Gotham star David Mazouz once again discusses Jerome/The Joker, saying that Jerome will be instrumental to the actual Joker's creation. Over the course of its nearly four seasons, Gotham has played host to many memorable villains, many of whom serve as early versions of iconic members of Batman's rogues' gallery. So far, The Penguin, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, The Scarecrow, and more have all gotten their own Gotham spin, even if said spin is sometimes wildly different from the conventional interpretation of the character.

Of course, far and away the most well-known among Batman's many villains is The Joker. During season 1, Gotham introduced Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan), a very Joker-like character who fans naturally assumed would go on to evolve into the full-fledged Clown Prince of Crime. Gotham's writers and producers have repeatedly said that Jerome isn't The Joker, but that still hasn't stopped fan speculation that those denials are nothing more than a smokescreen meant to leave fans surprised when Jerome finally completes his transformation.

Related: DC Could Have THREE Live-Action Jokers In 2019

During a recent chat with Comic Book, Gotham star David Mazouz once again reaffirmed that Jerome is definitely not The Joker, but for the first time, he specifically acknowledged that Jerome will have a close connection the actual Joker, and prove instrumental in his creation. In fact, Mazouz predicts that Gotham fans will be shocked by the ties between Jerome and The Joker.

"It really is one of the biggest shocks. I think it's safe to say that this kind of transition is not only the smartest thing, but the biggest kind of surprise that Gotham has thrown at its audience. Gotham loves to kind of have a shocker moment. I mean, I'm sure we'd love to have crazy cliff hangers, but this is one that is not even on the same level as anything we've done before. I mean, the second I read that in the script, I was like, 'Oh my God. Yes. That is perfect.'"

While Mazouz didn't let slip as to when exactly the true Joker will appear on Gotham, the fact that he's already read the script for Joker's debut suggests that the cackling clown's arrival will occur at some point during season 4. It's doubtful any progress will be made in this story on tomorrow night's mid-season premiere, as Cameron Monaghan has already confirmed that Jerome won't be a part of that episode. Still, with only 10 episodes left in season 4 after that, it should logically be pretty soon that Joker makes his presence felt.

Worth noting though is that Mazouz's public statements don't always end up matching what Gotham ultimately does. The actor memorably insisted that Harley Quinn would become part of Gotham before the end of season 3, which obviously never happened. While it wouldn't make any sense for Mazouz to blatantly lie to Gotham's fans, there is certainly a chance he might be mistaken once again.

More: Gotham: 15 Dark Behind-The-Scenes Secrets

Gotham season 4 returns March 1 on FOX.

Source: Comic Book