'Gotham' season 3 episode 13 spoilers: Iconic version of The Joker to be featured in 'Smile Like You Mean It'

Evil's maniacal laughter will once again fill the streets of the titular city in FOX's DC-based crime drama series as Jerome's (Cameron Monaghan) much-anticipated return finally comes to pass in the next episode of "Gotham."

Appropriately titled "Smile Like You Mean It," the episode brings proto-Joker Jerome back to life through the machinations of one of his most devoted acolytes, Dwight (David Dastmalchian). This comes after Jim (Ben McKenzie) and Bullock (Donal Logue) discovered a coven of Jerome's followers when they followed the tail of the sketchy night manager at the morgue straight into a gathering of people singing praises to some of Jerome's old footages, inspiring them to break the rules and live as they pleased.

What kind chaos will Jerome's resurrection bring to Gotham, especially now that he seems to have acquired more followers while he was dead than when he was first alive? And with his return from the dead surely bringing in more devotees into the fray, how will Jim and Harvey deal with the ensuing death and madness?

But just how will Dwight bring Jerome back? The trailer for the next episode shows the man of the hour with his face seemingly sewn on which led fans to believe that "Gotham" could be adapting Scott Snyder's version of The Joker from the "Death of the Family" story arc.

In this particular version of the Batman mythos, The Joker allowed The Dollmaker to remove his face so that he could wear the rotting skin back like a mask sewn on to give himself a creepy, disturbing appearance. It has been regarded as one of the most iconic versions of The Joker to date.

In an interview with TV Guide during the Television Critics Association winter previews, executive producer John Stephens teased that Jerome will come back an altered man, a little less nice, a little more psychotic, and with a much grander point of view.

Stephens also teased that Jerome will appear in a three-episode arc before disappearing again, but not before affecting Bruce (David Mazouz) in such profound ways that a part of the future Batman's philosophy gets built through their interactions.

"Jerome being the stand-in for the person we know he probably is out there. It's, for us, really significant that that guy ends up informing this part of Batman's mythology," Stephens said.

"Gotham" season 3 episode 13 airs on Monday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.