alive) and to create a compelling story full of twists and turns. It's more likely he doesn't know who the killers are. Or, maybe he's protecting the killers to keep a foot in the door when the poo hits the fan.
-Court of Owls
-Bullet points
•ancient conspiracy that has controlled Gotham City for centuries.
•violent cabal of some of Gotham City's oldest and wealthiest families who use murder and money to wield political influence throughout history.
% odds that he is behind their death... 2-1 odds ... Money's on the Court.
Although, I'm not a huge fan of over saturated Easter eggs in this show (and I do believe that it only happened as a result of it being the premiere episode), I do want to see a few more appearances over the entire series.
-Leslie Thompkins
I know they're bringing in Hugo Strange so I'm hoping we get a permanent cast member in the good doctor. I'm sure Alfred wants this as much as I do.
-Here's 2 families that should be introduced within the next few episodes, at least.
-The Elliots are socialite friends of the Waynes who aren't as nice as Thomas and Martha. Thomas provides Bruce with a friend and we can watch his darkness grow as we witness his abusive father in action. It also gives us a chance to see Bruce act maturely to Elliot's actions and reactions. A run in with Bullock (paid cash to ignore the situation) and Gordon is also useful.
-The Rileys, ie Peyton Riley (the 2nd Ventriloquist), can be brought in as the third friend to Wayne and Elliot balancing out the trio as childhood friends. This can tie the Elliot's and Wayne to the mob in ways that make us reconsider how "good" the Waynes truly are. Sean Riley is an Irish mob boss. I used her after realizing she and Tommy were a couple at one point.
-Maybe one more egg in the 1st season and the rest would be spread throughout.
-Gordon, Bullock, Montoya and Allen would have their hands full finding these murderers
-Julian Day
later dubbed the Calendar Man, for now he is a criminal who commits murders on holidays
-Jane Doe
a criminal who's so insane she kills her victims, where's their skin (or nibbles on them for a quick meal) and then believes herself to be them
-Jervis Tetch
later dubbed the Mad Hatter, this slime bag starts out as a serial child rapist/ murderer
-Hey, cool, that guy's going to later become a super-villain but right now he's just there
-Arnold Wesker
later the Ventriloquist, Wesker is the accountant for Sean Riley, making sure his books stay well under the radar. Would be nice to see him practicing his voice-throwing techniques with his 20's-era dummy at his desk
-Victor Fries
working in the cryogenic lab at GothCorp, Fries is roughed up by Falcone's enforcers in search of items that may indicate the true identity of the Waynes' killer, or the reasons why. Don't forget to mention that his wife is cryogenically frozen, but don't let this be the creation of Mr Freeze. That can wait 15-20 years.
-Arnold Etchinson
as an adult, Etchison believed that he absorbed something of their his family's life force when he killed them, thus he became Abattoir, and set out to kill every one if his relatives. I'd love for them to focus on his childhood in one very creepy episode. When a family member is killed, have the Major Crimes Unit do a little digging. He will seem eerie and suspicious but will get away with it when another family comes up missing. The very last scene will show him go into a storm cellar or bomb shelter to the missing family member who'll be tied up in a torture scenario.
-Gordon may be the only good cop in Gotham but that doesn't mean there's not still good people in the city
-John Zatara
being a descendant of the Homo magi won't be alluded to whatsoever. Using Zatara in any capacity is a smart call. If you know Batman and his origins than you'll agree this can work. Whether or not you agree with his presence is a different story, however.
-
Vic Sage
based in Hub City, Question, made his mark as a highly outspoken and aggressive investigative journalist, going undercover, wearing a stocking over his face, to find the dark, seedy answers he desires. The ruthless reporter is in Gotham looking for the scoop on the Waynes killer. I'd be happy to see Montoya discover his questionable methods and surprisingly turn a blind eye after he preaches his philosophy.
-Sam "Slam" Bradley
the character that inspired the creation of Superman, is quite similar to a gruffer Dick Tracey and has been implanted into the Gotham lore should be brought in as an ex-Gotham cop who moved away. I'd love for him to act as Bullock's mentor and a great story would see him unravel Bullock's crooked ways only to see him killed by Falcone, Mooney or whomever with Bullock regrettably witnessing it, not stopping it based on fear and necessity, but battling with that guilt for years to come.
-Jason Blood
give him a Halloween-themed episode. Make no mention of immortality or Etrigan but make him a demonologist who they seek for advise. In this episode, explore the gothic, cursed background of Gotham in an origin story of the city. It's one spooky place. It could, if they wanted it to, spin off into a supernatural Gotham series, starring Hitman; or it couldn't.
-Alan Scott
the man who protected Gotham long before Batman was the Green Lantern/Sentinel. For now, I want to see a construction worker save Gordon's life or stop a crook; just be bold; be brave.
-Gray Ghost
call it a guilty pleasure. I'd love for him be Bruce's tv hero in the background. I'd like West to voice the tv narration and I'd geek out of Keaton was the actor in Gotham but I'm realistic enough to know that's not likely. Still, I want Gray Ghost!
-Jarvis Pennyworth
what if Jarvis asked his son, an ex-spy with whom he has very little contact, to take care of and protect the Waynes because a large conspiracy loons over them. Then he dies. Or, Jarvis was tasked to find them a guardian and he does in his ex-spy son before he moves on to other things. Who hired Jarvis? Where is he now? These questions and more will be answered in next weeks episode "Jarvis". It would create depth for Alfred and a greater sense of the conspiracy to kill Gotham's most powerful couple.