[The laugh] was really to keep [the Joker] alive, to keep Jerome and that threat of the Joker alive.
By exploring what he meant to the mentally unstable circles of Gotham, Gotham can establish more possible Jokers that could out-crazy even Jerome.
The Gotham team found the perfect actor to play Jerome when they cast young Cameron Monaghan, who can switch from unassuming to murderous in the blink of an eye.
The plan is to bring Jerome back, although it may be a while before we see Cameron Monaghan in the flesh.