As well as allowing David Mazouz to finally suit up as Batman, it seems that Gotham‘s upcoming season – and also series – finale will give us Cameron Monaghan’s final form on the show, too. The actor’s time on the Batman prequel has taken many shock twists – including playing two different maniac brothers – but it looks like he’ll at last get to portray a version of the Joker before things wrap up. Although, his appearance will apparently be far from what fans are expecting.
The promotional material for next week’s episode, “Ace Chemicals,” is heavily teasing that Jeremiah Valeksa’s about to end up in a vat of chemicals, the moment that’ll surely morph him into the Clown Prince of Crime. But how will he look afterwards? Well, this new leaked image, which is apparently a snap from a screener of the finale, depicts Monaghan’s character with the suitable white face and purple clothes…but he’s also missing the green hair.
See for yourself below:
Yes, if this pic is as genuine as it seems, then it looks like Gotham‘s take on the Joker unfortunately won’t have the iconic hair-do of the villain, instead going for a straggly-haired, near-bald look. Maybe the costume designers were thinking along the lines of what would actually happen if you fell in a bucket of acid, but there’s no doubt that Bat-fans will be left miffed by this major change to the character’s traditional appearance. A more shambolic Joker has been nailed before, of course, by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, but we’re not sure the bald Joker works as well as a long-haired Joker.
Not that this is definitely the true Joker in Gotham‘s universe, though. Showrunner John Stephens has always maintained that the Valeksa boys could just be inspirations for Baman’s real nemesis, who’s still out there somewhere. Monaghan has also pointed out before that the show’s struggled to get clearance to use the Joker’s signature features. So, it’s possible that the bald look came from necessity rather than a left-field design choice.
In any case, tell us, what do you think of this surprising appearance for the Clown Prince on Gotham? Let us know in the comments section down below.