You Won't Believe Gotham's Joker

Look out, Gotham! Joker's back in town.

Gotham is coming to a close this month, and it's looking to go out with a bang. Not only will Bruce Wayne finally suit up as the Dark Knight, he'll be joined by his arch-nemesis the Joker. While it's unclear if David Mazouz will reprise the role of Bruce for the finale - which will be set 10 years in the future - it has now been confirmed that Cameron Monaghan will in fact play the older Joker.

Fox unveiled a teaser for the Clown Prince's debut overnight, showcasing Monaghan in Arkham before flashing forward to him in his all purple get-up with a batarang lodged in his hand. Cast judgement on the look at your own peril, but to say it is an... unconventional take would be putting things lightly.

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For starters, this new Joker has lost most of his hair. That in itself is fine of course, and the makeup and costume look great too, but the prosthetic chin is a slight distraction. It's admirable that Gotham is trying to retain all of the Clown Prince's uncanny features of course, but the fake chin might be a little overkill.

Gotham Joker Portrait
Fox

Fortunately for fans of the series, it looks as though the fact Gotham was forced to accelerate its plans hasn't impacted on what it'll be able to do in the finale. It would've been a spectacular anti-climax were the show to end without at least sending Bruce off on his travels, so the fact that fans will get the chance to see him actually back in the city as a burgeoning crimefighter is a big deal. At least as long as they get it right.

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All that's left to be shown now is the Batsuit in full detail. Fans managed to get a close up of the cowl's behind last week, and it may even be the case that Gotham saves the surprise until the first part of the finale airs April 18.

Either way, with a grey-haired and spectacled Gordon, a costumed Clown Prince and a fully decked out Dark Knight all making their way to the show, it's probable that Gotham fans are experiencing mixed emotions. On one hand, all these famous Batman characters will appear under their most iconic guises; on the other, it'll be for the very last time.

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At the very least, even those who don't particularly like the show must surely appreciate what it's achieving with its last two episodes. It'll mark the first appearance in actual decades since a live action Joker/Batman appeared on the small screen, and even though it's coming to an end, at least the series looks as though it's managed to finish its story in its own, inane, not-so-beautiful way.

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What do you think of Gotham's future Joker? Let us know in the comments below.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.