Lucien planned to have his revenge on Batman only to be told by Joker that Batman is dead. The Joker of the Post- 52 Earth-2 is depicted as an old man, frail and wheelchair-reliant after a lifetime of exposure to deadly chemicals, and ironically unable to laugh without hurting himself.

After disfiguring the Huntress's boyfriend, Harry Simms, in an attempt to create a replacement for the deceased Two-Face , he is tracked down by the vengeful heroine. The Joker attempts to kill the Huntress with a lethal joy buzzer , but the attack is intercepted by Power Girl , and the Joker is himself electrocuted as a result.

The Joker of Earth-3 is a hero operating under the alias of the Jokester, and first appeared in Countdown 32 Sep He is the nemesis of Owlman , a villainous version of Batman. Jokester and his daughter Duela Dent are killed by the rogue Monitor Solomon.

The Joker of Earth-9 in the DC Comics imprint Tangent Comics is a female hero who uses her array of jokes and comical devices to mock the evil tyrant Superman 's authority.

This Joker is actually three women: student Mary Marvel , entrepreneur Christie Xanadu , and reporter Lori Lemaris , all of whom take turns wearing the Joker costume. Mary is captured by the Tangent Superman and tortured into revealing the identities of the other two before she is killed.

Lemaris is sent to prison and Christina's fate is left unknown. Lemaris is later re-offered the Joker mantle, but instead chooses to take up that of her fallen comrade, Manhunter.

On this alternate Earth, the children of metahuman heroes and villains have been forced into apparent retirement due to the efficiency of Superman robots. In the timeline of Batman: The Brave and the Bold , set outside the DC animated universe, the character operates as the hero the Red Hood , escaping the clutches of the villainous Batman counterpart Owlman.

On Earth of the Dark Multiverse , the Joker discovers Batman's secret identity. He slaughters most of Batman's other rogues, as well as Commissioner Gordon, and then infects a sizeable portion of Gotham's population with the same chemicals that transformed him, subsequently killing several parents in front of their children with the goal of creating a gathering of children that were essentially a combination of himself and Batman.

As Batman grapples with the Joker, the Joker finally dies from the chemicals that had originally transformed him. As he dies, his decaying body infects Batman with a virus that gradually transforms him into a new Joker.

By the time the Batman realizes this, the process is too advanced for him to find a cure. Batman kills most of his allies and transforms Damian into a mini-Joker before turning on the rest of the Justice League and then conquering the world. The Joker mockingly notes that even an insane Batman can only plan for scenarios that he believes are possible, and an alliance between the Joker and the Batman is the one thing the Batman Who Laughs could never have considered.

In , " The New 52 " rebooted the DC continuity. On Earth 2, Joker is a dangerous criminal who is imprisoned in a stasis chamber at Arkham Base.

When Batman entered Arkham base to look for inmates to aid him, he shot Joker in the head. Elseworlds titles are stories that take place in their own separate continuities and often feature different interpretations of mainstream continuity characters.

Although he successfully coordinates their efforts to take control of Gotham's major crime families, the now-vampire Batman aided by were-cat Selina Kyle is able to destroy the Joker's minions. Unfortunately, Selina is killed in the final battle with the Joker's vampires, with her death causing Batman to succumb to his lust for blood and drink from the Joker.

Although he stakes his foe to prevent him from coming back as a vampire, Batman is left tormented by the knowledge that the Joker won their long conflict by driving him to kill, often reflecting that he is damned by Dracula's bite and the Joker's blood in equal measure as he surrenders to his vampire side and turns on his old enemies.

The classic Joker origin as depicted in The Killing Joke is referenced, but averted by Green Lantern Bruce Wayne; after being arrested, the Red Hood says he has "had a really bad day", and Bruce counters by saying that that is no excuse, because everyone has terrible days, which shames the Hood into apologizing.

In Batman: Leatherwing , the Joker is represented as the "Laughing Man" , the deformed and insane pirate captain of the ship Pescador. He is the adversary of Captain Leatherwing, a Batman analogue.

In Batman: Nosferatu , the Joker appears as the Laughing Man , a monstrous cyborg created by the experiments of the depraved Dr. Arkham, who uses him as an assassin. This version of the Joker ironically ends up creating this world's Batman after an assassination attempt on Bruce Wayne's counterpart.

In Batman: Two Faces , the Joker is not an independent entity, but a shared identity created when a potion created by Bruce Wayne to give himself superhuman strength also creates a new personality, Bruce alternating randomly between himself and the Joker, his Batman identity fighting crime, while the Joker commits murders.

After he realizes the truth and confesses to his allies, Bruce, unable to cure himself, allows himself to fall off a building to stop the Joker once and for all.

The Joker cameos in Gotham by Gaslight as a serial killer who, having married and poisoned at least 10 women, tries to commit suicide with strychnine when he is caught, leaving him with a permanent grin.

In JLA: The Nail , the Joker is provided with Kryptonian gauntlets and launches an attack on Arkham Asylum, forcing most of the inmates to fight each other before brutally murdering Batgirl and Robin while forcing Batman to watch.

Catwoman distracts Joker long enough for Batman to escape, but the traumatised Batman subsequently kills the Joker in a rage. During JLA: Another Nail , Batman encounters the Joker in the afterlife when dimensional anomalies allow him to escape from Hell, briefly attempting to sacrifice himself to ensure that the Joker will remain trapped, but Robin and Batgirl's spirit halts Batman's attempted sacrifice and gives him the strength to move on from his guilt.

In , the Joker and Lex Luthor kidnap a pregnant Lois Lane and expose her to gold kryptonite ; this renders her first-born child a normal human. The Joker kills the second Batman an adult Dick Grayson before revealing his true identity to the police as he gloats about how he has finally killed Batman, but Bruce Junior, Bruce Wayne's son and Grayson's Robin, manages to switch costumes with his mentor to create the impression that the Joker killed Robin rather than Batman.

Learning that his enemy is about to die of old age, the now-retired Bruce Wayne dons the cape and cowl for a final visit to the Joker's deathbed.

Batman rejects the Joker's request to learn his true identity, on the grounds that the Joker is the last man that he would want to bring peace to. This Elseworlds story Superman: Speeding Bullets is set on an Earth where baby Kal-El was adopted by Thomas and Martha Wayne and raised as Bruce Wayne.

When Bruce's parents are killed, he becomes the ruthless vigilante Batman. Batman's nemesis is Lex Luthor who, in this reality, was injured in the same type of chemical accident that created the main universe Joker. The accident also drives Luthor insane, and he attempts to destroy Gotham City with an army of thugs, but is stopped by Batman.

In the Elseworlds miniseries Batman: Thrillkiller Jan. Steeplechase poisons Robin, masquerades as the mayor's wife, abducts and tortures Bruce Wayne, and is in a lesbian relationship with Earth's Harley Quinn.

Bianca is killed by Batgirl, drowning in the Gotham River. In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Martha Wayne is the Joker and even resembles Heath Ledger 's portrayal as seen in The Dark Knight. After Bruce Wayne is shot and killed by Joe Chill, Martha is unable to cope with her loss, so she cuts open her cheeks to create a faux smile.

As the Joker, she is the nemesis of Batman and uses Yo-Yo as a henchman. She kidnaps Harvey Dent 's son and daughter. The Joker kills James Gordon after she tricks Gordon into shooting Harvey's daughter disguised as the Joker.

