When Gotham first hit screens back in 2013, it was strictly a Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon story. Sure, there would be villains such as Penguin and the Riddler - as well as sidekicks such as Alfred Pennyworth and a young Selina Kyle - but Batman and the Joker were strictly off the table. However, as the series progressed, Warner Brothers calmed on the idea and, by the time it wrapped up earlier this year, the caped crusader himself had made it into the show.
In some ways, so too had the Joker - not that you could call him that. While the rules had been relaxed, the name itself remained off limits, meaning fans had to settle for two maniacal interpretations of the character in the form of Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska. We now take a look at the pair’s attempt to live up to the Joker name - and why Cameron Monaghan deserves to be recognized as the Prince of Crime.
Jerome: The Laugh
When we first meet Jerome Valeska in season one, he seems like a vulnerable boy reeling from the death of his mother. Jim Gordon and Leslie Thompkins both investigate the case and ultimately come to the conclusion that the child was to blame. They believe it was because he had perhaps uncovered the secret about his father - that it was an old family friend, who was often unkind to him, named Mr. Cicero.
Jerome sits talking to both Jim and Lee in the GCPD prescient, shedding tears aplenty. However, in the creepiest way, his look of remorse turns to one of pure evil with his trembling lips forming a villainous grin. He then cackles maniacally and from then on, Gotham had its Joker. Fans loved the character from the start and, consequently, wanted more.
Jeremiah: The Maze
While the Joker is recognized for his charisma, his villainous state of mind and his unflinching determination to always do the worst possible thing, he also has another trait: intelligence. He is Batman’s equal in nearly every way and, behind the smile and white face, is a brain that is capable of matching Bruce Wayne every single step of the way.
Jeremiah Valeska is introduced as a normal teenager - certainly nothing like his brother. However, he is far smarter and, in that regards, much more like Mr. J. Jeremiah is able to trap his brother with the help of his Ecco, taking him to his mazed base where only he knows every nook and cranny of the place. Jeremiah’s fondness of pre-planning means Bruce takes a quick interest in him.
Jerome: Russian Roulette
Jerome reappears in the second season when Theo Galavan breaks Barbara Kean and various other criminals out of Arkham. Among them is Robert Greenwood, a cannibal, who fancied himself as leader of the pack; at least, until Jerome throws his name into the ring in quite a charismatic and Jokeresque fashion.
Irked by Greenwood’s claims that he should be in control of their villainous operation, Jerome challenges him to a game of Russian roulette involving a gun. While his opponent begins to show signs of fear, the youngster refuses to buckle and takes control of the situation, having multiple goes with the gun before handing it back coolly. From that moment on, nobody questions the former Arkham inmate and he becomes the face of their ‘Maniax’ movement.
Jeremiah: Bombing Gotham
So, Jeremiah’s idea of rebuilding Gotham is…to blow the old one down. The Joker has always insisted that his intentions are merely to create a city in his own image and the Valeska brother is no different. He leaves Harvey Bullock reeling when he detonates a device inside the city’s clocktower right in front of his eyes and, in the final episode of season four, succeeds in cutting everybody else from the mainland.
Destroying Gotham’s bridges is equivalent to destroying lives and Jeremiah’s callous nature sees him devastate the city. People are killed along the way but he shows not even a single ounce of remorse. Unlike his brother, he often keeps a straight face rather than smiling all the time. However, a huge grin stretches across his face when he looks at Bruce and realizes his plan succeeded. It’s chilling and like something straight out of a DC comic book.
Jerome: Attack On The GCPD
While Jerome had shown signs of possibly being the Joker, it grows more and more suggestive when he leads the brutal attack on the GCPD. He cackles as he and the rest of the Maniax take over the building, slaughtering cops before broadcasting himself mocking a hostage, Captain Sarah Essen. With no Jim Gordon around - Barbara Kean had seen to that - everybody inside stands no chance.
Jerome broadcasts himself smiling constantly, looking increasingly like Mr. J. He then shows the same ice-cold approach to murder as the Prince of Crime and shoots Essen dead, while also bumping off the aforementioned Robert Greenwood. After that, he becomes public enemy number one.
