Jerome Valeska

### Hobbies

Terrorizing Gotham in his spare time, scaring others, manipulating The Maniax, murdering his foes

### Type of Villain

Total Darkness, Genocidal Leader, Conspirator, Sociopath

Jerome Valeska is a major antagonist of the live-action TV series *Gotham.* He first appears as the main antagonist of the Season 1 episode *The Blind Fortune Teller*, later serving as the opening antagonist of the *Rise of the Villains* arc in Season 2, the tertiary antagonist of Season 3, and the secondary antagonist of the second half of Season 4. He is the leader of the dissolved organization which was called The Maniax and a terrorist mastermind who enjoys massacring Gotham. He is the brother of Jeremiah Valeska, aka The Joker.

## History

### After murdering his mother

He is investigated by James Gordon and by his own father, facing charges of family murder.

He explains that his mother is a nagging drunken whore and that he wanted her to die, actually laughing at her death. He was later sent to the Arkham Asylum.

### Leading the maniax

A while after, Jerome hires Theo Galavan to help the inmates out of The Arkham Asylum, and turn them into a criminal organization named the Maniax. When Barbara joins the inmates, Jerome starts talking to her, and insists that she should make a friend. After Barbara manages to become Aaron Helzinger's friend, Jerome tells her that he has a friend (secretly Theo Galavan) who can give her anything. Eventually, Zaadron comes and helps the inmates, including Jerome, bust out of Arkham. The inmates are eventually taken by Tabitha Galavan to Theo's office. Jerome tries to convince the inmates to join The Maniax. Robert Greenwood asks what the place is, and Jerome explains that in Arkham things are looking up, impressing them about his new idea. When Theo speaks to them about crime being charisma, Jerome reveals himself as the one to hire Theo as their sensei, and states he is "singing his own song". However, Tabitha then kills Richard Sionis who has refused to join the Maniax, as Jerome started laughing due to his success.

He and The Maniax capture people and throw them off the roof, spelling a letter on each hostage shirt. After they fell one next to the other, the word Maniax was written on the floor when they were lying dead next to one another. He later gets equipped with a sword while he is trained by Theo with Greenwood, however, Greenwood takes the sword from him. Theo tells them to stop fighting, and gives them both control on a fake gun, and declares Jerome as the winner for proving Greenwood to be suicidal, thus letting him take the sword back. Jerome then takes his Maniax and orders them to bomb up a school buss, which got held by them and rescued later by Gordon. They later sabotage the police in disguise, in part of a plan to kill Essen and drive a police car to his father's house. He then confronts his father with his mercenary Tabitha and reveals his father that he is doing everything as a plan to revenge him and take over Gotham. He kills his father and injures James Gordon who came to fight the criminals.

### Death

He then goes to sabotage audience and kill Bruce disguised in a show, as he acknowladges Gordon about his plans on his webcam device. He and disguised Barbara then pretend to put on a show for the audience. During the show, Jerome reveals himself and manages to kill the Deputy Mayor Kane, thus scaring the audience and managing to keep them as hostages. Much to his satisfaction, Theo says it's enough madness, willing to save the audience and remain mayor. However, Barbara hits him with a mallet, causing him to faint. He then calls Bruce and grabs his throat, intending to kill him. However, Gordon and Theo interfere, distracting him from his target, and Theo stabs him on the neck, letting all the citizens run run out and Barbara disappear. He dies after his last laughter.

### Revival

He was later sent to the Arkham Asylum for care, however, while he was dead, people around him were brainwashed to laugh and kill, as he did. He later plans an escape as he and the rest of the revived monsters sit in an escaping buss, all reanimated. He is revived once again by Dr. Dwight Pollard, who follows his idea. However, Dwight does not seem to succeed, therefore, Dwight puts on a mask and pretends to be Jerome. Jerome however does eventually wake up, as he attacks a cop and takes Leslie Thompkins as a hostage. Jerome then starts discussing with Lee about his plans to revenge on his foes, such as Bruce Wayne and Theo Galavan. However, watching Dwight speaking on TV, he leaves the area, and goes to attack some cops. He steals a police car, and busts Dwight (whom was arrested by Jim earlier) out of the police station. He takes Dwight and some of his followers to an abandoned facility, where he sabotages Dwight and ties him up to a bomb. He then tells Gotham on TV that they are free to kill whoever they want, under his leadership. As the bomb explodes, and Dwight was killed, a city wide power-outrage has occurred.

