Gotham had the last laugh on us all last night when Jerome was killed, a move which put an end to the theory that he was the man who would one day become The Joker. Cameron Monaghan spent pretty much every episode he appeared in imitating Heath Ledger's take on the villain from The Dark Knight, so it wasn't exactly hard to imagine him one day cutting those scars into his face or even falling into a vat of chemicals after deciding to become the Red Hood. So, why kill him off in episode three? "It’s a twist that leads to more twists," showrunner Bruno Heller tells Deadline. "The creation of the Joker is a larger and more epic story than people realize, and this show is very much about kind of the deep, secret history. So, as the show rolls on, people will see how a mythology is born, how a kind of cultural mien is created that will lead us to the Joker himself."
What's next for The Joker in Gotham remains to be seen, but Heller confirmed that they have not yet cast anyone in that role. It also doesn't sound like when he is brought into the series that he will share too many similarities to his comic book counterpart in terms of the origin story (at least not at first). "Sometimes backstories are more complicated and interesting than, you know, falling into vat of toxic chemicals or being bitten by a spider. Like they say, nobody creates themselves out of whole cloth, whether it’s Elvis Presley, or you name it — Jesus. There’s a tradition in forebears and ancestors of those characters that went into creating them. So, to me, Jerome is genuinely the mother and father of the Joker. He is the seed of the Joker." In other words, they're taking a much longer approach with delving into the iconic villain's story. "You’ll see how Gotham itself coalesces around the legend of Jerome. I don’t want to give away too much, but the audience will see an organic progression towards the real history of the Joker, rather than a kind of legendary supervillain who creates himself out of nothing." What do you think about these comments?
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