r/Gotham • u/Skywalker_1995 • 19d ago
Discussion What makes Jerome such a fan favourite character?
The guy only appears in 11 episodes out of a 100 yet he constantly appears in most people's top 5 favourite characters and always ranks highly on popularity/ranking threads on here. Even casual fans love him. The only characters who are usually more loved are Penguin, Riddler, and Alfred.
What do you think makes him so beloved?
93
u/ManufacturerDue815 19d ago
We all love the Joker and they chose an actor who truly knows how to embody some of his best and most fun traits to show how one could inspire such a chaotic legacy, even if they weren't technically that character.
They also knew how to strategically make the best use of him for each season he was in, making sure that he never outstayed his welcome or started occupying a role that was ill-fit for him.
78
u/Disco_Vampire_ Certificate Of Sanity ⭐📜 19d ago
I think Cameron just plays the part really well. His facial expressions are spot on and he does a great job of playing a chaotic psychopath. His introductory episode is especially compelling.
The episode when he faces Bruce in the hall of mirrors is also just spectacular in terms of cinematography and performance. The set and his face half hanging off whilst they are fighting is just so iconic.
I think they just picked the perfect actor to play this version of The Joker (although never actually stated as, it's obviously implied)
Same with Penguin, I think the roles and characters were just so perfectly made for these actors and they helped to take their characters to another level.
25
u/Adrenapup 19d ago
For me, personally, I tend to love villains and recurring/side characters most in a lot of shows. Jerome was a great villain, very entertaining. Though Zsasz is my fave recurring bad guy 😍
7
3
u/ohheyitslaila ✨🖤 TABITHA 🖤✨ 17d ago
The Gotham actors truly understood the assignment when it came to the campy fun of the show and the characters. Zsasz is my favorite too! He’s just so effortlessly funny.
18
19
u/whatagooddaytoday 18d ago
It all comes down that Jerome just feels like the Joker to me.
He really blew me away in that first episode because at first, he just seems like this regular, grieving guy. But then Cameron just switches it up completely in that interrogation scene and I was and still am just so amazed because he just is the Joker in everything but name.
He's a mix of every performance of the character I've ever seen, yet he makes it his own. I love Jeremiah as well, and I even like J in the final episode, but Jerome literally made me understand why the Joker character is such an iconic villain in the Batman and DC world.
Plus he was actually really funny sometimes lol
17
u/Certain-Singer-9625 19d ago
When you’re playing a villain on this show, you get to chew the scenery—and Cameron looks like he’s just having so much fun being insane. The Joker is so unapologetically id-based! He’s what many of us would be like if we unleashed our inner asshole.
19
u/Less_Commercial_7097 19d ago
He has the personality and charisma of the animated Joker and the classic comics, you know, before the Nolan Nation attacked.
5
16
19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
-3
u/Worldly_Help_3648 18d ago
He was not the joker though just the idea of the joker
7
u/Cheesywotsit1 18d ago
Yeah quotation marks, but he was basically the Joker, they just weren’t allowed to say it
Later ofc they replaced him but originally he was their Joker
10
u/Much-Chocolate-6681 19d ago
Until you told me he was only in 11 episodes I coulda sworn he was in more..that’s insane.
The issue- no, the great thing about his character is the actor in all honesty. Someone else could’ve been handled this role and it might fell through.
It’s his execution of a young sicko and his short but, effective tirade on the Gotham verse that makes him such a prevalent character in people top 5.
There’s genuinely characters around much longer than people put below him that TECHNICALLY have a bigger effect on the story than he does.
It’s just that performance…I mean when he’s on screen he’s ON screen and there’s nothing that’s gonna distract you from what he has to say or what he’s about to do.
You know if he’s on screen, chaos he’ll bring and that’s what makes him a captivating character.
1
9
u/soup_fly 19d ago
He was so good Leto made sure he only had 8 seconds of screen time in that shitty Tron sequel so he wouldn't upstage him.
8
9
7
u/Cheesywotsit1 18d ago edited 18d ago
Honestly he’s one of my favourite Jokers in any media and it’s because Cameron is an incredible actor and really understood his character.
I also loved the storylines, cinematography, and his connection with Bruce. I loved his charisma and I would have liked the twist to be that his twin was the worser of the two, explored his childhood, but then HE was the one to kill Jeremiah, revealing that he had the genius and traits of his brother, but merely sometimes chose chaos.
8
u/NervousHorse3671 18d ago
I mean…. Did you watch it? He steals the show dude. I couldn’t take my eyes off him when he was on screen
7
u/StrongStyleDragon 19d ago
He’s many iterations of Joker in one. I would not be surprised if he read a ton before shooting his scenes.
6
u/ItsjustChopper 19d ago
By default him being a Joker based character would probably put him or his brother in the top ten or fifteen at least. But Cameron Monaghan did such a phenomenal job that him being based on Joker barely affects his ranking. He’s just that good.
6
4
u/Mihrace_ 18d ago edited 18d ago
He was such a unique Joker and mixed a lot of Joker's in one. I was prejudiced at first Joker being young after the Jared Leto disaster. But i never felt cringe while watching Jerome on the screen. I even waited for his episodes with excitement. It was so refreshing to see a different Joker.
First time i watched the series Jeremiah was my favorite but after many years when i watched the series again as an adult i thought Jerome was better than Jeremiah. I somehow found Jeremiah anooying this time.
6
4
u/autismmegatruck 18d ago
Cameron is just so good. He really went all out with this character. The way he speaks, his body language, and his facial expressions are consistent and perfectly exaggerated throughout his entire performance. He wasn’t afraid to make this guy look genuinely out of his mind.
I also like how childish early Jerome was. He played a perfect young edgelord and gradually turned him into a monster while still keeping all of his innate personality traits.
4
4
4
3
u/HonestSapphireLion24 19d ago
He literally managed to embody the essence of two live action Jokers, Nicholson and Ledger. Every scene he was in, he just stole the show.
3
3
u/MBonez12 18d ago
Cameron took the best aspects of Nicholson's and Ledger's performances and molded them in a way that not only worked, but brought the character to life in a way we haven't seen before on screen.
3
3
u/embersandlamplight 18d ago
He's fit as fcuk He's a fascinating, unnerving character.
I know some people say it is overacting, but the reveal from teary-eyed grieving Jerome to smirking, psychotic Jerome in the GCPD sold him to me in 0.5 seconds.
In all seriousness, I love both Jerome and Jeremiah for completely different reasons. Jerome is chaotic and unpredictable. Jeremiah is cold and methodical.
2
u/CryingJackal_YT 19d ago
I was a edgy teenager watching the show with mommy issues I fear was my why back then
2
u/Nega-Flash 18d ago
What I can say is that whenever he's in an episode, he's the only one you notice. Cameron Monaghan did an excellent job. He is brilliant as Jerome and Jeremiah.
2
u/Ok_Surround_3859 18d ago
His amazing performance as joker of course. Even Mark Hamill liked his Joker which is saying a lot.
2
u/SirNightwing2003 18d ago
Jerome was more (comic book) Joker like and Jeremiah was more like ( Heath Ledger's) Joker. I prefer Jerome because he was a lot more fun.
2
2
2
2
2
u/jaycodeshd 19d ago
i just want to reiterate what others have said. given a chance i’d also have performed slightly better than cameron. he did a good job is what i’m saying.
1
-1
u/Miasmata 18d ago
I never liked his version, always thought it was pretty cringey
1
1
168
u/Miserable-Variety152 19d ago
That actor gave that character way more than it needed and I am here for it.