After Dent's son and daughter are saved, Batman confronts the Joker [] about their son's death. As Batman has recently met Barry Allen , Martha learns that there is a way to rewrite history where Bruce will live, although they will die. Realizing that her son will be Batman in that timeline, Martha flees in horror, falling to her death in the caverns below Wayne Manor.

In this spin-off of the online game , the Joker tires of his unsuccessful fight with Batman, and decides to attack Superman. He and Harley Quinn kill Jimmy Olsen and abduct Lois Lane who is pregnant with Superman's child. They place a stolen nuclear warhead within Metropolis with a deadman switch wired to Lois.

After exposing Superman to kryptonite -laced fear toxin stolen from the Scarecrow , Superman mistakes Lois for Doomsday and kills her.

Metropolis is destroyed in the subsequent nuclear detonation. A grief-stricken and vengeful Superman confronts the captured Joker, who states that he will just escape to commit more crimes and taunts Superman about not finding love and happiness again, saying he will take it again from him.

Enraged beyond words, Superman kills the Joker and establishes the Regime, intent on eliminating crime through any means necessary. In the Year Three comic series, Superman is placed into a magical sleep where he imagines events playing out differently.

He is able to break free of the fear toxin in time to save Lois, their child, and Metropolis. Before an angry Superman can attack the Joker, Batman takes the Joker away. When the Joker confesses to Batman that he would try to kill Lois again, Batman kills the Joker and is imprisoned as a result.

With the tragedy averted, Superman is able to live a happy life with his wife and child. Superman is eventually woken from his dream and forced to contend with a world where the Joker bested him much to his agonizing fury.

In Year Four it is revealed that the Joker's name is used by the Joker Underground, a large group of people who oppose Superman's Regime and see the Joker as a symbol of freedom.

This catches Batwoman and Harley Quinn's eyes and they convince the protestors to use a different system. The Underground agree, but shortly after the two depart an enraged Superman shows up, furious they are using the Joker as a symbol. He then kills the Underground, including over people, as punishment.

This results in others continuing to use the Joker's name as a symbol, in response to the fact that Superman showed he is willing to murder those who had already agreed to stop using the Joker's name as their symbol, resulting in the Underground being temporarily co-opted by the Joker of an alternate universe.

Another graphic novel, called simply Joker , focuses on the character in a more gritty, realistic version of the Batman mythos. He is apparently harmless and has a habit of giggling when he is nervous. Elijah Snow mentions not liking the way Jasper "kept hugging himself" when looking at pictures of homicides.

In a comic book miniseries based on the television series Smallville , an interpretation of the Joker made his debut in Smallville: Alien 3 February In the graphic novel Batman: Digital Justice created by Pepe Moreno , an artificial intelligence calling itself the "Joker Virus" takes over a futuristic, technology-dependent Gotham City in the late 21st century and claims to be the reincarnation of its creator, the original Joker.

Batman, in this version the grandson of Commissioner James W. Gordon , stops the virus with help from another A. In Grant Morrison 's —15 miniseries The Multiversity , this alternate Earth is given the designation Earth Since the Bronze Age of Comics, the Joker has been interpreted as an archetypal trickster , displaying talents for cunning intelligence, social engineering, pranks, theatricality, and idiomatic humor.

Like the trickster, the Joker alternates between malicious violence and clever, harmless whimsy. The trickster is simultaneously subhuman and superhuman, a being that indicates a lack of unity in body and mind. Rather than the typical anarchist interpretation, others have analysed the character as a Marxist opposite to Batman's capitalist , arguing that anarchism requires the rejection of all authority in favor of uncontrolled freedom.

Ryan Litsey described the Joker as an example of a " Nietzschean Superman ," arguing that a fundamental aspect of Friedrich Nietzsche 's Superman , the "will to power," is exemplified in all of the Joker's actions, providing a master morality to Batman's slave morality.

The Joker's controlling and abusive relationship with Harley Quinn has been analyzed as a means of the Joker reinforcing his own belief in his power in a world where he may be killed or neutralized by another villain or Batman. Harley's co-creator, Paul Dini , describes their relationship as Harley being someone who makes the Joker feel better about himself, and who can do the work that he does not want to do himself.

The Joker is considered one of the most recognizable and iconic fictional characters in popular culture, [] [] [] one of the best comic villains, and one of the greatest villains of all time.

These debates weigh the positive stopping the Joker permanently against its effect on Batman's character and the possibility that he might begin killing all criminals. In , the Joker was number one on Wizard magazine's " Greatest Villains of All Time.

The Joker's popularity and his role as Batman's enemy has involved the character in most Batman -related media, from television to video games.

The character inspired theme-park roller coasters The Joker's Jinx , [] [] The Joker in Mexico and California , [] [] and The Joker Chaos Coaster , [] and featured in story-based rides such as Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.

Since —, the Joker has inspired a large number of internet memes , often focused on the character's portrayal in films see below. According to Steven T. Wright of The Outline , the character "came to symbolize the archetype of the ' edgelord ,' a vapid, self-styled provocateur who prides himself in his ability to ' trigger ' those who hold progressive viewpoints.

The phrase "We live in a society" is commonly associated with the Joker in memes, especially after the release of the trailers of the film Joker. The line garnered particular notoriety after a trailer for the film Zack Snyder's Justice League featured Joker saying the line.

The Joker is often featured as part of the "Gang Weed" meme, a satirical take on incels , " neckbeards " and " nice guys ", as well as cannabis and gamer culture. The Joker has appeared in a variety of media, including television series, animated and live-action films.

WorldCat a catalog of libraries in countries records over productions featuring the Joker as a subject, including films, books, and video games, [] and Batman films which feature the character are typically the most successful.

The role was a defining performance in Nicholson's career and was considered to overshadow Batman's, with film critic Roger Ebert saying that the audience must sometimes remind themselves not to root for the Joker.

Voiced by Mark Hamill , the Joker retained the darker tone of the comics in stories acceptable for young children. After Christopher Nolan 's successful Batman film reboot, Batman Begins , which ended with a teaser for the Joker 's involvement in a sequel, the character appeared in 's The Dark Knight , played by Heath Ledger as an avatar of anarchy and chaos.

The television series Gotham — explores the mythology of the Joker through twin brothers Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska , played by Cameron Monaghan. Although the film was controversial for its violence and portrayal of mental illness, Phoenix's performance received widespread acclaim.

The Joker has also been featured in video games. Hamill returned to voice the character in 's critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum , its equally praised sequel Batman: Arkham City and the multiplayer DC Universe Online. DC Universe , [] Injustice: Gods Among Us , [] its sequel Injustice 2 , [] and Mortal Kombat 11 Anthony Ingruber voices the Joker in Batman: The Telltale Series [] and its sequel Batman: The Enemy Within Contents move to sidebar hide.

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Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote. Supervillain in the DC Universe. For other characters called Joker or other uses of "The Joker", see Joker.

Comics character. Promotional artwork for Batman: Three Jokers , depicting the incarnations of the Joker from the Golden Age bottom , the Silver Age middle , and the Modern Age top.

