Gotham’s shortened final season will make wrapping up all of the current storylines difficult for the writers, but here’s why Jeremiah Valeska should resurface as the show’s final antagonist.

Gotham has always been a pretty great show. However, the producers upped the ante in the fourth season, which proved to be the Fox series’ best yet.

From Jerome Valeska’s return, to the revelation that his twin brother Jeremiah was destined to become The Joker — not to mention the return of other characters like Scarecrow and The Mad Hatter — Season 4 was everything we could’ve hoped for. But Fox caused a bit of a stir back in May when it was revealed that Season 5 would be the last for Gotham.

Now that the dust has settled and we’ve had time to process the news, we can start thinking about all the possible storylines the final season could include. Remember, Gotham was meant to show Bruce Wayne’s transition from young boy to superhero, and while it has deviated a bit from this over the years, this idea is still at its core. If it remains true to its premise, then much of last few episodes should focus on Bruce finally becoming Batman. However, with a shortened episode count, the show is going to struggle to wrap up all of its arcs.

The Season 4 finale toyed with the No Man’s Land storyline. Additionally, the show’s executive producer John Stephens recently announced that the Zero Year story will also be explored. With all of this still to cover, Gotham’s conclusion might be a little more condensed than we’d hoped.

But how does a show of this magnitude get a proper send off? Well, the answer is easy. Pick one villain and make them the central focus — make them the reason Bruce decides to don the cowl. But who could this be, I hear you ask. Well, there is one antagonist who should take centre stage in Gotham’s final season: Jeremiah Valeska.

Jeremiah Is The Ultimate Batman Villain

Jeremiah’s reign of terror was briefly halted in the Season 4 finale, but the unhinged character is still on the loose in the deserted city. We’re all aware by now that he shares many similarities with Batman villain The Joker. Yes, the show may not be allowed to use the signature Joker name, but this is is of no importance, because at the end of the day, we know that Jeremiah is this universe’s iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Gotham will require an explosive storyline to go out on, and who better to be at the center of such a storyline than the laughing maniac himself? Not only would this give Bruce a goal (and a target), it would also be a great way to involve the show’s other villains because they all detest Jeremiah too. Let’s not forget that the red-headed devil attacked The Penguin, The Riddler and Barbara in the latest episode, so this would give the three series regulars the motive to try and track down Jeremiah, thus creating conflict for everyone.

What’s more, whether he’s playing Jeremiah or Jerome, actor Cameron Monaghan has proven to be the best thing about the Fox series, so with the final season approaching, surely now would be the perfect time to give him a regular role?

Two Sides Of The Same Coin

With so few episodes left to go before the series wraps up, the final season of Gotham will primarily focus on Bruce’s transformation into The Batman. With that in mind, why not spend the remainder of the season building up the Caped Crusader’s ultimate antagonist? Jeremiah is fresh into his criminal career, and after his failure to blow up the city, he will likely be biding his time in the hopes of coming up with a deadly and dastardly follow-up plan.

It’s often teased that Batman and The Joker are two sides of the same coin, and having Jeremiah’s transformation into The Joker play out alongside Bruce’s transition into the Caped Crusader would be a great way to showcase their similarities in the Fox series. Moreover, it’s a pretty great storytelling technique also, as the birth of the world’s greatest villain would almost juxtapose the birth of the World’s Greatest Detective.

Jeremiah Valeska is on course to become the greatest comic book villain of all time, and that in itself is reason enough for him to take center stage in Gotham’s final season. Moreover, it would be the perfect storyline to finish out the show on, because Cameron Monaghan has been Gotham’s greatest attribute over the years, and we’d love to see him more regularly in the show’s farewell arc.

Would you like to see Jeremiah Valeska take centre stage in Gotham’s final season? Or would you prefer another antagonist? Tell us in the comment section below.