In the past few weeks, Fox has done a fine job of recapturing the interest of Gotham fans with a variety of promos teasing what’s to come for the heroes and villains making up the insane city. If you require a few examples, feel free to look back on the one showing what Scarecrow has been up to, or take a peek at Jeremiah Valeska getting into all sorts of trouble.
Now, with the premiere being just over three weeks away, the network has let loose a dozen photos showcasing the likenesses of the major players as we’ve come to expect at the start of each season. Sometimes, they’re not much to write home about, but they most definitely are in this instance.
Before I get into specifics, allow me to list off who can be found in the gallery below: Cameron Monaghan as Jeremiah Valeksa; Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth; Shane West as Eduardo Dorrance AKA Bane; Erin Richards as Barbara Kean; David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne; Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock; Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon; Morena Baccarin as Lee Thompkins; Chris Chalk as Lucius Fox; Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma AKA the Riddler; Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot AKA the Penguin; and Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle.
Now, aside from seeing Shane West as pre-Bane for once, I think the most noteworthy thing about this batch of photos is that it reveals Jeremiah Valeska as a full-on Joker. Granted, we’ve gotten hints at him looking more and more like the Clown Prince of Crime we’d normally picture in other promo materials, but never quite this spot-on.
If I were to hazard a guess, perhaps the producers managed to finally get their hands on the name “Joker,” something that’d been just out of reach before. If you’ll recall, even purely green hair was off limits, so that compounded with an iconic purple costume gives me hope. Plus, I can’t help looking at Cameron Monaghan and thinking, “this guy is freakin’ amazing.”
Expect to learn much more once Gotham returns for its fifth season on Thursday, January 3rd on Fox.