Art by Jason Fabok. Bill Finger Bob Kane Jerry Robinson. Injustice League Legion of Doom Injustice Gang. left Jerry Robinson 's concept sketch of the Joker.

right Actor Conrad Veidt in character as Gwynplaine in The Man Who Laughs Veidt's grinning visage inspired the Joker design. See also: List of Batman family enemies. Main article: Batman: White Knight. Main article: The Batman Who Laughs.

See also: Elseworlds. Main article: Joker in other media. Mark Hamill has voiced the Joker in animation and video games since Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his interpretation of the character in 's The Dark Knight. Joaquin Phoenix won an Academy Award for his interpretation of the character in 's Joker.

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The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck

Joker - Duration The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck

The discussion around Joker centers on whether the movie scrutinizes or empathizes with its protagonist, whose acts of violence are born at least in part from feelings of rejection by women in his life.

The graphic novel The Killing Joke , written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland and John Higgins, offers what many comic-book fans call the definitive origin story of the Joker.

We see in flashbacks that the Joker had a wife and family before he was driven to madness. In the present-day, the Joker breaks out of Arkham Asylum and tortures Commissioner Gordon in an effort to prove that even the noblest people can be pushed to evil and madness, just as he was.

He then strips her down and takes naked pictures of her to show to her father. Feminists have critiqued the story for using Barbara as a plot device to motivate her father and Batman. The sexually explicit way in which Barbara is stripped of her power is particularly disturbing since such torture and humiliation is rarely imparted on male comic-book characters.

Controversy over the tale arose again when DC Entertainment adapted The Killing Joke into an R-rated animated film in The filmmakers conceded in interviews that Barbara had been a plot device in the original story.

The two characters had a father-daughter dynamic in the comics, but in The Killing Joke movie, Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon have sex on a rooftop before Barbara is maimed and abused by the Joker.

The new plot point only exacerbates the problematic portrayal of Barbara as a sexual object. Further, a new line written just for the movie implies that Joker also rapes Barbara in addition to taking naked pictures of her. Nicholson was a brilliant choice for the role, given his talent for expressing eerily manic behavior in movies like The Shining.

He played Joker as a man whose brain has gone haywire. That evolution, alone, stirred some controversy among critics. For better or worse, it is this portrayal that set the template for the versions to come.

The Dark Knight offered the world a particularly disturbing version of the Joker that rightfully won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar the following year.

Toward the end of the film, the Joker begins to tell a third version when Batman interrupts him and throws him off a ledge. The Joker, like a terrorist, is trying to seed confusion and chaos. Bill Finger , Bob Kane , and Jerry Robinson are credited with creating the Joker, but their accounts of the character's conception differ, each providing his own version of events.

Finger's, Kane's, and Robinson's versions acknowledge that Finger showed them an image of actor Conrad Veidt in character as Gwynplaine a man whose mouth is disfigured into a perpetual grin in the film The Man Who Laughs as an inspiration for the Joker's appearance, and Robinson produced a sketch of a joker playing card.

Robinson stated that it was his card sketch that served as the character's concept, and Finger associated that image with Veidt in the film. In a interview in The Amazing World of DC Comics , Robinson said he wanted a supreme arch-villain who could test Batman, not a typical crime lord or gangster designed to be easily disposed of.

He wanted an exotic, enduring character as an ongoing source of conflict for Batman, designing a diabolically sinister, but clownish, villain. He said that the name came first, followed by an image of a playing card from a deck he often had at hand: "I wanted somebody visually exciting.

I wanted somebody that would make an indelible impression, would be bizarre, would be memorable like the Hunchback of Notre Dame or any other villains that had unique physical characters.

Finger thought the concept was incomplete, providing the image of Veidt with a ghastly, permanent rictus grin. Kane countered that Robinson's sketch was produced only after Finger had already shown the Gwynplaine image to Kane, and that it was only used as a card design belonging to the Joker in his early appearances.

Bill Finger and I created the Joker. Bill was the writer. Jerry Robinson came to me with a playing card of the Joker. That's the way I sum it up. Bill Finger had a book with a photograph of Conrad Veidt and showed it to me and said, 'Here's the Joker. He brought in a playing card, which we used for a couple of issues for him [the Joker] to use as his playing card.

Robinson credited himself, Finger, and Kane for the Joker's creation. He said he created the character as Batman's larger-than-life nemesis when extra stories were quickly needed for Batman 1, and he received credit for the story in a college course: [12].

In that first meeting when I showed them that sketch of the Joker, Bill said it reminded him of Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs. That was the first mention of it He can be credited and Bob himself, we all played a role in it.

The concept was mine. Bill finished that first script from my outline of the persona and what should happen in the first story. He wrote the script of that, so he really was co-creator, and Bob and I did the visuals, so Bob was also. I got a call from Bob Kane He had a new villain. When I arrived he was holding a playing card.

Apparently Jerry Robinson or Bob, I don't recall who, looked at the card and they had an idea for a character the Joker. Bob made a rough sketch of it. At first it didn't look much like the Joker. It looked more like a clown. The volume I had was The Man Who Laughs — his face had been permanently operated on so that he will always have this perpetual grin.

And it looked absolutely weird. I cut the picture out of the book and gave it to Bob, who drew the profile and gave it a more sinister aspect.

Then he worked on the face; made him look a little clown -like, which accounted for his white face, red lips, green hair. And that was the Joker! Although Kane adamantly refused to share credit for many of his characters, and refuted Robinson's claim for the rest of his life, many comic historians credit Robinson with the Joker's creation and Finger with the character's development.

The Joker debuted in Batman 1 April as the eponymous character's first villain, about a year after Batman's debut in Detective Comics 27 May The Joker initially appeared as a serial killer and jewel thief, modeled after a joker playing card with a mirthless grin, who killed his victims with "Joker venom," a toxin that left their faces smiling grotesquely.

Finger wanted the Joker to die because of his concern that recurring villains would make Batman appear inept, but was overruled by then-editor Whitney Ellsworth ; a hastily drawn panel, indicating that the Joker was still alive, was added to the comic.

The character's regular appearances quickly defined him as the archenemy of Batman and Robin ; he killed dozens of people, and even derailed a train.

Around the same time, DC Comics found it easier to market its stories to children without the more mature pulp elements that had originated many superhero comics. During this period, the first changes in the Joker began to appear, portraying him as a wacky but harmless prankster; in one story, the Joker kidnaps Robin and Batman pays the ransom by check, meaning that the Joker cannot cash it without being arrested.

The cover of Detective Comics 69, known as "Double Guns" with the Joker emerging from a genie 's lamp, aiming two guns at Batman and Robin , is considered one of the greatest superhero comic covers of the Golden Age and is the only image from that era of the character using traditional guns.

Robinson said that other contemporary villains used guns, and the creative team wanted the Joker—as Batman's adversary—to be more resourceful. The Joker was one of the few popular villains continuing to appear regularly in Batman comics from the Golden Age into the Silver Age, as the series continued during the rise in popularity of mystery and romance comics.

In , Finger wrote an origin story for the Joker in Detective Comics , which introduced the characteristic of him formerly being the criminal Red Hood , and his disfigurement the result of a fall into a chemical vat.

By , the Comics Code Authority had been established in response to increasing public disapproval of comic book content. The backlash was inspired by Frederic Wertham , who hypothesized that mass media especially comic books was responsible for the rise in juvenile delinquency , violence and homosexuality , particularly in young males.

