WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for this week's episode of Gotham, "Ace Chemicals," which aired Thursday on Fox.

After nearly five years of buildup, Gotham finally debuted its official version of the Joker in its latest episode, "Ace Chemicals." It's been a long and twisted road but, finally, the Fox series gave fans the moment they had been waiting five seasons for. After a confrontation with Bruce Wayne inside Ace Chemicals, Jeremiah Valeska accidentally fell down into a vat of toxic, green liquid.

Thanks to previous iterations of the character -- from the comics to the movies -- we know that this is the moment the Joker is born. His skin is bleached as a result, his hair turns green and the rest is history. However, while Gotham featured the same birthing moment, it may have actually changed its significance at the same time. In doing so, the Batman origin series may have created the most tragic version the Clown Prince of Crime yet.

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We know what you're going to say. "Joker" and "tragic" don't belong in the same sentence. But hear us out. Before Jeremiah Valeska fell down the vat of chemicals, he was almost nearly the Joker. In fact, he was dosed with Laughing Gas thanks to his twin brother Jerome, and he was transformed from brilliant recluse to maniacal killer as a result. His skin turned pale white and he settled into a purple suit to terrorize Gotham City -- and Bruce Wayne in particular. He was nearly there... until his fall changed everything.

"Ace Chemicals" doesn't end with the whereabouts and status of Jeremiah unknown. No, after his fall, we next see him on a hospital bed. He's left in a coma, and his skin his covered in chemical burns. What's more, the chemicals seemed to have removed the paleness of his skin. For all intents and purposes, it sure seems like Gotham used this fall to wipe the character's slate clean, as it were.

Given that actor Cameron Monaghan has revealed that he will play a third character in the series finale, a character we now know will be this disfigured version of the Joker, it seems likely that the chemicals will not only have had an effect on Jeremiah's body, but on his mind as well. If our theory is right, Jeremiah will wake up from his coma with no memory of who or what he was before. His fractured mind will only have the imprint of the Joker left, and this is the persona he will embrace to become an enigma.

If that is the case, then we the audience, as well as Bruce Wayne, will be the only ones who know the Joker's real origin. The villain himself will have no idea how he came to be, and this is what could ultimately paint him as a tragic figure. The character's multiple choice answer point of view to his origin could stem from the fact that he actually has no idea who he is or where he came from. His obsession with Bruce Wayne would similarly be wiped away, which would allow him to find a new source of obsession in the Dark Knight.

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Next, the real Joker is bound to take Gotham City by storm in the series finale. By then, all of our questions about the character should be answered. And, if we're right, all the Joker will have is questions. It would be a brilliant twist in this maniacal tale, and it would only add tragedy to the life of this purple-clad clown.

Airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, Gotham stars Ben McKenzie as James Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean and Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth.