Now that Gotham has officially signed off for 2016 with midseason finale “Beware the Green-Eyed Monster,” it might take a green-haired one to bring fans back in January. So it is, that the first 2017 trailer for Gotham Season 3 teases Cameron Monaghan’s return as the Joker-esque “Jerome.”

At long last, it looks like Gotham is finally circling back to that laughing legacy left by the series’ proto-Joker villain, as a rash of citizens seemed to be “infected” by that maniacal laugh. The first 2017 footage doesn’t showcase the character himself, but rather crowds incensed by his words from Season 2.

Producers previously teased the prospect of a “Joker Cult” forming through Seasons 3 and 4 in Jerome’s wake, while Monaghan took to Twitter to in September confirm his return:

Previously, the FOX DC drama tipped heavily toward the character’s Joker future, before Season 2 outing “The Last Laugh” threw a wrench in that theory by killing off Jerome, and insinuating his legacy as a “Joker Virus” on the city. Jerome himself has scarcely been referenced since (save for an audio cameo in the Season 2 finale), but there’s little argument Cameron Monaghan produced the strongest fan responses Gotham has seen yet.

Time will tell if 2017 actually returns Monaghan to Gotham, but in the meantime, stay tuned for details of the January premiere.

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