Dwight Pollard Is Another 'Gotham' Original

Based on the Gotham midseason premiere, it looks like new character Dwight Pollard is going to be the one to bring Jerome back to life after months of teases. And, like many of the series' previous characters, Dwight Pollard isn't from DC Comics, so you can't look to the comic books for background. Even though Dwight is an original Gotham character, he's still inspired by the atmosphere of the comics and fits within their world. After all, the Batman comics are filled with characters dying and returning from the dead, just like the show has already managed to both kill and bring back many of its villains.

But now, it's Jerome's turn. While the jury's still out on whether or not the recurring character will ever be confirmed as the Joker, there are plenty of characters who have used electricity as their villainous implement of choice that Dwight could be partially inspired by.

First up, it's surprising that the series already decided to use the Electrocutioner Jack Buchinsky in Season 1, considering that his villainous purpose is using electricity to manipulate and kill his victims. It's only a short leap to imagine using electric shocks to do the exact opposite. There are other villains that have used electricity before, like Superman foe Livewire, but none of them have any other big similarities with Dwight.

Gotham has already established that Dwight learned his resurrection abilities from his job working at the one place where everyone in Gotham can gain near-magical abilities: Indian Hill, the home laboratory of one Hugo Strange. In the comics, aside from pressing an electrical engineer into service in his first appearance, Strange hasn't been known to use electricity as a method of experimentation, nor has he used it as a part of his methods of bringing anyone back from the dead. However, he was known for using electric shock therapy on some of his patients. While Dwight was never spotted in one of those scenes, it's possible that he worked with Ms. Peabody.

One thing that Dwight definitely has in common with DC characters is an obsession with a more impressive villain. If Jerome does turn out to be the Joker, he'll have a rather considerable group of ardent fans, something that's always featured in the comics. Sometimes called the Jokerz, sometimes just unattributed thugs or clowns, Jerome's group of cronies are the foundation of a comparable group.

But aside from that, it looks like Dwight Pollard will turn out to be a true Gotham original — and that means not even the comics can point at where this story is going.