Before Gotham's final bow, fans might just be treated to a proper version of the Joker on the FOX TV series. Across three seasons, Gotham has pulled in almost every major rogue of the Dark Knight from the page, along with a handful of supporting characters. Next season, we'll likely get even more debuts. That said, though we've seen a number of villains from the comics on the show so far, one has remained frustratingly elusive: and it's the biggest one of all.

It's been said by the producers of the show that every episode so far has a Joker Easter egg; from ethereal laughs to graffiti to nods to his Red Hood persona, the idea of the Clown Prince of Crime has been dancing around the edges of the show since its inception. Then there's Jerome. So far, he's the closest the show has come to giving us the Joker - he shares many of his traits and tendencies and Cameron Monaghan's performance has won over a lot of fans. Even still, the show seems reluctant to commit to the idea that Jerome is the one true Mr. J.

Gotham star David Mazouz spoke with Comic Book recently about the evolution of the show's heroes and villains, and he revealed a full-blown Joker should be on the horizon.

"I feel like we have to by the end of the show. I hope that when the ending of the show is near our writers will know that, and will be able to put final characters, and not just the Joker, but of everybody."

Joker on 'Gotham'

It's not clear if this means Jerome will become the Joker or someone else will step up. While many argue the villain is watered down by having so many preexisting copycats, it could make the eventual reveal of the character all the sweeter. Hopefully, that day won't be too far away. Mazouz went on to say more about where he feels the show is going:

"I feel like we're, the show is leading up to a certain point. It's leading up to the penguin. It's leading up to the Riddler. It's leading up to Batman. It's leading up to Commissioner Gordon, and I feel like, I really hope that we'll be able to see our versions of those characters be full blown, those characters before the show ends, and I feel like the Joker is one of those characters that really, really is crucial to the Batman lore. I think I'd be comfortable saying that he is the most important character after Batman in the Batman lore."

The finale of last season finally brought Bruce closer to becoming Batman, and we know next year will spend plenty of time focusing on Penguin. Within all that, it has been unclear when and if we'll ever get a proper Joker; even a more prominent role for Jerome seems unlikely.

Over the next few months, we should learn a good deal more about the shape Season 4 will take, especially with SDCC on the horizon. The bigger question, however, is how much longer Gotham has on the air. Hopefully, the creators will get enough warning of any impending cancellation that they can finally reveal Batman, Joker, and all the other major characters that have been teased over the years.

Gotham Season 4 premieres Thursday, September 28 on FOX.

Next: Bruce Wayne Needs to Become Batman to Save Gotham

Source: ComicBook