Gotham’s recent episode “The Blind Fortune Teller” featured a young man named Jerome, played by Shameless actor Cameron Monaghan, who was revealed at the end of the story to have murdered his own mother, a circus snake charmer. That’s creepy enough on its own, but things kicked up several notches when the teen started laughing manically and let his sadistic personality surface, implying to fans that this is who will one day become Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker. The question now is whether this insane youth will be popping up again or if this was a one-time appearance. According to the actor, the former is certainly a possibility.
Monaghan was asked by Comic Book Resources whether the writers have any plans for Jerome to come back, and he mentioned that there have been discussions.
When I was on set, we discussed the possibly of me coming back in the second or third season. Nothing is set in stone yet. I think the producers have a firm plan for what they want to do, but I was not privy to it while I was filming. I would love to come back and do some more.
Despite the uncertainty of whether he’ll return, Monaghan said he is interested in exploring more of Jerome’s psychology and whether Gotham’s Joker will have his skin bleached white like in the comics, or will put on white makeup like Heath Ledger’s Joker. Jerome is currently in juvenile detention, so if he were to show up on Gotham again, perhaps it would be either from a jail break or someone from the GCPD visiting him in prison.
Unlike the other villains introduced on Gotham so far, the show is being cagey about which individual may one day become The Joker. Jerome is certainly the prime candidate at the moment, with his horrific laugh and dark humor, but there’s still a chance we could see other contenders in future installments. For instance, the episode “Red Hood” featured the Red Hood Gang, which in the comics was strongly implied to have been led for an indeterminate period of time by the man who would eventually become Joker. At the end of that episode, a child picks up the titular hood worn by the gang member that was shot by the cops and puts it on, so there's always the chance that kid will be the future Clown Prince of Crime.
If you missed Monaghan’s chilling performance, give the clip below a watch.
Gotham will return with new episodes on April 13 at 8/7c on Fox. Keep an ear out for hysterical laughter.
