Why so serious? First look at Gotham’s version of the Joker

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

If you are one of the people who has stopped watching FOX’s GOTHAM, last night’s episode gave a nice origin story for Jonathan Crane (AKA Scarecrow). But, if you stuck around for the preview of next week’s episode, you would have seen that the DC Comics series is about to introduce Batman’s biggest foe and provide an all new origin for The Joker.

While the trailer doesn’t specifically refer to him as The Joker, the creepy grin, maniacal laugh, and teased rundown of all the villains introduced to late is a pretty good indicator along with the promise that this bad guy is “no joke”.

SHAMELESS fans may recognize the actor as Cameron Monaghan who plays Ian Gallagher on the Showtime series. The press release for the episode has him listed as a character named Jerome which does not seem to link to any existing origin stories for The Joker. As an unreliable narrator, DC Comics has had a wide array of backstories for the villain, but I would expect GOTHAM to drag this one out and develop the character over several episodes (and possibly seasons).


Next week’s episode, entitled “The Blind Fortune Teller”, will also showcase the parents of Dick Grayson (AKA Robin). Who knows, maybe Jerome here had something to do with their untimely demise.

GOTHAM airs Mondays on FOX.


Source: YouTube

About the Author

TV Critic / Columnist
6,351 Articles Published Started writing in 2012

Favorite Movies: Being There, The Shining, The Royal Tenenbaums, Suspiria, Seven, North By read more Northwest, Citizen Kane, The Monster Squad, Begotten, Fight Club, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Army of Darkness, Children of Men, Blade Runner, The Big Lebowski, Casino, Pi, Dumb and Dumber, The 400 Blows, Small Change, Bonnie & Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, Moulin Rouge, Gangs of New York, Shallow Grave, The Rock, The Incredibles, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Gate, Prince of Darkness, Oldboy, The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings, The Tree of Life, The Exorcist III, Midnight Special

Likes: To piss you off, unpopular opinions, the novels of Stephen King, read more obscure bands that even hipsters dont know, things that go boom, Reeses Pieces, Cate Blanchett, reading paper books, watching people falling down, a good jump scare, listening to a full album in one sitting, rooting for the underdog, red band trailers, rare steaks, cool beer labels, smooth whisky, properly proportioned image files, top ten lists, VHS tapes, and actually scary movies

The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.

What’s Not Allowed

  • Abusive language, insults, or harassment toward other users or staff.
  • Hate speech of any kind is strictly prohibited.
  • Bickering, bullying, personal attacks, or baiting others to argue
  • Extended off-topic debates, especially those centered on politics or religion rather than the article topic
  • No AI content or SPAM