The Joker is a fictitious supervillain created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson who first appeared in the premiere of Batman's comic book (April 25, 1940), published by DC Comics. Credit for Joker creation is debatable; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the design of the Joker, while recognizing the contribution of Finger's writing. Although Joker was planned to be killed during his initial appearance, he avoided editorial intervention, allowing his character to survive as the main enemy of Batman's superhero.
In the appearance of his comic book, Joker is described as a criminal mastermind. Introduced as a psychopath with a curious and sadistic sense of humor, the character became a silly joke in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the Comic Code Authority, before returning to its darker roots during the early 1970s. As a nemesis of Batman, Joker has become part of the story of superhero speakers, including the murder of Jason Todd - the second Robin and Batman nobles - and the paralysis of one of Batman's allies, Barbara Gordon. The Joker has had a range of possible origins for decades of performance. The most common story involved him falling into a chemical waste tank that whitened his skin white and turned his hair green and his lips bright red; the resulting damage made him crazy. Batman's antithesis in personality and appearance, Joker is considered by critics as his perfect enemy.
The Joker lacks superhuman abilities, rather than using his expertise in chemical engineering to develop poisonous or deadly potions, and thematic weapons, including razor-tipped cards, lethal buzzer excitement, and acid-spraying collar flowers. Joker sometimes works with other criminals in Gotham City such as Penguin and Two-Face, and groups like Gang of Injustice and Injustice, but this relationship often collapses because of Joker's desire for uncontrollable chaos. The 1990s introduced a romantic interest for Joker in his former psychiatrist, Harley Quinn, who became his evil friend. Although his main obsession is Batman, Joker has also been fighting other heroes including Superman and Wonder Woman.
One of the most iconic characters in popular culture, Joker has been listed among the comic book criminals and the largest fictional character ever made. The popularity of characters has seen it appear in a variety of merchandise, such as clothing and collectibles, inspiring real-world structures (such as amusement park attractions), and referred in a number of media. The Joker has been adapted to serve as Batman's enemies in live-action incarnations, animations, and video games, including the 1960s Batman television series (played by Cesar Romero) and in the film by Jack Nicholson at > Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008), and Jared Leto in Suicide Squad (2016). Mark Hamill, Troy Baker, and others have cast a character.
Video Joker (character)
Creation and development
Drafts
Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson are credited with creating Joker, but their accounts of different character concepts, each giving its own version of the show. Finger, Kane, and Robinson's version recognize that Finger produces a picture of actor Conrad Veidt in character as Gwynplaine (a man with a flawed face, giving him a lasting smile) in the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs as an inspiration for Joker , and Robinson produced a sketch of a joker playing card (right).
Robinson claims that it is his 1940 card sketch that serves as a character concept, and which Finger relates to Veidt's depiction. Kane hires a 17-year-old Robinson as an assistant in 1939, after he sees Robinson wearing a white jacket adorned with his own illustrations. Started as an introduction to letters and backgrounds, Robinson quickly became the main artist for the newly created comic book series Batman . In an interview in 1975 in the Extraordinary World of DC Comics, Robinson said he wanted a high-profile criminal who could test Batman, but not a typical criminal or gangster criminal designed to be easily disposed of. He wanted an exotic and enduring character as a source of ongoing conflict for Batman (similar to the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty), designing a cruel but wicked criminal. Robinson is intrigued by criminals; his studies at Columbia University taught him that some characters consist of contradictions, leading to a Joker sense of humor. He said that the name came first, followed by a drawing of a playing card from the deck that he often handled: "I want someone who is visually appealing.I want someone who will make an indelible impression, it will be weird, it will look like Hunchy Notre Dame or another villain with a unique physical character. "He told Finger about the concept over the phone, then sketched out the characters and what would be his iconic joker-card design. The thought finger of the concept was incomplete, giving Veidt's image with a horrible and permanent rectangular smile.
Kane replied that Robinson's sketch was only produced after Finger had shown Gwynplaine's image to Kane, and it was only used as a Joker's card design in its initial appearance. Finger said that he was also inspired by a picture in Steeplechase Park on Coney Island that resembles the head of the Joker, which he sketches and then shares with future editorial director Carmine Infantino. In a 1994 interview with journalist Frank Lovece, Kane stated his position:
Bill Finger and I created the Joker. Bill is the author. Jerry Robinson came to me with a Joker play card. That's how I summarize it. [The Joker] looks like Conrad Veidt - you know, the actor in The Man Who Laughs, [1928 movie by novel] by Victor Hugo.Ã,... Bill Finger has a book with photos of Conrad Veidt and showed it to me and said, 'This is the Joker'. Jerry Robinson has absolutely nothing to do with it, but he will always say he created it until he dies. He brought a play card, which we used for some trouble for him [Joker] to use as his playing card.