### Jerome's Theme Park

He later enters Bruce Wayne's manor, together with his goons, and tries to act like a ghost. He tears the room's furniture apart, and almost cuts off Bruce's neck with a knife. However, Bruce tells Jerome that as someone who likes audience, the murder should be done in a public place. Jerome then orders his men to take Bruce to his theme park. Jerome then takes Bruce as a hostage, as his goons cover his head with a sack. Together with his goons, he travels towards his theme park, and he carries Bruce with him. He then enters the theme park, and one of his goons uncovers Bruce's head, letting him see the park itself. The park was meant to attract sadistic people, including Jerome's cult, and allow them to kill some of Jerome's hostages, which were placed inside the machines. On the rollercoasters and merry-go-rounds, Jerome's staff have assassinated some of the riders. Jerome then sarcastically asks Bruce if he wants to have some fun before the main event. Jerome and Bruce walk towards the "hit me" attraction, where a hostage is placed above a trapdoor, which drops him into a piranha tank. On the way, Bruce asked him if the craziness has a plan. Jerome says it's more of an excuse, to kill Bruce and many others, and then also take over Gotham itself. Bruce pushed Jerome, causing Jerome to panic for a while. However, Jerome calmed down after a while, and opened the trapdoor, as the hostage fell into the piranha tank, and was eaten alive by the hungry piranhas. He then ordered one of his guards to give him a stapler. He stapled his head, so his face won't fall off. Bruce asked Jerome if it hurt. As Jerome was satisfied, he came to Bruce with the stapler. He stapled Bruce's arm once, and it didn't seem to hurt Bruce at all. The second time caused Bruce to feel upset. However, when Jerome went further up his arm and stapled him much harder on the third time, Bruce cried and felt lots of pain. Jerome then commanded his goons to prepare things for the main event. Bruce was taken to the stage, and was put behind curtains. When the main event started, and the many audience were fully excited, Jerome appeared with his goons. One of the goons however started cheering Jerome, and shouted after Jerome started talking. Jerome shot the screaming goon to death, and told him to shut up. The crowd laughed, and Jerome then ordered two of his other goons (who were dressed as clowns) to bring Bruce, and tie him to a pole which is located in the middle of the stage. The crowd started cheering Bruce, and were entertained by Jerome's sadism. Jerome then brought a gigantic canon and placed it infront of Bruce. He threw 1,000 knives into the canon, and was ready to light it up. However, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock came, and were followed by many cops., Jerome's crowd had immediately run away, as Jerome's goons have tried to kill the cops. While there was a fight, Jerome lit up the cannon, and waved to Bruce goodbye. Bruce however escaped, and ran to the park's mirror maze attraction. Jerome however followed Bruce into the mirror maze. As Jerome got into the maze, he could not find Bruce, but only reflections of Bruce on each mirror. Bruce, hiding behind one specific mirror, had told Jerome he is going to pay for his actions. Jerome searched for Bruce, and eventually got tired of using a gun. Jerome threw the gun on the floor, and took out a knife, as he intended to backstab Bruce. However, before Jerome could find Bruce's mirror, Bruce snuck through the mirror, and entered the room. Bruce ambushed Jerome from behind, and slapped his face with no remorse. Jerome tried to encourage Bruce to stab him with a mirror shard. Bruce almost does stab Jerome's neck, however, he refuses to kill him. Bruce escapes the mirror maze, and finds Alfred. Jerome however follows him, and still tries to kill him. Jim Gordon slaps his face, and as a result, Jerome's face falls off. A faceless Jerome says "ow", and faints. Jerome is then arrested.

###

## Trivia

* He is the series' inspiration for the man who will become The Joker.
* He will return in season 3, in the episode *"Ghosts"*.
* The numerous Jerome Copycats may be a nod towards The Jokerz, a gang in Batman Beyond who imitate the deceased Joker and try to continue his legacy and madness.

## Gallery

***The Great Villains Wiki*** presents a gallery for Jerome Valeska.