FOX’s Gotham is apparently set to introduce the real Joker at some point in the near future, according to proto-Batman himself, David Mazouz. The actor touted as much recently, suggesting the series’ long-teased Clown Prince of Crime Jerome is in fact not the real deal, but rather just the guy charged with setting he stage for when the true version finally makes an appearance.

The series has played fast and loose with many of Batman’s rogues so far, bringing on villains like Penguin, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, the Mad Hatter, and Hugo Strange, long before the Dark Knight was even old enough to drive, so it’s no surprise that the powers that be at Gotham would like to bring on one of the most recognizable villains of all time, and certainly the one who is most closely associated with the Caped Crusader. But for whatever reason, the TV series has played coy with its plans to introduce the Joker outright, choosing instead to bring on Jerome and institute a mutable “Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t” policy when it came time to answer the question of the red-haired maniac’s future identity.

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It now seems as though the boy who would be Batman is confident Gotham will introduce the real Joker at some point, and that Jerome’s influences won’t be forgotten. Speaking on the Discussing Film podcast (via Comicbook), Mazouz not only promised the Joker on the show, but apparently knows how the character will be introduced. Mazouz said with regard to Jerome:

"He’s not the Joker, that’s all I’m saying. He’s definitely the inspiration for the Joker and the way that the Joker comes into the show is one of the most brilliant things Gotham has ever done.”

Mazouz sounds fairly confident with regard to the Joker’s arrival on Gotham. And given his assurances that it’s “one of the most brilliant things” to happen on the show, it stands to reason that plans for the character’s appearance are at least in the works. Then again, it’s still probably a good idea to take the news with a grain of salt, as the actor also teased the introduction of Harley Quinn in the season 3 finale, reportedly saying, ““She’s going to be in the finale. Stay tuned.”

That didn’t quite turn out, as series producer John Stephens later stated the character would never be on the show. Whether or not that proves true for the Joker is another matter. And with the series on hiatus until spring, there’ll be plenty of time for the news to generate some heat, or to be debunked by Stephens or someone else.

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Gotham is expected back with new episodes this spring on FOX.

Source: Discussing Film