Parents forbade their children from reading comic books, and there were several mass burnings. The character appeared less frequently after , when Julius Schwartz who disliked the Joker became editor of the Batman comics. As the show's popularity waned, however, so did that of the Batman comics. In , after a four-year disappearance, [2] the Joker was revived and revised by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams.

Beginning with Batman 's "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge", the character returns to his roots as a homicidal maniac who matches wits with Batman. I went to the DC library and read some of the early stories.

I tried to get a sense of what Kane and Finger were after. DC Comics was a hotbed of experimentation during the s, and in the character became the first villain to feature as the title character in a comic book series, The Joker.

Although he murdered thugs and civilians, he never fought Batman; this made The Joker a series in which the character's villainy prevailed over rival villains, instead of a struggle between good and evil.

The series never found an audience, and The Joker was canceled after nine issues despite a "next issue" advertisement for an appearance by the Justice League. In , DC Comics reissued the series as a trade paperback. When Jenette Kahn became DC editor in , she redeveloped the company's struggling titles; during her tenure, the Joker would become one of DC's most popular characters.

In "The Laughing Fish", the Joker disfigures fish with a rictus grin resembling his own expecting copyright protection , and is unable to understand that copyrighting a natural resource is legally impossible. I really wanted to get back to the idea of Batman fighting insane murderers at 3 a.

under the full moon, as the clouds scuttled by. Years after the end of the television series, sales of Batman continued to fall and the title was nearly cancelled.

Although the s restored the Joker as Batman's insane, lethal archenemy, it was during the s that the Batman series started to turn around and the Joker came into his own as part of the "Dark Age" of comics, with mature tales of death and destruction.

The shift was criticized for moving away from tamer superheroes and villains , but comic audiences were no longer primarily children.

In the —89 story arc " A Death in the Family ", the Joker murders Batman's sidekick the second Robin, Jason Todd. Todd was unpopular with fans; rather than modify his character, DC opted to let them vote for his fate and a vote plurality had the Joker beat Todd to death with a crowbar.

This story altered the Batman universe: instead of killing anonymous bystanders, the Joker murdered a core character; this had a lasting effect on future stories. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland 's graphic novel The Killing Joke expands on the Joker's origins, describing the character as a failed comedian who adopts the identity of the Red Hood to support his pregnant wife.

The animated series introduced the Joker's female sidekick: Harley Quinn , a psychiatrist who falls for—and ends up in an abusive relationship with—the Joker, becoming his supervillain accomplice. The character was popular, and was adapted into the comics as the Joker's romantic interest in Breyfogle conceived the idea as a means to expand on Anarky's characterization, but O'Neil by then the editor for the Batman series of books was opposed to it, and only allowed it to be written under protest, and with a promise that the revelation would eventually be revealed incorrect.

However, the Anarky series was cancelled before the rebuttal could be published. The story arc explores the symbiotic relationship between the Joker and Batman, and sees the villain shatter the trust between Batman and his adopted family.

The conclusion of the " Joker War " storyline by writer James Tynion IV and artist Jorge Jiménez sees the Joker leave Gotham after Batman chooses to let him die. The Joker has undergone many revisions since his debut. The most common interpretation of the character is that of a man who, while disguised as the criminal Red Hood, is pursued by Batman and falls into a vat of chemicals that bleaches his skin, colors his hair green and his lips red, and drives him insane.

The reasons why the Joker was disguised as the Red Hood and his identity before his transformation have changed over time.

The character was introduced in Batman 1 , in which he announces that he will kill three of Gotham's prominent citizens. Although the police protect his first announced victim, millionaire Henry Claridge, the Joker had poisoned him before making his announcement and Claridge dies with a ghastly grin on his face.

Batman eventually defeats him, sending him to prison. His resulting disfigurement drove him insane and led him to adopt the name "Joker", from the playing card figure he came to resemble. In this story, the Joker is obsessed with maintaining his illusion of wealth and celebrity as a criminal folk hero , afraid to let Gotham's citizens know that he is penniless and was tricked out of his fortune.

Batman: The Killing Joke built on the Joker's origin story, portraying him as a failed comedian who participates in a robbery as the Red Hood to support his pregnant wife.

Batman arrives to stop the robbery, provoking the terrified comedian into jumping into a vat of chemicals, which dyes his skin chalk-white, his hair green, and his lips bright red. His disfigurement, combined with the trauma of his wife's earlier accidental death, drives him insane, and results in the birth of the Joker.

Although the Joker refuses, he shows his appreciation by sharing a joke with Batman. In the story "A Death in the Family", the Joker beats Jason Todd , the second Robin , with a crowbar and leaves him to die in an explosion. Todd's death haunts Batman, and for the first time he seriously considers killing the Joker.

membership, he is defeated by Batman and Superman. In the " No Man's Land " storyline, the Joker murders Commissioner Gordon's second wife, Sarah , as she shields a group of infants. The Joker, lamenting that he may never walk again, collapses with laughter when he realizes that the commissioner has avenged Barbara's paralysis.

The s began with the crossover story "Emperor Joker", in which the Joker steals Mister Mxyzptlk 's reality-altering power and remakes the universe in his image torturing and killing Batman daily, before resurrecting him. When the supervillain then tries to destroy the universe, his reluctance to eliminate Batman makes him lose control, and Superman defeats him.

Instead, the Joker flanked by an army of "Jokerized" supervillains launches a final crime spree. Believing that Robin Tim Drake has been killed in the chaos, Dick Grayson beats the Joker to death although Batman revives his foe to keep Grayson from becoming a murderer , and the villain succeeds in making a member of the Bat-family break their rule against killing.

In " Under the Hood " , a resurrected Todd tries to force Batman to avenge his death by killing the Joker. Batman refuses, arguing that if he allowed himself to kill the Joker, he would not be able to stop himself from killing other criminals.

in Infinite Crisis for excluding him from the Secret Society of Super Villains , which considers him too unpredictable for membership.

The supervillain returns in "The Clown at Midnight" as an enigmatic force who awakens and tries to kill Harley Quinn to prove to Batman that he has become more than human. When the Joker escapes, he attacks the Black Glove, burying its leader Simon Hurt alive after the supervillain considers him a failure as an opponent; the Joker is then defeated by the recently returned Batman.

In DC's The New 52 , a relaunch of its titles following Flashpoint , the Joker has his own face cut off. During the " Darkseid War " — storyline, Batman uses Metron 's Mobius Chair to find out the Joker's real name; the chair's answer leaves Batman in disbelief.

In the DC Universe: Rebirth one-shot, Batman informs Hal Jordan that the chair told him there were three individual Jokers, not just one. Three Jokers reveals that the three Jokers, who work in tandem, include "The Criminal", a methodical mastermind based on the Golden Age Joker; "The Clown", a goofy prankster based on the Silver Age Joker; and "The Comedian", a sadistic psychopath based on the Modern Age Joker.

The miniseries ends with the revelation that Batman knows the Joker's true identity. That doesn't seem to matter—just how he is now. I never intended to give a reason for his appearance. We discussed that and Bill [Finger] and I never wanted to change it at that time.

I thought—and he agreed—that it takes away some of the essential mystery. Although a number of backstories have been given, a definitive one has never been established for the Joker. An unreliable narrator , the character is uncertain of who he was before and how he became the Joker: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!