Robinson praised himself, Finger and Kane for the creation of the Joker. He says he creates characters as Batman's larger enemies of life when additional stories quickly are needed for Batman's # 1, and he receives credits for stories in college courses:
In the first meeting when I showed them a sketch of the Joker, Bill said it reminded him of Conrad Veidt on The Laws Man Who. That is the first mention... He can be credited and Bob himself, we all play a role in it. The concept is mine. Bill finished the first manuscript from my persona outline and what should happen in the first story. He wrote the script, so he's really a co-creator, and Bob and I are doing visuals, so Bob too.
Finger gave her own account in 1966:
I got a call from Bob Kane.... He has a new guy. When I arrived he held a playing card. Apparently Jerry Robinson or Bob, I do not remember who, saw the cards and they had an idea for the character... Joker. Bob made a rough sketch of it. At first it does not look like a Joker. It looked more like a clown. But I remember that Grosset & amp; Dunlap previously published a very cheap classic edition by Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo... The volume I have is The Man Who Laughs - his face has been permanently operated so that he will always have this eternal grin. And it looks very strange. I cut the picture off the book and gave it to Bob, who drew the profile and gave it a more sinister aspect. Then he worked on the face; making her look like a clown, which contributes her white face, red lips, green hair. And that's Joker!
Though Kane persistently refuses to share credit for many of her characters (and denies Robinson's claim until Kane's death), many comic historians credit Robinson with the creation of Joker and Finger with character development. In 2011, Finger, Kane, and Robinson have died, leaving behind unresolved stories.
Golden Age
The Joker debuted at Batman's # 1 (Spring 1940) as the first villain of the eponymous character, shortly after Batman's debut at Detective Comics # 27 (May 1939). The Joker originally appeared as a merciless serial killer, mimicking a joker playing card with an embarrassing smile, which killed his victim with "Joker poison": a poison that leaves their faces smiling strangely. The character was intended to be killed in a second appearance in Batman # 1, after being stabbed in the heart. Joker's finger wants to die for his worries that repeated criminals will make Batman seem incompetent, but rejected by editor Whitney Ellsworth; panel drawn in a hurry, indicating that the Joker is still alive, added to the comic. The Joker went on to appear in nine Batman ' s twelve first issues.
The regular appearance of the character quickly defines it as a dynamic enemy of the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin; he killed dozens of people, and even derailed the train. By issuing # 13, Kane's work on the syndicated newspaper strip Batman leaves little time for comic books; Artist Dick Sprang has his job, and editor Jack Schiff collaborates with Finger in the story. Around the same time, DC Comics found it easier to market its stories to children without the more mature pulp elements that have spawned many superhero comics. During this period, the first change in the Joker began to emerge, portraying it more as a fad rather than a threat; when he kidnaps Robin, Batman pays a ransom with a check, which means that the Joker can not melt it without being caught. The author of comic book Mark Waid states that the 1942 story "The Joker Walks the Last Mile" is the starting point for the transformation of character into a more ridiculous incarnation, a period that Grant Grant considers to last for the next thirty years.
Cover of 1942 Detective Comics # 69, known as "Double Guns" (with Joker emerging from a jin lamp, aiming at two weapons in Batman and Robin), is considered one of the greatest comic superhero comics of the Golden Age and is the only image of a character using a traditional weapon. Robinson says that other contemporary criminals use weapons, and the creative team wants the Joker - as the enemy of Batman - to be smarter.
Silver Age
The Joker is one of the few popular criminals who continue to appear regularly in the Batman comics of the Golden Age to the Silver Age, as the series continues during the rising popularity of comic mystery and romance. In 1951, Finger wrote the original story for Joker at Detective Comics # 168, which introduced her previous characteristics into a criminal Red Hood, and her destruction from falling into a chemical keg.
In 1954, the Comic Code Authority was formed in response to the growing public rejection of comic book content. The reaction was inspired by Frederic Wertham, who hypothesized that mass media (especially comic books) are responsible for the rise of juvenile delinquency, violence and homosexuality, especially in young men. Parents forbid their children to read comic books, and there are some mass burning. Comic code prohibits gore, innuendo and excessive violence, disarms Batman from his threats and turns the Joker into a ridiculous criminal, a thief with no inclination of his original murder.