Jeremiah Poisons The Water Supply
If bombing the city seems too tame, Jeremiah Valeska takes it up a notch in the final series of Gotham. Having stuck to the shadows, he then puts his plan to befriend Bruce Wayne into practice. He tries driving the youngster insane, paying a plastic surgeon to perfectly create a new Thomas and Martha Wayne. He takes his frenemy down memory lane, posing as Zorro - the lead of the film the Wayne’s saw before their murder. As the icing on this twisted cake, he nearly kills Jim and Lee.
After that fails, Jeremiah is able to poison the water supply - despite Jim trying to intervene. That ensures the city stays cut off from the rest of society and allows Gotham’s undesirables to continue to live a life of freedom and trouble. Valeska would have seen it but isn’t able to - because he falls into a vat of acid at Ace Chemicals, which is a true sign he is the Joker. His monstrous crime is another, too.
Jerome: Resurrection And Circus Leader
Having been betrayed by Theo Galavan, Jerome finds himself dead in a morgue by the time series three comes along. However, having established himself a hero among the undesirables of Gotham City, they manage to resurrect him - having previously decided to slice his face off. Peeved by this, the teenager murders Dwight, the man responsible for his return, and stitches his face back on in a clear nod to the Joker in the New 52 comic series.
Valeska then encourages the city to go crazy and hosts a funfair of horrors on the outskirts of the city. He interrogates Bruce Wayne, smiling sadistically throughout the majority of their time together, and rallies his followers into evil activities. Even when it looks as if Bruce may cross the line and kill him, Jerome laps it up by smiling through a mushy, mangled face. As Joker as can be.
Jeremiah: Seeing Bruce At Jerome’s Grave
You have to feel for Bruce Wayne. As if having to deal with one Valeska brother wasn’t bad enough, he then has to put up with Jeremiah’s sudden transformation. After being gassed by Jerome from beyond the grave, the second sibling undergoes a dramatic physical and mental transformation. Gone is the nerdy, scared Jeremiah. After the gassing, he turns into something else entirely, a stone-cold psychopath ready to rain havoc on Gotham while surpassing his brother in the process.
His reveal to Bruce at his dead brother’s grave is quite something, too. Having pretended to still be the same, he then proceeds to wipe his face to reveal ghostly white skin. He murders a member of Jerome’s clan and speaks in a calm, measured way despite being insane. Measuring every word carefully, it is all very Jokerish, sending a message to Bruce that he wants to rebuild the city. But with a catch…
Jerome: A Funny Death
Jerome has several other highlights before his death in series four. Audiences see him successfully build an alliance with the Penguin, before breaking out of Arkham and forging a partnership with villains such as Firefly, the Mad Hatter, and Scarecrow. We also see him attempt to gas the residents of Gotham via an enormous blimp, before ultimately falling to his death having seen his plans go awry.
That being said, Jerome dies a very Joker death. Jim Gordon offers to help the teenager but ‘playing by the rules’ is something he simply doesn’t do. He is amused by the very idea and snubs Gordon’s offer by falling to his death, laughing until his body comes crashing down on a parked car below. He also leaves one final surprise behind in the form of a gas, that allows brother Jeremiah to embrace the darkness within. Think the Joker would die without a backup plan? Certainly not.
Jeremiah Kills Ecco
Oh, boy. Who could have thought Gotham had its Joker…and it’s Harley Quinn? Ecco serves faithfully by Jeremiah’s side in season four, helping him in his attempts to bomb the city and turn Bruce Wayne insane. She then helps him poison the water supply and even nurses him back to health after he is stabbed by Selina Kyle. Ecco also waits 10 years for Jeremiah in Arkham, before breaking him out.
What is her reward for all this? A gunshot. In the final episode of Gotham, Jeremiah - dressed in full Joker garb, complete with a ghostly white face and crimson red lips - decides to kill his assistant. He doesn’t hesitate for an instant and says “well there’s plenty of fish in the sea.” Who else would do something so evil? Who, in the comics, didn’t fancy having the same person by his side at all times? Who would do all that with a smile on their face? None other than the Clown Prince of Crime himself.
