Paul Cicero was the father of Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska.
History
Paul Cicero is the blind fortune teller from the Haly's Circus. He once had a romantic affair with Lila Valeska. The relationship gave birth to Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, but Lila hid the fact from both. Jerome grew up to believe his father was a sea captain who died a long time ago in his ship.[1]
One day, Jerome had a mental breakdown and butchered his own mother with an axe. Cicero helped him cover his tracks, although the police eventually found out her corpse. To throw them off their trails, Jerome scratched a satanist symbol in the axe and left it under the Arkham Bridge Park while Cicero told Jim Gordon a riddle pointing to its location, claiming to be a message from the afterlife. This only made Gordon even more suspicious of their involvement in Lila's death. Upon finding the axe, Gordon arranged an interrogation with Jerome and Cicero. He told that he knew Jerome was the killer, but was unsure to why Cicero would go through great lengths to help him. His theory was that Cicero was Jerome's father, but he would need a DNA test to prove it. Cicero then confessed to be his father, much to Jerome's surprise. In another mental breakdown, Jerome confessed the crime. He was put in Arkham Asylum, while his father simply left the circus and remained in Gotham.[1]
Jerome, along with many other inmates, was freed from the asylum by Theo Galavan. In order to put the blame on Cicero for the breakout, Jerome and Tabitha were tasked with locating him and spreading misleading evidence in his apartment. As they broke into his house, Jerome tied his father to a chair and had a little talk before stabbing him through the eye.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Other Characteristics
Notes
- Paul Cicero was portrayed by Mark Margolis.
- His purple suit and hat are similar to the Joker's outfit, on whom Cicero's sons Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska are based on. Jeremiah would later go on to wear similar hats in the episodes One Bad Day and Ruin before starting to wear a purple suit himself in the series finale The Beginning....
Related
- 2 Appearances of Paul Cicero (Gotham)
- 2 Images featuring Paul Cicero (Gotham)
- 1 Quotations by or about Paul Cicero (Gotham)
- Character Gallery: Paul Cicero (Gotham)
Footnotes