He falls into a vat of chemical waste when his heist is thwarted by Batman, emerging with bleached white skin, red lips, green hair and a permanent grin.

This story was the basis for the most often-cited origin tale, Moore's one-shot The Killing Joke. Desperate to support his pregnant wife, he agrees to help two criminals commit a robbery as the Red Hood. The heist goes awry; the comedian leaps into a chemical vat to escape Batman, surfacing disfigured.

This, combined with the earlier accidental death of his wife and unborn child, drives the comedian insane, turning him into the Joker.

The miniseries also reveals that Batman knows the Joker's identity, and has kept it secret in order to protect the criminal's wife and son. However, the Joker's unreliable memory has allowed writers to develop other origins for the character.

He has his fateful first meeting with Batman, which results in his disfigurement. It is suggested that the Joker is sane, and researches his crimes to look like the work of a sick mind in order to avoid the death penalty.

In Batman Confidential 7—12, the character Jack is a career criminal who is bored with his work. He encounters and becomes obsessed with Batman during a heist, embarking on a crime spree to attract the Caped Crusader's attention.

After Jack injures Batman's girlfriend, Batman scars Jack's face with a permanent grin and betrays him to a group of mobsters, who torture him in a chemical plant. Jack escapes, but falls into an empty vat as gunfire punctures chemical tanks above him.

The flood of chemicals used in anti-psychotic medication alters his appearance and completes his transformation. Renowned as Batman's greatest enemy, [] [] [] [] the Joker is known by a number of nicknames, including the Clown Prince of Crime, the Harlequin of Hate, the Ace of Knaves, and the Jester of Genocide.

The original, dominant image is that of a psychopath [] with genius-level intelligence and a warped, sadistic sense of humor. This appearance is such a fundamental aspect of the character that when the animated series The Batman placed the Joker in a straitjacket, it quickly redesigned him in his familiar suit.

The Joker is obsessed with Batman, the pair representing a yin-yang of opposing dark and light force, although it is the Joker who represents humor and color and Batman who dwells in the dark. Spectacle is more important than success for the Joker, and if it is not spectacular it is boring.

Despite this body count, he is always found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Arkham Asylum , avoiding the death penalty. The Joker displays no instinct for self-preservation, and is willing to die to prove his point that anyone could become like him after "one bad day".

The Joker's main characteristic is his apparent insanity, although he is not described as having any particular psychological disorder. Like a psychopath, he lacks empathy, a conscience, and concern over right and wrong. In Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth , the Joker is described as capable of processing outside sensory information only by adapting to it.

This enables him to create a new personality every day depending on what would benefit him and explains why, at different times, he is a mischievous clown or a psychopathic killer.

The Killing Joke in which the Joker is the unreliable narrator explains the roots of his insanity as "one bad day": losing his wife and unborn child and being disfigured by chemicals, paralleling Batman's origin in the loss of his parents.

He tries and fails to prove that anyone can become like him after one bad day by torturing Commissioner Gordon, physically and psychologically. Englehart's "The Laughing Fish" demonstrates the character's illogical nature: trying to copyright fish that bear his face, and not understanding why threatening the copyright clerk cannot produce the desired result.

The Joker is alternatively depicted as sexual and asexual. Frank Miller interpreted the character as fixated on death and uninterested in sexual relationships, while Robinson believed that the Joker is capable of a romantic relationship.

Harley loves him, but the Joker does not reciprocate her feelings, chiding her for distracting him from other plans. Snyder's "Death of the Family" describes the Joker as in love with Batman, although not in a traditionally romantic way.

The Joker believes that Batman has not killed him because he makes Batman better and he loves the villain for that. The Joker is often depicted as defining his existence through his conflict with Batman.

In 's "Going Sane", the villain tries to lead a normal life after Batman's apparent death, only to become his old self again when Batman reappears; in "Emperor Joker", an apparently omnipotent Joker cannot destroy Batman without undoing himself.

Since the Joker is simply "the Joker", he believes that Batman is "Batman" with or without the costume and has no interest in what is behind Batman's mask, ignoring opportunities to learn Batman's secret identity.

The Joker is portrayed as having no fear; when fellow supervillain Scarecrow doses him with fear toxin in Knightfall , the Joker merely laughs and says "Boo! At these moments, the Joker is depicted as expressing remorse for his crimes; [] [] however, during a medically induced period of partial sanity in Batman: Cacophony , he tells Batman, "I don't hate you 'cause I'm crazy.

I'm crazy 'cause I hate you," and confirms that he will only stop killing when Batman is dead. The Joker has no inherent superhuman abilities. The flower in his lapel sprays acid, and his hand often holds a lethal joy buzzer conducting a million volts of electricity, although both items were introduced in as harmless joke items.

The Joker has used venom since his debut; only he knows the formula, and is shown to be gifted enough to manufacture the toxin from ordinary household chemicals. Another version of the venom used in Joker: Last Laugh makes its victims resemble the Joker, susceptible to his orders. The character's arsenal is inspired by his nemesis' weaponry, such as batarangs.

In "The Joker's Utility Belt" , he mimicked Batman's utility belt with non-lethal items, such as Mexican jumping beans and sneezing powder. His technical genius is not limited by practicality, allowing him to hijack Gotham's television airwaves to issue threats, transform buildings into death traps, launch a gas attack on the city and rain poisoned glass shards on its citizens from an airship.

The Joker is portrayed as skilled in melee combat, from his initial appearances when he defeats Batman in a sword fight nearly killing him , and others when he overwhelms Batman but declines to kill him. The Joker's unpredictable, homicidal nature makes him one of the most feared supervillains in the DC Universe; the Trickster says in the miniseries Underworld Unleashed , "When super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories.

He has collaborated with criminals like the Penguin , the Riddler , and Two-Face , although these partnerships rarely end well due to the Joker's desire for unbridled chaos, and he uses his stature to lead others such as Killer Croc and the Scarecrow.

Although they have a friendly partnership in 's World's Finest Comics 88, later unions emphasized their mutual hostility and clashing egos. Despite his tendency to kill subordinates on a whim, the Joker has no difficulty attracting henchmen with a seemingly infinite cash supply and intimidation; they are too afraid of their employer to refuse his demands that they wear red clown noses or laugh at his macabre jokes.

They have a classic abusive relationship ; even though the Joker constantly insults, hurts, and even tries to kill Harley, she always returns to him, convinced that he loves her.

Although his chief obsession is Batman, the character has occasionally ventured outside Gotham City to fight Batman's superhero allies.

In "To Laugh and Die in Metropolis" the character kidnaps Lois Lane , distracting Superman with a nuclear weapon. The story is notable for the Joker taking on a relative god and the ease with which Superman defeats him—it took only 17 pages.

Asked why he came to Metropolis, the Joker replies simply: "Oh Superman, why not? A number of alternate universes in DC Comics publications allow writers to introduce variations on the Joker, in which the character's origins, behavior, and morality differ from the mainstream setting.

Amalgam Comics is a —98 shared imprint of DC Comics and Marvel Comics , which features characters that are composites of DC and Marvel characters. The Hyena Creed H. Quinn is a composite of DC's Joker and Marvel's Sabretooth. He is the nemesis of the Dark Claw Logan Wayne , a composite of Batman and Marvel's Wolverine.

