When Season 2 of "Gotham" started, it was billed as "Rise of the Villains." Well, one of those villains in particular, Jerome Valeska, was the total embodiment of the classic Joker personality, and he even had the laugh to accompany it. So naturally, fans thought he was the one that would evolve into the Joker.

But now, Jerome has been double-crossed by his own savior and met an untimely demise, which has left fans wondering about who the Joker is, according to Deadline.

Not so fast though. Fans who came to expect Jerome to eventually become the Joker may not be wrong after all, according to executive producer Bruno Heller.

"The creation of the Joker is a larger and more epic story than people realize, and this show is very much about kind of the deep, secret history," Heller said.

"So, as the show rolls on, people will see how a mythology is born, how a kind of cultural mien is created that will lead us to the Joker himself."

Bruno alluded to the fact that the death of Jerome gives rise to a new epidemic in the city and, in some way, ushers in the era that will eventually bring about the greatest villain that Batman ever faced. The legacy of Jerome will be touched on quite frequently in the series and eventually give birth to the famed character of the Joker.

"There's a tradition in forebears and ancestors of those characters that went into creating them. So, to me, Jerome is genuinely the mother and father of the Joker. He is the seed of the Joker," Heller said.

Fans have always assumed the creation of the Joker has been due to a fall into a toxic vat of chemicals that led to his disfiguration and eventual insanity. But there is much more to the story, and in some way, Jerome is a big part of that.

See the video below of Jerome's death and commentary from the actors.