Joker (character)

The Joker
The Joker Art by Alex Ross
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman #1 (April 25, 1940)[1]
Created by	Bill Finger Bob Kane Jerry Robinson
In-story information
Team affiliations	Injustice League Injustice Gang
Notable aliases	Red Hood[2]
Abilities	Criminal mastermind Expert chemist Uses weaponized props and toxins

The Joker is a supervillain created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson who first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book Batman (April 25, 1940), published by DC Comics. Credit for the Joker's creation is disputed; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the Joker's design while acknowledging Finger's writing contribution. Although the Joker was planned to be killed off during his initial appearance, he was spared by editorial intervention, allowing the character to endure as the archenemy of the superhero Batman.

Cultural impact and legacy[edit]

Cesar Romero as the Joker in the 1966 movie Batman (based on the TV series of the same name), with Burgess Meredith (left) as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler

The Joker is considered one of, if not the most-recognizable and iconic fictional characters in popular culture (Batman's arguable equal),^{[155][156][157]} one of the best comic villains, and one of the greatest villains of all time.^[158][159] The character was well-liked following his debut, appearing in nine out of the first twelve Batman issues, and remained one of Batman's most popular foes throughout his publication.^[160] The character is considered one of the four top comic book characters, alongside Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man.^[157] Indeed, when DC Comics released the original series of Greatest Stories Ever Told (1987–1988) featuring collections of stories about heroes like Batman and Superman, the Joker was the only villain included alongside them.^[161] The character has been the focus of ethical discussion on the desirability of Batman (who adheres to an unbreakable code forbidding killing) saving lives by murdering the Joker (a relentless dealer of death). 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.^{[117][162][163]}

In 2006, the Joker was number one on Wizard magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time."^[164] In 2008 Wizard's list of "200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time" placed the Joker fifth,^[165] and the character was eighth on Empire's list of "50 Greatest Comic Book Characters" (the highest-ranked villain on both lists).^[166] In 2009, the Joker was second on IGN's list of "Top 100 Comic Book Villains,"^[167] and in 2011, Wired named him "Comics' Greatest Supervillain."^[168] Complex, CollegeHumor, and WhatCulture named the Joker the greatest comic book villain of all time^{[156][132][169]} while IGN listed him the top DC Comics villain in 2013,^[170] and Newsarama as the greatest Batman villain.^[102]

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.^[2][7] These adaptations of the character have been received positively^[21] on film,^[171][172] television,^[173] and in video games.^[174] As in the comics, the character's personality and appearance shift; he is campy, ferocious or unstable, depending on the author and the intended audience.^[21]

The character inspired theme-park roller coasters (The Joker's Jinx,^[175][176] The Joker in Mexico and California,^[177][178] and The Joker Chaos Coaster),^[179] and featured in story-based rides such as Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.^[179] The Joker is one of the few comic book supervillains to be represented on children's merchandise and toys, appearing on items including action figures, trading cards, board games, money boxes, pajamas, socks, and shoes.^[180][157] The Jokermobile was a popular toy; a Corgi die-cast metal replica was successful during the 1950s, and in the 1970s a Joker-styled, Flower power-era Volkswagen microbus was manufactured by Mego.^[138] In 2015, "The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime" became the first academic book to be published about a supervillain.^[157]

Literary analysis[edit]

A 2015 art exhibition at the Barcelona International Comics Convention focused on the Joker, celebrating the character's 75th anniversary.^[181]

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.^[182] He is amoral and not driven by ethical considerations, but by a shameless and insatiable nature, and although his actions are condemned as evil, he is necessary for cultural robustness.^[183] The trickster employs amoral and immoral acts to destabilize the status quo and reveal cultural, political, and ethical hypocrisies that society attempts to ignore.^[184] However, the Joker differs in that his actions typically only benefit himself.^[185] The Joker possesses abnormal body imagery, reflecting an inversion of order. The trickster is simultaneously subhuman and superhuman, a being that indicates a lack of unity in body and mind.^[186] In Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, the Joker serves as Batman's trickster guide through the hero's own psyche, testing him in various ways before ultimately offering to cede his rule of the Asylum to Batman.^[187]

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.^[188] The Joker rejects most authority, but retains his own, using his actions to coerce and consolidate power in himself and convert the masses to his own way of thinking, while eliminating any that oppose him.^[189] In The Killing Joke, the Joker is an abused member of the underclass who is driven insane by failings of the social system.^[190] The Joker rejects material needs, and his first appearance in Batman #1 sees him perpetrate crimes against Gotham's wealthiest men and the judge who had sent him to prison.^[191] Batman is wealthy, yet the Joker is able to triumph through his own innovations.^[192]

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.^[193] The character's indomitable "will to power" means he is never discouraged by being caught or defeated and he is not restrained by guilt or remorse.^[194] Joker represents the master, who creates rules and defines them, who judges others without needing approval, and for whom something is good because it benefits him.^[195] He creates his own morality and is bound only by his own rules without aspiring to something higher than himself, unlike Batman, the slave, who makes a distinction between good and evil, and is bound to rules outside of himself (such as his avoidance of killing), in his quest for justice.^[196] The Joker has no defined origin story that requires him to question how he came to be, as like the Superman he does not regret or assess the past and only moves forward.^[197]