Hyena, like Wayne, is a mutant with the ability to rapidly heal injuries. The two were both subjects of the Weapon X program, an attempt to create "living weapons".

Hyena used his enhancements to become a psychopathic killer. The Hyena first appeared in Legends of the Dark Claw 1 April In the timeline of Batman Beyond , set in the DC animated universe after the events of the film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker , the Joker remains deceased.

In the Justice League Beyond arc "Flashdrive" his corpse appears in a flashback, set immediately after his death at the hands of Tim Drake in Return of the Joker , being buried beneath Arkham Asylum by Batman and James Gordon.

The Joker's death is shown to be the catalyst for Barbara Gordon 's retirement as Batgirl besides Drake's eventual retirement as Robin. The Joker helped free the original Dark Judges in exchange for immortality.

He received his payment by having his spirit merged into a corpse which was not quite the "immortality" he had sought , creating "Judge Joker". As a Dark Judge, the Joker could kill masses of people with his laugh, which caused human heads to explode.

His tenure was a brief one, as he quickly became bored with slaughter simply for its own sake and did not share the original Dark Judges' fanatical zeal for their "sacred mission" of purging all life. The Joker was restored to his normal, mortal form upon returning to Gotham City via a defective dimensional jump device.

Despite almost killing Batman, he is quickly knocked out by Donatello. In the miniseries Batman: Damned , printed under the DC Black Label , the Joker's death is the center of the story. The circumstances are left unclear, though it occurred after a confrontation with Batman led to both of them tumbling over a bridge.

The Joker's body is later discovered by police, having washed up on shore, while Batman is severely injured and disoriented. The Joker is introduced towards the end of Volume Three of the graphic novel series Batman: Earth One.

In this version, he is suggested to be the one responsible for the Flying Graysons' demise, and frees Toyman from police custody in order to enlist him for his future plans. In this alternate reality, the Joker mocks Batman's attitude towards his "crusade" for justice, claiming that Batman's actions amount to nothing but an attempt to control his world and the Joker simply gives him the opportunity to express this rage.

Disgusted at this claim, Batman force-feeds the Joker a bottle of pills that the villain had just stolen, but the overdose has the unexpected side effect of restoring the Joker to sanity, as well as remembering his former identity of Jack Napier , prompting him to "order" the GCPD to either charge Batman for assault, or he would sue the department for complicity in Batman's abuse of prisoners.

The s series Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew presented the parallel Earth of "Earth-C", a world populated by talking animal superheroes.

Captain Carrot, in his secret identity of Roger Rodney Rabbit, is the creator of the superhero comic Just'a Lotta Animals a cartoon-animal version of the Justice League of America.

Captain Carrot and the Zoo eventually discover the characters in Rodney's comics actually live on "Earth-C-Minus", in yet another alternate universe. There, the Porker, a pig analog of the Joker, is the nemesis of the Batmouse. Joker's history on Earth-Two is the same as his Golden Age history.

King Kull later recruited Joker of Earth-Two to assist Weeper II of Earth-S, Doctor Light of Earth-One, and Shade of Earth-One in order to trap one side of Earth-S in darkness. Joker did show Weeper II how he commits his crimes on Earth-Two. Their plot was defeated by Batman and Robin of Earth-Two, Mr.

Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid of Earth-S, and Hawkman and Hawkgirl of Earth-One. After Batman had died from terminal cancer, Joker refused to believe that his archenemy is dead.

Dick Grayson posed as Batman to mesmerize Joker enough for Huntress to apprehend him. When Nicholas Lucien came out of a coma following his last fight with Batman, he found himself incarcerated at Gotham State Penitentiary where Joker became his cellmate.

Lucien planned to have his revenge on Batman only to be told by Joker that Batman is dead. The Joker of the Post- 52 Earth-2 is depicted as an old man, frail and wheelchair-reliant after a lifetime of exposure to deadly chemicals, and ironically unable to laugh without hurting himself.

After disfiguring the Huntress's boyfriend, Harry Simms, in an attempt to create a replacement for the deceased Two-Face , he is tracked down by the vengeful heroine. The Joker attempts to kill the Huntress with a lethal joy buzzer , but the attack is intercepted by Power Girl , and the Joker is himself electrocuted as a result.

The Joker of Earth-3 is a hero operating under the alias of the Jokester, and first appeared in Countdown 32 Sep He is the nemesis of Owlman , a villainous version of Batman.

Jokester and his daughter Duela Dent are killed by the rogue Monitor Solomon. The Joker of Earth-9 in the DC Comics imprint Tangent Comics is a female hero who uses her array of jokes and comical devices to mock the evil tyrant Superman 's authority. This Joker is actually three women: student Mary Marvel , entrepreneur Christie Xanadu , and reporter Lori Lemaris , all of whom take turns wearing the Joker costume.

Mary is captured by the Tangent Superman and tortured into revealing the identities of the other two before she is killed. Lemaris is sent to prison and Christina's fate is left unknown.

Lemaris is later re-offered the Joker mantle, but instead chooses to take up that of her fallen comrade, Manhunter. On this alternate Earth, the children of metahuman heroes and villains have been forced into apparent retirement due to the efficiency of Superman robots.

In the timeline of Batman: The Brave and the Bold , set outside the DC animated universe, the character operates as the hero the Red Hood , escaping the clutches of the villainous Batman counterpart Owlman.

On Earth of the Dark Multiverse , the Joker discovers Batman's secret identity. He slaughters most of Batman's other rogues, as well as Commissioner Gordon, and then infects a sizeable portion of Gotham's population with the same chemicals that transformed him, subsequently killing several parents in front of their children with the goal of creating a gathering of children that were essentially a combination of himself and Batman.

As Batman grapples with the Joker, the Joker finally dies from the chemicals that had originally transformed him. As he dies, his decaying body infects Batman with a virus that gradually transforms him into a new Joker. By the time the Batman realizes this, the process is too advanced for him to find a cure.

Batman kills most of his allies and transforms Damian into a mini-Joker before turning on the rest of the Justice League and then conquering the world. The Joker mockingly notes that even an insane Batman can only plan for scenarios that he believes are possible, and an alliance between the Joker and the Batman is the one thing the Batman Who Laughs could never have considered.

In , " The New 52 " rebooted the DC continuity. On Earth 2, Joker is a dangerous criminal who is imprisoned in a stasis chamber at Arkham Base. When Batman entered Arkham base to look for inmates to aid him, he shot Joker in the head. Elseworlds titles are stories that take place in their own separate continuities and often feature different interpretations of mainstream continuity characters.

Although he successfully coordinates their efforts to take control of Gotham's major crime families, the now-vampire Batman aided by were-cat Selina Kyle is able to destroy the Joker's minions.

Unfortunately, Selina is killed in the final battle with the Joker's vampires, with her death causing Batman to succumb to his lust for blood and drink from the Joker. Although he stakes his foe to prevent him from coming back as a vampire, Batman is left tormented by the knowledge that the Joker won their long conflict by driving him to kill, often reflecting that he is damned by Dracula's bite and the Joker's blood in equal measure as he surrenders to his vampire side and turns on his old enemies.

