Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska

In its earliest stages, Gotham was intended to stray from the superhero roots of the Batman comic books, instead opting to be a more grounded crime drama focusing on James Gordon and the origins of Gotham City's inhabitants before the emergence of costumed personas. As such, executive producer Bruno Heller did not want to approach the backstory of Batman's nemesis the Joker until further into the series (at a point when they were more sure of themselves).[1] Believing that the Joker should not precede Batman himself, one of the earlier ideas was to implant minor characters throughout the first season who could go on to become the supervillain.[2] The first occurrence of this was the cameo of a comedian in the pilot episode.[3][4] Later into the season, Heller changed his mind and decided to approach the character more directly because he felt that American audiences would not want to wait.[5]

With potential copyright restrictions in mind, the showrunners figured that there may have been characters that existed before the Joker that would have informed his eventual identity. Heller explained that, through the series' run, "people will see how a kind of cultural mien is created... There's a tradition in forebears and ancestors of those characters that went into creating them." He felt that the Joker would not be someone who invented himself out of nothing, and that his origin should be more interesting than an ordinary man falling into a vat of chemicals (a recurring explanation in the comics). Instead, they decided on unraveling a secret history and philosophical ancestry, which Heller likens to Jesus Christ and Elvis Presley.[6][7] The precursors to the character would become known as "Proto-Jokers".[7][8][9]

The first Proto-Joker, a character named Jerome Valeska, made his debut in the Season 1 episode "The Blind Fortune Teller" played by Cameron Monaghan. He is portrayed as the psychopathic, anarchist son of a circus performer, who murders her out of spite. He initially attempts to cover his tracks, but eventually breaks down in laughter and admits his actions to the Gotham City Police Department. He is consequently sent to Arkham Asylum.[10] While Jerome was only meant to have a one-off appearance, the crew was so pleased with Monaghan's performance that they chose to explore the character further.[11] He returned for a three-episode arc at the beginning of Season 2, which had him leading a team of Arkham escapees under the guidance of the corrupt politician Theo Galavan, who wants to spread fear in his plan to become mayor. During his reign of terror, Jerome murders GCPD captain Sarah Essen and his own father. He is killed off by Galavan in the third episode, during which various characters observe his actions and begin following in his footsteps.[12] They did not wait for a finale to kill Jerome because Heller thought that audiences would respond negatively if they spent the entire season believing he was the Joker.[6] Following Jerome's death, the showrunners revealed that they were considering a female precursor to the Joker for Season 2.[13] Such a character named Jeri (played by Lori Petty) made an appearance in the episode "This Ball of Mud and Meanness",[14] running a nightclub catering to Jerome's sympathizers. This served as her sole appearance in the series.

Jerome's laugh was briefly inserted into the Season 2 finale, as a means to keep the threat of the Joker present and to tease the third season. According to executive producer Ken Woodruff, Season 3 was meant to not only further elaborate on the character's mythology, but also "characters that may or may not be the Joker" or potentially "an amalgamation of what we'll come to know as the Joker." In another three-episode arc, the season details how Jerome's growing band of sympathizers had culminated into a cult bent on resurrecting him (which they accomplish), setting the stage for Season 4.[15] Jerome played a much larger role in the fourth season, described as the main antagonist of the second half by executive producer Bryan Wynbrandt.[16] Monaghan had pitched a storyline at the start of the season, which the showrunners declined but took ideas from.[17] As the arc unfolded, Jerome once again escapes incarceration and gathers a team of supervillains to spread chaos in Gotham City. Jerome is killed a second time, shortly after a second Proto-Joker debuts – his identical twin brother Jeremiah Valeska. He was introduced as a civil engineer who assists Gordon in stopping his brother. However, he becomes a villainous presence after being sprayed with chemicals developed by Jerome, causing him to undergo a Joker-like transformation.[18]

