SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Gotham episode “A Dark Knight: That’s Entertainment.” Proceed with caution.
Twins. Why did it have to be twins? After years of build up, Gotham finally revealed the name and face of its Joker. It was not, as many had assumed, Jerome Valeska. Instead, it was HIS TWIN BROTHER, Jeremiah.
This is Gotham City after all, and nothing ever goes the way you think — not with heroes, not with villains, and certainly not with an “agent of chaos” like the Joker.
Let’s jump into how Jeremiah became (or is becoming) Gotham‘s fully-fledged crown prince of crime.
Jerome Had the Last Laugh
Gotham introduced Jerome’s long lost brother in the previous episode, “A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting.” Jeremiah left his family when they were very young after Jerome tried to harm him. He had been living as Xander Wilde since. Gordon and Bullock found Jeremiah and warned him that his brother Jerome was coming to hurt him.
During the episode, “A Dark Knight: That’s Entertainment,” Jerome put his laughing gas plan into motion. Gordon chased him to the roof and shot him twice, where he died. Jeremiah, who had been kidnapped by his brother earlier that day, returned home to find a present from Jerome.
The present was a box filled with laughing gas and a toxic chemical. Jerome’s last laugh was to turn his innocent brother into a maniacal version of himself. And thus the new Joker was born.
A Tale of Two Jokers
This was definitely not the route fans expected Gotham to go in creating the Joker. Jerome had been building up to the Joker for what seemed like years. To pull this switcheroo and kill Jerome felt a bit like a blindside, but also, strangely fitting for Gotham — especially considering the Joker’s origin story in the comics.
In the comics, the Joker was a failed comedian. He began committing crimes under the name “Red Hood” to benefit his pregnant wife. During an encounter with Batman, he fell into a vat of chemicals and became disfigured. On Gotham, Jeremiah has spent some time in the circus. Now a chemical is disfiguring his face and mind. You can see the similarities.
The other reason twins make sense is that in magic, magicians often performed tricks with their identical twins. It’s how many magicians were able to perform their acts and appear in two different places at the same time. The Joker clearly has magical origins, so twins fits well. Plus, we get Cameron Monaghan on the show for the forseable future.
Also, here’s some food for thought: While not a Batman movie, The Prestige interestingly dealt with this topic. The Prestige featured DC’s former Dark Knight, actor Christian Bale, as a magician/illusionist. The twist to his powers? Spoiler alert: twins!
What did you think of Jerome’s death and his “gift” for Jeremiah? Let us know!
Gotham currently airs on FOX, Thursdays at 8PM.