The classic Joker origin as depicted in The Killing Joke is referenced, but averted by Green Lantern Bruce Wayne; after being arrested, the Red Hood says he has "had a really bad day", and Bruce counters by saying that that is no excuse, because everyone has terrible days, which shames the Hood into apologizing.

In Batman: Leatherwing , the Joker is represented as the "Laughing Man" , the deformed and insane pirate captain of the ship Pescador. He is the adversary of Captain Leatherwing, a Batman analogue. In Batman: Nosferatu , the Joker appears as the Laughing Man , a monstrous cyborg created by the experiments of the depraved Dr.

Arkham, who uses him as an assassin. This version of the Joker ironically ends up creating this world's Batman after an assassination attempt on Bruce Wayne's counterpart. In Batman: Two Faces , the Joker is not an independent entity, but a shared identity created when a potion created by Bruce Wayne to give himself superhuman strength also creates a new personality, Bruce alternating randomly between himself and the Joker, his Batman identity fighting crime, while the Joker commits murders.

After he realizes the truth and confesses to his allies, Bruce, unable to cure himself, allows himself to fall off a building to stop the Joker once and for all.

The Joker cameos in Gotham by Gaslight as a serial killer who, having married and poisoned at least 10 women, tries to commit suicide with strychnine when he is caught, leaving him with a permanent grin.

In JLA: The Nail , the Joker is provided with Kryptonian gauntlets and launches an attack on Arkham Asylum, forcing most of the inmates to fight each other before brutally murdering Batgirl and Robin while forcing Batman to watch. Catwoman distracts Joker long enough for Batman to escape, but the traumatised Batman subsequently kills the Joker in a rage.

During JLA: Another Nail , Batman encounters the Joker in the afterlife when dimensional anomalies allow him to escape from Hell, briefly attempting to sacrifice himself to ensure that the Joker will remain trapped, but Robin and Batgirl's spirit halts Batman's attempted sacrifice and gives him the strength to move on from his guilt.

In , the Joker and Lex Luthor kidnap a pregnant Lois Lane and expose her to gold kryptonite ; this renders her first-born child a normal human. The Joker kills the second Batman an adult Dick Grayson before revealing his true identity to the police as he gloats about how he has finally killed Batman, but Bruce Junior, Bruce Wayne's son and Grayson's Robin, manages to switch costumes with his mentor to create the impression that the Joker killed Robin rather than Batman.

Learning that his enemy is about to die of old age, the now-retired Bruce Wayne dons the cape and cowl for a final visit to the Joker's deathbed.

Batman rejects the Joker's request to learn his true identity, on the grounds that the Joker is the last man that he would want to bring peace to. This Elseworlds story Superman: Speeding Bullets is set on an Earth where baby Kal-El was adopted by Thomas and Martha Wayne and raised as Bruce Wayne.

When Bruce's parents are killed, he becomes the ruthless vigilante Batman. Batman's nemesis is Lex Luthor who, in this reality, was injured in the same type of chemical accident that created the main universe Joker. The accident also drives Luthor insane, and he attempts to destroy Gotham City with an army of thugs, but is stopped by Batman.

In the Elseworlds miniseries Batman: Thrillkiller Jan. Steeplechase poisons Robin, masquerades as the mayor's wife, abducts and tortures Bruce Wayne, and is in a lesbian relationship with Earth's Harley Quinn.

Bianca is killed by Batgirl, drowning in the Gotham River. In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Martha Wayne is the Joker and even resembles Heath Ledger 's portrayal as seen in The Dark Knight.

After Bruce Wayne is shot and killed by Joe Chill, Martha is unable to cope with her loss, so she cuts open her cheeks to create a faux smile. As the Joker, she is the nemesis of Batman and uses Yo-Yo as a henchman. She kidnaps Harvey Dent 's son and daughter. The Joker kills James Gordon after she tricks Gordon into shooting Harvey's daughter disguised as the Joker.

After Dent's son and daughter are saved, Batman confronts the Joker [] about their son's death. As Batman has recently met Barry Allen , Martha learns that there is a way to rewrite history where Bruce will live, although they will die.

Realizing that her son will be Batman in that timeline, Martha flees in horror, falling to her death in the caverns below Wayne Manor. In this spin-off of the online game , the Joker tires of his unsuccessful fight with Batman, and decides to attack Superman.

He and Harley Quinn kill Jimmy Olsen and abduct Lois Lane who is pregnant with Superman's child. They place a stolen nuclear warhead within Metropolis with a deadman switch wired to Lois. After exposing Superman to kryptonite -laced fear toxin stolen from the Scarecrow , Superman mistakes Lois for Doomsday and kills her.

Metropolis is destroyed in the subsequent nuclear detonation. A grief-stricken and vengeful Superman confronts the captured Joker, who states that he will just escape to commit more crimes and taunts Superman about not finding love and happiness again, saying he will take it again from him.

Enraged beyond words, Superman kills the Joker and establishes the Regime, intent on eliminating crime through any means necessary.

In the Year Three comic series, Superman is placed into a magical sleep where he imagines events playing out differently. Keyboard Shortcuts. Login to report an issue. You need to be logged in to continue. Click here to login or here to sign up. Sign up and join the community. Available to Rent or Buy Watch Now.

Put on a happy face. Overview During the s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure. Top Billed Cast. Social Reviews 18 Discussions

Joker - Duration The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck

It was maybe all for naught: the Joker was largely cut out of the already haphazardly edited film. Later, he murders a man who tries to flirt with her. These scenes did not appear in the final cut.

Director David Ayer has defended the original script as a journey of independence and empowerment for Harley, who eventually rejects the Joker.

For better or worse, the Joker being largely cut out of the film helped to maintain his status as a mysterious onscreen figure.

His motivations — besides his unhealthy obsession with Harley — go largely unexplained. Like The Killing Joke before it, Joker tries to explain the enigmatic villain. He has mental health issues. He is treated poorly by people around him because of these issues.

He feels abandoned by a father he never knew, infatuated with the mother who stayed. He stalks a woman and feels rejected by her. Eventually, he gets his hands on a gun and wreaks havoc.

A lot has changed in the decade since The Dark Knight premiered, including the kinds of threats Americans fear most. Home-grown terrorism has become an epidemic , with mass shootings carried out by disgruntled young men, often misogynists and domestic abusers with a history of violence toward women.

The audience of Joker , it appears, is either supposed to empathize with a disillusioned shooter or at least understand why he committed acts of violence.

Now that mass audiences finally have a chance to see the film, after more than a month of critical debate online, they can decide for themselves how far to extend their empathy.

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TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. stream rent buy Not available. Not available. Director Todd Phillips. Release Date October 2, Studio s Warner Bros.

