Cameron Monaghan’s Joker in Gotham could be the best yet (Picture: Fox)

With Gotham hurtling towards its end, the Fox series is already making preparations for its final episode, in which viewers will be transported to a future where Batman is cleaning up the city. Of course, the arrival of the Caped Crusader will bring with it a bunch of bad guys — one of which will be The Joker.

Given that Gotham has dealt with the origins of several of Batman’s biggest foes, fans had been holding out hope for a glimpse at a young Mr. J. When Jerome Valeska first showed up during in season one, however, it became clear that the Fox series had something other than your average origin story in mind for the character.



Cameron Monaghan has done a bang-up job of portraying early prototype versions of The Joker — so much so that people have long been calling for him to play the iconic villain. In the final episode, our wish will come true when he takes on Gotham’s own unique version of The Joker — whom we believe will simply be known as J.

The Joker is quite easily the biggest Batman antagonist there is and, as a result, he’s featured in a quite a few films and TV series’ over the years. Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger are just a few who have taken on the role while Joaquin Phoenix is next to bring the clown to the big screen. With the highly-anticipated Gotham finale looming, it’s hard not to speculate about how Cameron’s version will compare with what’s come before.


You might think that having The Clown Prince Of Crime show up in the final episode is a bit of a cop out — and therefore he couldn’t compete with Ledger or Nicholson’s versions — but make no mistake, this is not a rush job, but rather something that’s been brewing for quite some time.

Mr. J’s origin has always been something of a mystery in the comics — and often open to interpretation — and this ambiguity has allowed for Gotham’s writers to experiment a bit, thus creating something unique and entirely original. A brave move considering the love for this character. It might not be comic canon, but surely a fresh perspective on the classic material is a good thing?

We’ve waited five seasons to see the Joker in his final form (Picture: Fox)

Using characters created specifically for this series, the Batman prequel has forged its own origin story for the beloved criminal, which has made the show incredibly unpredictable and — as a result — far more entertaining. All of the effort that’s gone into both Jerome and Jeremiah has not gone wasted, but rather paved the way for this final iteration of the laughing maniac. The longform storytelling has been truly outstanding. The writers have created something very special with this unique take on The Joker’s backstory.

And this originality doesn’t just extend to the character’s origin, as J will have his own unique look too. The new images of Cameron in character suggest that, aside from the iconic purple suit, J will share little similarities with the quintessential Joker look. Another bold move, for sure. Instead, Gotham has opted to go down a much darker — and somewhat more believable — avenue.



Due to the strength of the chemicals which nearly killed him, Jeremiah has suffered severe facial scarring, as well as brain damage — all of which has left him even more unhinged than he was before. His long, stringy green hair is a far cry from the shorter quiff we were excepting, and it makes him much scarier. I mean, if you thought Ledger’s Joker look was nightmare-inducing, wait to you get a load of this guy!

In addition to the originality in both the character’s backstory and appearance, Gotham is gifted in that they have an actor of Cameron’s calibre taking on the role. It’s undoubtedly a tall task, but if Cameron has proven anything over the past couple of seasons, it’s that he’s more than capable of handling it.

Jerome shared many characteristics with Heath Ledger’s iconic version, while Jeremiah was more calm and collected, much like Jack Nicholson’s mob boss iteration, which allowed for the young actor to show off his full range. In short, he’s very good at playing crazy. If his performance as J is anywhere near as good as what he accomplished with Jerome and Jeremiah, then we’ve got a game-changer on our hands.

After years of anticipation, Gotham could’ve played it safe and thrown in an appearance from a more traditional Joker, but much like the series has done throughout its entire run, it opted to be bold once more — and this bravery deserves to be applauded.


For too long, Hollywood has attempted to recapture the magic of what’s come before, by recreating the same stories over and over. Stepping outside the box and coming up with something new and exciting is what’s necessary to make a character truly unforgettable, and that’s what Gotham has done with The Joker. J might not be what you were expecting, but Heath Ledger’s version wasn’t your average Joker either, and look how well that turned out.

Gotham airs on Thursdays on Fox in the US, and on E4 in the UK at a later date.

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