Gotham EP's are plotting out Jerome's miraculous resurrection 

The day Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) died on “Gotham” was very sad to fans of the series. However, as was later revealed, dead doesn’t mean a lot in Gotham City — just ask Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith).

“It is 100% our intention to bring Jerome back,” executive producer John Stephens tells

Zap2it. First, however, they have to build up to that point. After all, when Jerome died early in Season 2, producers were adamant that his presence would still be felt throughout the city. Now with the monsters on the loose, it’s time to build up to that.

“We’re going to be playing it again this year and basically extending the idea of the cult of Jerome,” Stephens explains. “We’re building the architecture for him to come back.”

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Get ready for a long ride though, because this isn’t something that’s going to happen over a few episodes. Instead, what begins in Season 3 will stretch into Season 4 — should the show get renewed.

“You’ll have these underground movements that have started to talk about Jerome and what he represented and how he’s going to come back like in the days of John the Baptist,” he teases during a summer TV press tour panel. “Setting the stage that if there is a Season 4, hopefully we’ll bring that back in a much bigger way and you’ll see these different versions of the Joker myth.”

When Jerome finally does reappear though — and Stephens promises his reintroduction will be “fantastic” — he won’t be the same maniac you remember.

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“He plays into the idea of transformation. When he comes back, you want to see that new version,” he says. “That next step forward.”

Hopefully maybe that means a little bit of clown makeup or perhaps a new shade of hair.

“Gotham” returns Monday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

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