Is there a new Joker getting ready to terrorize Gotham City? New photos of Gotham guest star Lori Petty hint that she could, perhaps, be the next Clown Prince, or at least some iteration of the character.
In these photos, Petty appears with the traditional makeup associated with the Joker, unlike the previous potential Joker, Jerome. That doesn't mean that her character is actually the Joker, but it seems that Gotham keeps playing with that character concept loosely and wants to introduce a variety of characters that resemble the popular white-faced Batman villain.
In these stills taken from the next episode of Gotham, aptly titled "Wrath of the Villains: This Ball of Mud and Meanness," Petty takes to the stage in her very Joker get-up:
Here's the official description of "Wrath of the Villains: This Ball of Mud and Meanness:"
"Alfred and Selina help Bruce on his quest to find his parents' killer, Matches Malone (guest star Michael Bowen). Meanwhile, Gordon follows up with Edward Nygma on Kristen Kringle's whereabouts and Hugo Strange (guest star BD Wong) continues his treatment to reduce Penguin's aggression."
Last year, ABC announced that Petty would take on an "enigmatic" role on the series, so these screenshots suggest that she's probably closer to the Joker character than even Jerome, who the series previously hinted at as the villain. However after Jerome's grisly demise, the show hinted that others like him would follow, basically taking a cue from his playbook.
Officially, Petty's character is Jeri, a hostess at an underground club for maniacs. She will actually offer clues to Bruce Wayne about his parents' killers, but she also has a gang of crazies that will make life difficult for Jim Gordon.
The next episode will also show what happens when Dr. Hugo Strange decides to rehabilitate Penguin.
"[Strange] is so brilliant that he sees right through [Penguin's insanity plea] and goes into this mode where he will strip Penguin of everything that he is," Robin Lord Taylor, the actor who portrays Penguin, said to TV Line. " [Being rendered inert] is one of the biggest challenges Penguin has ever faced."
Gotham airs at 8 p.m. EST Mondays on Fox.
Photos: Fox
