The Joker's Origin Will Finally Be Revealed By Gotham

You want to know how he got those scars?

By Simon Gallagher / October 5, 2015

One of the biggest secrets in comic book history if about to be explained. Thanks to Gotham - a show which started unevenly and grew in confidence and popularity towards the end of its first season - we're about to find out how the Joker became the Joker. Having explosively introduced Jerome as the new big villain in town - and leader of the suspiciously Joker-ish sounding gang The Maniax - by having him lead a group of Arkham Asylum escapees into GCPD and massacring almost everyone inside. On camera. If that sort of behaviour and the sickening grin weren't enough evidence that he's on the firm path that ends with that famous purple suit, Gotham's showrunner Bruno Heller has explicitly confirmed to Nerdist that's where the show is headed:

Were going to be giving you concrete answers to his identity. That story is going to come to a huge and shocking resolution which will explain the whole Joker myth and how it began and how the Joker came to be.

Whatever happens along the way, if the latest episode - "Knock, Knock" - is anything to go by, it's going to be a quite gloriously entertaining journey. The gloves are off on the right side of the law, with the introduction of Michael Chiklis' new police captain

As far as the GCPD goes, after the massacre, its no more Mr. Nice Guy. They start using much more ferocious tactics that are going to lead to both positive results and tragic results that Gordon had not intended. There are big changes coming as a result of that horror.

Does that mean the GCPD are going to unwittingly create the Joker through their over-zealous attempts to control Jerome? Like Batman did in the 1989 movie, in other words... Gotham season 2 is shaping up to be a big deal. The Rise Of The Villains plot offers ample opportunity to take all restraint out of the equation, and Heller is excited about the prospect of fans meeting them:

The subtitle of this season is Rise of the Villains and Im so excited to roll out those big baddies. Weve got some great ones coming up that is the nub of what makes the DC universe so great, those monsters and villains and the ever-increasing stakes they bring. Im so excited about what were about to do.

Do you agree with Gotham doing what few other Joker stories have explicitly done? Isn't there some danger that classification of the magic will kill its appeal? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread below.