According to Showrunner John Stephens, Jeremiah (like Jerome) was not meant to be the Joker himself. He explained that they felt that they had taken Jerome's character as far as he could go, and they wanted to develop another who would embody a different aspect of Batman's arch-foe. In contrast to his anarchistic brother, Jeremiah was a much quieter version of a lunatic that Stephens compared to Hannibal Lecter.[19] The showrunners took various characteristics of the Joker, and parsed them out, with each individual precursor representing a different element of the Joker.[7] Wynbrandt added that "Joker's so iconic that it feels like we don't want to get to [him] ever", and because Monaghan personified Jerome in a certain way, "what makes him so exciting is that he's not the Joker. He is Jerome."[20] The series was subsequently cancelled, being renewed only for a shortened final season. Jeremiah returned as a recurring character, serving as an adversary to Bruce Wayne. In a confrontation with Wayne, he is knocked into a vat of chemicals, causing him to undergo another substantial transformation that alters his psyche into becoming what Monaghan describes as a "third character".[21][22] However, although Jeremiah's character progresses, he is not recognised as the Joker. Stephens explained that he becomes "amalgam of Jeremiah and Jerome that I think audiences are gonna look at and say, 'If it's not the Joker then it's definitely an antecedent that lives there.'"[23] Although he was conceived to eventually birth a separate character into becoming the Joker,[19] the showrunners kept the series finale intentionally ambiguous as to whether he becomes the Joker later on or serves as yet another predecessor.[24]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "The Blind Fortune Teller" holds an approval rating of 52% based on a total of 25 critical reviews. The critics consensus refers to Jerome's debut as a "disappointing introduction of an iconic Batman villain."[35] IGN reviewer Matt Fowler admired Monaghan's performance, but stated that he would be unsatisfied if Jerome was the Joker because of the lack of a true origin story, "I've always liked the idea that the Joker was a do-right nobody who sadly lost his mind due to the horrors he witnessed and/or endured. Jerome is already out of his mind. The next step on his journey would be him shopping for hair dye."[36] Screen Crush was heavily critical of both the show itself and Jerome's introduction, referring to it as a cheap selling point without any context intended to make the audience forget that Gotham is "absolute garbage television". However, he conceded that the actor gave an effective performance in the role.[37] Kyle Fowle of A.V. Club opined that, although Monaghan gave a great performance, Jerome embodied the show's flaw of ignoring set-ups and established plotlines in favor of introducing new characters and big reveals.[38]

In contrast, Rob Bricken of Gizmodo felt that Monaghan gave a solid Joker impersonation, referring to Jerome as an amalgam of the Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger Jokers. He speculated that the actor was cast for his Joker-like smile.[39] Screen Rant's Anthony Ocasio referred to the Jerome reveal as "the best scene the series may ever see" and stated that the show surprisingly succeeded in referencing the Joker, even though it felt out of sync with the grounded tone of previous episodes.[40] The Rolling Stone's Sean Collins praised Jerome's introduction and felt that the lack of an origin story was fitting because of the Joker's mysterious past in the comics. However, he was apprehensive about Jerome Valeska being a red herring for the Joker, likening it to "genre television's post-Lost fixation on mystery over meaning."[41]

Jerome's inclusion in later seasons was generally more well-received. IGN stated that Jerome was "a bright spot of the series in Season 2".[42] Kyle Fowle, who criticised Season 1 for not establishing a consistent tone or direction, felt that the second season rectified this by putting a bigger emphasis on the villains. He commended the series for bringing back Monaghan, calling his reprisal "delightfully twisted and fun."[43] The Observer found Jerome's appearances in Season 2 to be a major improvement over his debut episode and found him to be a fun character, but also noted a lack of originality in Monaghan's performance compared to the earlier film and television adaptations of the Joker.[44] According to Screen Rant, Monaghan's recycling elements from earlier Joker actors was fun to watch, adding "Gotham may do well to simply establish that Jerome is Joker, since at this point the character is likely among fans' favorite new additions to the show."[45] Vulture was less forgiving of the homages, slamming the character for unoriginality and an over-reliance on fan service.[46]

Monaghan's performance as Jerome has been cited as a fan favorite by entertainment journalists, also receiving praise from Hamill.[47][15][48] ComicBook.com stated that the character was an instant hit with fans.[49] According to Cinema Blend, Jerome's demise in Season 2 was a disappointment for fans and his later announced resurrection was highly anticipated.[50] Critical response was also negative,[51][52] with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus for the episode (based on 18 critical reviews) referring to the death as unearned.[53] Entertainment Weekly called it both a smart and stupid move for the series; stupid because Jerome is "one of its most fascinating villains — no one has played a character quite like Cameron Monaghan captured the essence of Jerome" and smart because it established firmly that Jerome is not the Joker.[54] Fowle was troubled that the show was willing to get rid of what he felt was the show's most compelling character so quickly.[55] However, some critics were more positive, admiring the scene for subverting expectations.[56][57][58]

Comic Book Resources opined that the reveal of Jeremiah Valeska was "both crazy and brilliant", because it made perfect sense for the show's universe and it allowed the actor to stay on the show after Jerome's arc had concluded.[59] Screen Rant ranked Jeremiah as a better villain than Jerome for being more methodical and obsessive, and for his major feats in the series.[60] Den of Geek's Marc Buxton drew parallels between Jeremiah and the Batman: The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns versions of the Joker, and found the character's narcissism compelling. He thought that the first confrontation between Bruce and Jeremiah in "One Bad Day" did a good job of foreshadowing the eventual Batman/Joker relationship.[61] Paste Magazine ranked the character among the best villains of the series.[62] Fowler found the introduction of Jeremiah to be pointless, because he believed that Jerome would have served as a perfect Joker for the series, and because the show wasted the opportunity to introduce a more mysterious or tragic candidate for the Joker.[63]

• List of Gotham characters
• Joker in other media