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.^[198] Joker mirrors his identity through Harley in her appearance, and even though he may ignore or act indifferent towards her, he continues to try and subject her to his control.^[198] When Harley successfully defeats Batman in Mad Love (1994), the Joker, emasculated by his own failure, severely injures her out of fear of what the other villains will think of him; however, while Harley recovers, the Joker sends her flowers which she accepts, reasserting his control over her.^[199]

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.^[200] In the 1999 one-shot comic Batman: Harley Quinn, the Joker decides to kill Harley, after admitting that he does care for her, that their relationship is romantic, and that these feelings prevent him from fulfilling his purpose.^[201] Removing the traditional male-female relationship, such as in the Batman: Thrillkiller storyline where the Joker (Bianca Steeplechase) is a female and involved in a lesbian relationship with Harley, their relationship lacks any aspects of violence or subjugation.^[202]

In other media[edit]

Mark Hamill voiced the Joker in animation and video games for two decades, and Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his interpretation of the character in 2008's The Dark Knight.

The Joker has appeared in a variety of media, including television series, animated and live-action films. WorldCat (a catalog of libraries in 170 countries) records over 250 productions featuring the Joker as a subject, including films, books, and video games,^[180] and Batman films featuring the character are typically the most successful.^[125] The character's earliest on-screen adaptation was in the 1966 television series Batman and its film adaptation Batman, in which he was played as a cackling prankster by Cesar Romero (reflecting his contemporary comic counterpart).^{[155][203][204]} The Joker then appeared in the animated television series The Adventures of Batman (1968, voiced by Larry Storch),^[205] The New Adventures of Batman (1977, voiced by Lennie Weinrib)^[206] and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985, voiced by Frank Welker).^[207][208]

A darker version of the Joker (played by Jack Nicholson) made his film debut in 1989's Batman, which earned over $400 million at the worldwide box office. 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.^[209][210] Batman's success led to the 1992 television series, Batman: The Animated Series. Voiced by Mark Hamill, the Joker retained the darker tone of the comics in stories acceptable for young children.^[211][212] Hamill's Joker is considered a defining portrayal, and he voiced the character in spin-off films (1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and 2000's Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker), video games (2001's Batman: Vengeance), related series (1996's Superman: The Animated Series, 2000's Static Shock and 2001's Justice League), action figures, toys and amusement-park voiceovers.^{[213][214][215][216]} A redesigned Joker, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, appeared in 2004's The Batman; Richardson was the first African-American to play the character.^[217][218]

After Christopher Nolan's successful 2005 Batman film reboot, Batman Begins, which ended with a teaser for the Joker's involvement in a sequel, the character appeared in 2008's The Dark Knight, played by Heath Ledger as an avatar of anarchy and chaos.^[219][220] While Batman Begins earned a worldwide total of $370 million;^[221] The Dark Knight earned over $1 billion and was the highest-grossing film of the year, setting several box-office records (including highest-grossing midnight opening, opening day and opening weekend).^[222][223] Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, the first acting Oscar ever won for a superhero film.^[224][225] The Joker has featured in a number of animated projects, such as 2009's Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Jeff Bennett)^[226] and 2011's Young Justice (voiced by Brent Spiner),^[227] and comic book adaptations (including 2010's Batman: Under the Red Hood, in which he is voiced by John DiMaggio). In 2012, Michael Emerson voiced the character in a two-part animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns.^[228][229] The television series Gotham (2014–2019) explores the mythology of the Joker through twin brothers "Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska" played by Cameron Monaghan.^[230] Jared Leto portrayed the Joker in Suicide Squad (2016),^[231] and Zach Galifianakis voiced the character in The Lego Batman Movie (2017).^[232] In August 2017, Warner Bros. revealed plans for a standalone film based on the Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and produced by Martin Scorsese.^[233] Joaquin Phoenix portrays the character in Joker, which is scheduled for release in 2019.^[234]

The Joker has also been featured in video games. Hamill returned to voice the character in 2009's critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum, its equally praised 2011 sequel Batman: Arkham City and the multiplayer DC Universe Online.^[235] Hamill was replaced by Troy Baker for the 2013 prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, and the Arkham series' animated spin-off Batman: Assault on Arkham,^{[213][236][237][238]} while Hamill returned for the 2015 series finale, Batman: Arkham Knight.^[239] Richard Epcar voiced the Joker in the 2008 fighting game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe,^[240] 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us,^[241] and 2017's Injustice 2.^[242] The character also appeared in Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008), Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012) and its animated adaptation, and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014) (the latter three voiced by Christopher Corey Smith).^{[243][244][245]} Anthony Ingruber voices the Joker in Batman: The Telltale Series (2016)^[246] and Batman: The Enemy Within (2017).^[247]