Why can't they call Jerome the Joker?
Matthew Cannon
Updated on January 04, 2026
"They did not want to dilute the very lucrative brand. It allowed for creativity on our end." The reveal finally explains why Gotham has never officially labelled Jerome or his brother Jeremiah as the DC villain, despite the characters bearing a striking resemblance to the Clown Prince of Crime.
Why is Jerome not called the Joker?
Monaghan tweeted a few cool make-up test shots, and revealed the reasoning behind it: Pure green was off-limits to us (as well as the name "Joker"), a decision from high-up as they wanted to reserve these for films. A decision which ultimately I respect. They did not want to dilute the very lucrative brand.Does Jerome Valeska become the Joker?
The Joker on GothamFor a long time, fans of Gotham thought the deranged, criminally insane psychopath Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan) would become The Joker. He had all of the trademarks of becoming the Clown Prince of Crime. But then Gotham gave them an insane curveball by killing off Jerome.