If there is a legendary supervillain, capable of facing Batman and succeeding almost always, that is the Joker . The archenemy of the Dark Knight is a criminal and unbalanced genius, capable of the greatest atrocities and, if you want to know everything about the Joker , we bring you this complete guide that answers the biggest questions about the character: Who is the Joker ? Does he have superpowers? What are your most outstanding achievements?
We answer these questions, and many more, about one of the most fascinating comic book characters in history.
who is the joker
Although in many stories ( Todd Philips’ Joker , Tim Burton’s Batman or the Gotham series) the origin of the Joker has been explored and various identities assigned to him, in reality, this is the biggest question about the character.
Officially, the Joker has not been given a specific name or identity in DC comics . No one knows who he is except Batman, who jealously guards the secret.
The closest we’ve come to figuring out the Joker’s identity is when, in the War Against Darkseid story arc, Batman sits on the Mobius chair and asks about this. The chair insists that there are actually 3 jokers , hinting that one of them created the other two, but not clarifying which one is the original.
The continuation of the story is that Batman ends up knowing the identity, but cannot reveal the Joker’s name to protect his family, which he helps hide from him by faking their deaths. If it were leaked, the press would find out about the family and the Joker could go after them.
Comment that, in the alternate universe of the Batman: Curse of the White Knight storyline, the Joker’s identity is that of Jack Napier , the same name used by Tim Burton in his first Batman movie.
origins
Although Batman first appeared in Detective Comics , when Detective Comics got his own series a year later, the Dark Knight debuted against the Joker in Batman #1.
There he is presented to us as a serial thief and murderer, with a deformed smile similar to the joker in a deck of poker. Although he was expected to die immediately (if he ran away all the time, he left Batman useless), in the end he became a recurring enemy, until rising as the most legendary.
How the Joker is born has also been the subject of various reviews. Introduced as the criminal Red Hood , Batman pursues him until the villain falls into a vat of chemicals that bleach his skin, dye his hair green and his lips red, as well as drive him insane.
That origin will be further detailed, and virtually become the official story, in the volume Alan Moore’s Killing Joke (1988). There we are introduced as a failed comedian with a pregnant woman, who falls into those chemicals because of Batman . However, another of the characteristics of the Joker is that you never know if he is telling you the truth and, instead of lying, he prefers to think of himself as having multiple pasts.
As a curiosity, this is a characteristic that Heath Ledger’s Joker had, where each time he tells a story of how he got the scars.
Joker Superpowers
In reality, the Joker has no superpowers , no superhuman abilities. Of course, his genius rivals that of Batman and he is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
Likewise, his charisma and the money from his misdeeds allow him to be one of Gotham’s most feared crime bosses, with minions at his service.
Accustomed to handling chemicals, his ability to resist poisons has been highlighted in some stories.
what weapons does he use
Normally, thematic devices, related to their aesthetics . Sharp wild cards, exploding cigars capable of bringing down a building and, above all, his famous poison that kills anyone after causing uncontrollable laughter.
Similarly, many of the weapons he uses, especially firearms, often have some exaggerated or comical aspect, in the manner of what a clown would use in his numbers.
Enemies
The main enemy of the Joker is, of course, Batman , in addition to his allies, such as Robin, Alfred Pennyworth or Commissioner James Gordon .
However, the Joker has faced many other superheroes, such as Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Superman, the entire Justice League , Batgirl …
The Joker has also had his ups and downs with other supervillains. From Lex Luthor himself, to another of Batman’s greatest enemies: Enigma.
Although they sometimes ally and work together, their most prominent story is The War of Jokes and Riddles , written by Tom King. In it, both villains fight for the privilege of who will kill Batman first. There it is shown how Enigma openly despises the Joker , although he ends up convincing Batman not to kill Enigma.
allies
Due to the psychotic and unstable character of the Joker , he does not have many friends, but he does have occasional allies, as well as henchmen.
As for allies, Batman’s main villains, like Penguin, have teamed up with the Joker at times , to try and take down the Dark Knight.
Regarding the henchmen of his band, it is worth mentioning:
- Lar, Mo and Cur – 3 goofy henchmen, based on The 3 Stooges .
- Duke Wilson – One of the members of the 48 Jokers team .
- Black Queen, King of Wands, Jack of Diamonds … Which shows the theme that awaits you when the Joker hires you .
Who have been the couples of Joker
The Joker ‘s most famous partner is, without a doubt, Harley Quinn . Deranged herself, she doesn’t seem to care about the psychotic and cruel side of the Joker . However, he will not be the only love interest.
Punchline , unlike Harley (at least, the initial Harley), was never just a henchman. Much more psychopathic than Harley, she and the Joker have had much more than words and Punchline is much more in tune with the Joker ‘s vision of total chaos . Also, Harley has, on occasion, gone over to the light side (in fact, she was a brief member of The Justice League ), something impossible in the case of Punchline .
And, since we have discussed it, we can not forget that pregnant woman of the Joker who is probably called Jeanie.
The most outstanding facts of the life of Joker
Since the Joker ‘s biography is deliberately mysterious and he himself tells a story each time, it is very difficult to know what is real or not in the life of the supervillain. For this reason, some of the reliable facts of his life come from his confrontations with superheroes.
In The Killing Joke , he shoots Barbara Gordon ( Batgirl ) paralyzed, as well as traunatizing Commissioner James Gordon, though not driving him insane, which was his initial goal.
In A Death in the Family , Joker murders Jason Todd, the second Robin .
In The Last Laugh , Joker causes so much chaos, that the United States declares war on him, at the behest of its president: Lex Luthor. Joker will respond by trying to assassinate him.
During the events of Emperor Joker , he becomes omnipotent, but is still unable to take down Batman. That accounts for a recurring theme in his stories, the fact that he and the Dark Knight define their existence through each other’s .
In the Endgame story line , Joker manages to control the Justice League, but Batman manages to defeat even Superman (again).
In Batman: The 3 Jokers , they come together to create chaos. Called The Criminal , The Clown , and The Comedian , the latter reveals that he created the other two.
In the end, it’s all an elaborate ruse to get Batman to forgive Joe Chill, his parents’ killer, so that the Joker is his only obsession.
There it is also revealed that the supervillain knows the identity of Batman and his family ties, but he will not reveal them, because it would be the end of the Dark Knight and, consequently, of the Joker .
Some curiosities that, probably, you do not know
Without a doubt, the Joker is a fascinating character full of unexpected details. For starters, he ‘s based on the character of Gwynplaine from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs , itself inspired by a Victor Hugo novel.
The characterization of actor Conrad Veidt unknowingly gave rise to the most famous supervillain of all time, as you can see in the image above.
Who invented the Joker is the subject of debate . Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the creators of Batman, claim its origin. However, Jerry Robinson, one of the first cartoonists, claims it was him, simply relying on a deck of cards for inspiration.
Joker had his own Robin in Gasgworth , a dwarf who ran away from the circus to help with crimes. Another example of the fashion of putting strange companions to superheroes.
As you can see, the Joker ‘s story has details just as twisted as his mind. And it is that, the greatest enemy of Batman is also, without a doubt, the most charismatic and dangerous supervillain of all.
