Jerome May Be 'Gotham's Next Resurrection

Jerome's death in the middle of Gotham Season 2 made a lot of sense dramatically, proving that Theo Galavan was the real villain of the season, but was also disappointing to fans of the character. And since Fish Mooney, another favorite who was killed off too soon, is making a comeback, I'm wondering if Dr. Hugo Strange could bring back Jerome. While the show could easily justify for keeping Jerome dead — after all, he was shown in the morgue, after Galavan attacked him onstage to present himself as a citywide hero — there's always a chance that they have greater plans for him.

After his debut towards the end of Season 1, it seemed like Jerome could possibly be the future Joker after spending the next 15 years of his life in Arkham Asylum for killing his mother. Then he was broken out by Galavan, and his transformation into the Joker seemed to be accelerating until he was unceremoniously killed. Once he died, he seemed to become a cult-like figure that underground clubs are worshipping, meaning that Gotham's Joker could just be a Jerome copycat. Gotham has already rewritten Jerome's purpose in the story so many times, adding another fakeout where it's believed that he's dead but he really comes back to life wouldn't actually be all that surprising.

The last time Jerome was seen on screen, he was on a slab at the morgue, being slid into a drawer. Presumably, his body was disposed of normally, but if you let a corpse out of your sight on Gotham, it's more likely that Dr. Hugo Strange will be experimenting on it. While it's not quite hard evidence that Jerome will return, it has been a familiar pattern all season long.

And while there's been no confirmation from FOX or anyone behind the scenes at Gotham that Jerome will be back, there may be either a clue hidden in the trailer for "A Legion of Horribles," the May 16 episode featuring the return of Fish Mooney.

There's a shot of Hugo Strange in his laboratory where there's another body floating behind him, in the same glass cases where he kept both Galavan and Mooney's bodies before their resurrection. And while there's not a close enough look to see who it is for sure, it sure looks a lot like Jerome. If Jerome was brought back, it might be interesting to see the reaction from his devoted fans — could Season 3 be the return of Jerome and rise of the Joker cult? It's just crazy enough that Gotham might try to pull it off.

Images: Nicole Rivelli/FOX; FOX