When Jerome returns to Gotham he'll be teaming up with Scarecrow and Mad Hatter—and may even become the Joker. The midseason premiere of Gotham last night caught up with the chaos from before the hiatus, but fans still felt a Jerome-sized hole. Luckily, he'll be back in next week's episode beginning an arc that could just bring a true version of Joker to the show.

We've heard the Jerome and Joker connection on Gotham will be something both surprising and satisfying, but there's no telling yet what it will entail. Cameron Monaghan has been winning praise for years based on his very Joker-like Jerome, and the idea of someone usurping his nihilistic place in the series isn't one fans will so easily take to. The latest news, however, teases some exciting things to come for Jerome—and may just hint at how the Joker will be involved.

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

EW spoke with Gotham star Ben McKenzie about the evolution of Jim Gordon and how the show has changed over the years. As he admits, it's embraced a certain larger-than-life quality and sense of dark humor that's helped the series find a solid rhythm. Jerome, naturally, has been a big part of that, and according to McKenzie, Monaghan may have an even bigger role soon.

“Jerome is one of our most beloved characters. The idea here was to really give the audience more time to enjoy and savor [Cameron Monaghan’s] performance. Or performances?"

Gotham has spent years teasing the concept of the Joker and how it's affected all sorts of characters. In their telling, the Clown Prince of Crime is almost an memetic virus passed through the culture of Gotham. Because of that, there's really no telling what shape the 'real' Joker will take. But McKenzie's claim that Monaghan will play multiple roles seems to indicate the show may not be replacing him after all.

We'll have to wait a bit longer to get an answer to this new mystery, but it seems for the time Jerome and Monaghan will be a key part of the series. The trailer for the second half of Gotham season 4 shows Jerome and Penguin will be joining forces. But it looks as if the rogue will be gathering a few more like-minded individuals around himself.

“He teams up with Scarecrow and Mad Hatter. You get a lot of villainous bang for your buck here at the end of season 4.”

Gotham has never been shy about introducing some pretty big names from DC Comics onto the show. Riddler, Penguin, and Poison Ivy are already recurring characters. And an all-new Scarecrow will be joining the series soon. With the likes of Jerome, Scarecrow, and Hatter all together, however, the city of Gotham may have trouble keeping its wits.

MORE: Gotham: Mark Hamill Praises Cameron Monaghan’s Joker

Gotham airs Thursdays on FOX.

Source: EW