Cast Joaquin Phoenix , Robert De Niro , Zazie Beetz , Frances Conroy , Brett Cullen , Shea Whigham. Writers Todd Phillips , Scott Silver. Runtime minutes. Franchise s DC , Joker. Sequel s Joker: Folie a Deux. By Kai Young Feb 18, Joker: Folie à Deux By Nicolas Ayala Jan 18, By Felipe Rangel Dec 26, By Felipe Rangel Dec 24, Napoleon By Lukas Shayo Oct 8, By Felipe Rangel Oct 3, By Padraig Cotter Aug 31, By Dashiel Reaves Jul 18, By Marcelo Leite Jul 4, By Dashiel Reaves Jun 25, By Dashiel Reaves Jun 20, By Kai Young Jun 18, By Dashiel Reaves Jun 11, By Adrienne Tyler Jun 6,

“Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's The Joker is a supervillain and the archenemy of Batman. First introduced in Batman #1 (Spring ), he was originally a criminal mastermind with a devious: Joker

Paul Dini Joker Jkker Karl Kesel Jojer Dodson Amanda Conner Jimmy Joker. Bloomberg News. In joker gaming slot story "A Death in jlker Family", the Joker beats Jason Toddthe second Robinwith a crowbar and leaves him to die in an explosion. In Grant Morrison 's —15 miniseries The Multiversitythis alternate Earth is given the designation Earth Box office Edit.	Retrieved October 8, Batman Begins soundtrack video game The Dark Knight soundtrack canceled video game The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack. As the show's popularity waned, however, so did that of the Batman comics. Crime Drama Thriller. Overview During the s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure. Retrieved April 15,	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck	Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker acts as an origin story for Batman's most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-on-his-luck clown who is Brendan Gleeson is confirmed to be joining the cast of the “Joker” sequel. While there is no word yet whom Gleeson will be playing, Deadline The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson	During the s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic The film, loosely based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joker. Set in , it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring stand-up Duration
In most joker roles, the Joker is joket given a high-pitched, comical, jokfr, silly, and joker voice that occasionally stoops down to joker slight growl, in accordance to his joker joksr joker maniacal personality, with the only jpker exceptions being his great win casino no deposit bonus in Batman: Under the Red Hood and the Tim Burton Batman film, both of which give him a comparatively deeper, though still humorous voice. Though many have been related, a definitive history of the Joker has never been established in the comics, and his true name has never been confirmed. All Rights Reserved. Retrieved October 17, He wanted an exotic, enduring character as an ongoing source of conflict for Batman, designing a diabolically sinister, but clownish, villain. Manning, Matthew K.	Snyder's "Death of the Family" describes the Joker as in love with Batman, although not in a traditionally romantic way. In the " No Man's Land " storyline, the Joker murders Commissioner Gordon's second wife, Sarah , as she shields a group of infants. The film received polarizing reviews from critics, with praise directed toward the screenplay, musical score, cinematography and Phoenix's performance, while the tone, portrayal of mental illness, and lack of originality polarized critics. The Joker is introduced towards the end of Volume Three of the graphic novel series Batman: Earth One. Retrieved October 17, Archived from the original on July 9,	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck	The Joker is a supervillain and the archenemy of Batman. First introduced in Batman #1 (Spring ), he was originally a criminal mastermind with a devious Duration In Gotham City, a struggling, mentally ill comic battles to be seen. His life takes a dark, gut-wrenching turn after he lashes back at attackers	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck
Oprah jooer to Exit WeightWatchers Jooker After Joler Announced Use cherry jackpot Weight-Loss Drug, joker. EN Joked supported English Joker States Joker jkker Français Esport betting sites Joker France Deutsch Deutschland हिंदी jokfr Italiano Italia Português Brasil Español España Español Joker. In Grant Joker 's joker miniseries The Multiversityjoker alternate Earth joker given the designation Earth London, England: Dennis Publishing. Controversy over the tale arose again when DC Entertainment adapted The Killing Joke into an R-rated animated film in However, with Batman foiling his every comically-ridden crime, he feels he may never get that chance, so he attempts constantly to prove himself to Batman as special, so maybe the Dark Knight will leave him be. Masters added that Leto's irritation was what caused him to end his association with Creative Artists Agency CAAas he believed "his agents should have told him about the Phillips project earlier and fought harder for his version of Joker".	Click here to login or here to sign up. Bruce Wayne James Gordon Selina Kyle Fish Mooney Oswald Cobblepot Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska. DC NFTS. Archived from the original on October 12, Archived from the original on November 16,	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Joker: Folie à Deux: Directed by Todd Phillips. With Ken Leung, Zazie Beetz, Joaquin Phoenix, Catherine Keener. Sequel to the film "Joker" from To understand why the new Joaquin Phoenix-fronted Joker movie is so controversial, we have to look back on the character's history	In Gotham City, a struggling, mentally ill comic battles to be seen. His life takes a dark, gut-wrenching turn after he lashes back at attackers Movie Info · Rating: R (Disturbing Behavior|Brief Sexual Images|Language|Strong Bloody Violence) · Genre: Crime, Drama · Original Language: English · Director Joker: Folie à Deux: Directed by Todd Phillips. With Ken Leung, Zazie Beetz, Joaquin Phoenix, Catherine Keener. Sequel to the film "Joker" from
January 6, For other jojer, joker The Joker disambiguation. The Joker. The joer focuses joker the fate of Batman in this world, with the Joker torturing and killing his adversary every day, only to bring him back to life and do it over and over again. Powered by Alexa. Vanity Fair. Color Color.	Joker uses various tricks to escape Carnage and blows up his hideout in an attempt to kill Carnage. Will the Joker be set on the West Coast? Adult Film Star Knockout Claims Explicit Photos Used In Diddy Lawsuit Are Of Him, Not Stevie J. Bill Finger Bob Kane Jerry Robinson. Joaquin Phoenix. Driven over the edge with obsession, she becomes the criminal Harley Quinn and the Joker's closest sidekick. Leaked on-set footage appeared to confirm the threat of show tunes.	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck	Joker: Folie à Deux: Directed by Todd Phillips. With Ken Leung, Zazie Beetz, Joaquin Phoenix, Catherine Keener. Sequel to the film "Joker" from Its upcoming sequel, on the other hand, treads down different steps. Folie à Deux will be a musical fantasia starring pop icon Lady Gaga During the s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic	A homicidal artist and an agent of chaos, the Clown Prince of Crime is the embodiment of everything Batman fights against and everything he fears To understand why the new Joaquin Phoenix-fronted Joker movie is so controversial, we have to look back on the character's history The Joker is a supervillain and the archenemy of Batman. First introduced in Batman #1 (Spring ), he was originally a criminal mastermind with a devious
Quotes Arthur Fleck : [written jiker notebook] Jokee worst part of having a joker illness is people expect joker to behave joker if you joker. In the miniseries Batman: Damnedprinted under the DC Black Labelthe Joker's death is the center of the story. com, Inc. May 23, Amanda Waller Black Adam Captain Cold Frankenstein Jonah Hex Killer Frost Larfleeze Lobo Harley Quinn Poison Ivy Star Sapphire Suicide Squad.	Archived from the original on November 1, This version of the Joker ironically ends up creating this world's Batman after an assassination attempt on Bruce Wayne's counterpart. Clown makeup was drawn with a classic, antique feel, with darker colors and tones and menacing eyebrows. When Warner Bros. By , the Joker was indisputably one of the most dangerous and insane villains in DC's entire universe.	The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's “Joker” centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck	Own #JokerMovie on Digital and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray now The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson To understand why the new Joaquin Phoenix-fronted Joker movie is so controversial, we have to look back on the character's history	Brendan Gleeson is confirmed to be joining the cast of the “Joker” sequel. While there is no word yet whom Gleeson will be playing, Deadline Its upcoming sequel, on the other hand, treads down different steps. Folie à Deux will be a musical fantasia starring pop icon Lady Gaga Joker () During the s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous

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