The character appeared less frequently after 1964, when Julius Schwartz (who disliked Joker) became the editor of the Batman comics. The risky character became an obscure figure from an earlier era until the ridiculous version of this character was adapted into the 1966 Batman television series, where he was played by Cesar Romero. The popularity of the show forced Schwartz to keep the comics in the same tone. As the popularity of the show diminishes, so does Batman's comics. After the TV series ended in 1968, the increase in public visibility did not stop the decline in comic sales; editorial director Carmine Infantino decided to turn things around, moving the story from the school-friendly adventure. The Silver Age introduced some of the characteristics of the Joker Founder's character: a lethal buzzer of joy, acid-souring flowers, deceptive weapons, and disgusting and repulsive evil. Bronze Age
In 1973, after four years of disappearance, the Joker was revived (and revised) by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. Beginning with Batman # 251's "The Joker Five-Way Revenge", the character returns to its roots as an attacking, impulsive maniac that matches Batman. The story begins a trend in which Joker is used, sparingly, as a central character. O'Neil said his idea was "just to take him back to where I started, I went to the DC library and read some early stories, I tried to understand what Kane and Finger wanted." O'Neil's 1973 run introduces the legally insane Joker idea, to explain why the character was sent to Arkham Asylum (introduced by O'Neil in 1974 as Arkham Hospital) instead of to jail. Adams modified the Joker's appearance, changing his more average figure by extending his jaw and making it taller and slimmer.
DC Comics was a hive of experimentation during the 1970s, and in 1975 the character became the first villain to be featured as the title character in the comic book series, The Joker. This series follows character interactions with other supervillain, and the first edition is written by O'Neil. A balanced story between emphasizing the crime of the Joker and making it a fun protagonist that the reader can support. Though he kills thugs and civilians, he never fights Batman; this makes the The Joker series in which the evil character wins over the rival criminals, instead of a struggle between good and evil. Because the Comic Code Authority mandates penalties for criminals, each issue ends with a captured Joker, limiting the scope of each story. The series never found an audience, and The Joker was canceled after nine issues (though the "next problem" advertisement for appearance by the Justice League). A complete series becomes difficult to obtain from time to time, often at high prices from collectors. In 2013, DC Comics republished this series as a graphic novel.
When Jenette Kahn became a DC editor in 1976, she redeveloped the company's degree of struggle; during his tenure, Joker will become one of DC's most popular characters. While O'Neil and Adams's work was criticized critically, writer Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers' penciler, which involved eight issues in Detective Comics # 471-476 (August 1977-April 1978) define the Joker for decades to come with stories that emphasize character madness. In "The Laughing Fish", Joker describes a fish with a rictus smile resembling his (expecting copyright protection), and can not understand that copying natural resources is not legally possible. The work of Englehart and Rogers in this series influenced the 1989 film Batman , and was adapted for 1992's Batman: The Animated Series . Rogers expanded the design of the Adams character, drawing the Joker with fedora coats and trenches. Englehart underscored how he understood the character by saying that Joker "is such a crazy and frightening character that I really want to get back to Batman's idea against a crazy killer at 3 am under a full moon, when the clouds go by."
Modern Times
Years after the end of the 1966 television series, sales of Batman continued to decline and the title was almost canceled. Although the 1970s returned the Joker as a deadly and lethal enemy of Batman, it was during the 1980s that the Batman series began to turn and Joker came to himself as part of the comic "dark age": the story death and destruction of adults. The shift was ridiculed as it moved away from the superhero tamer (and criminals), but the comic audience is no longer primarily children. A few months after Crisis on Infinite Earths launched the era by killing the Silver-Age icons such as Flash and Supergirl and canceling a few decades of continuity, Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns (1986) imagines Batman as an older hero, a retiree, and a Joker as a celebrity wearing lipstick that can not function without his opponent. The late 1980s saw the Joker have a significant impact on Batman and his supporting cast. In the 1988-89 story arc "A Death in the Family", the murder of Joker Batman sidekick (second Robin, Jason Todd). Todd is not popular with fans; Instead of modifying his character, DC chose to let them vote his fate and a 72-vote plurality makes the Joker defeat Todd to death with a crowbar. This story alters Batman's universe: instead of killing unknown people, Joker kills the central figure in Batman fiction; this has a lasting effect on the story of the future. Written at the height of tension between the United States and Iran, the conclusion of the story is that Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini appointed the Joker as his country's ambassador to the United Nations (allowing him to temporarily escape justice).
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke broadened the Joker origins, portraying the character as a failed comedian who adopted the Red Hood identity to support his pregnant wife. Unlike The Dark Knight Returns , The Killing Joke takes place in the main continuity. This novel is portrayed by critics as one of the greatest Joker stories ever written, which influenced the later comic stories (including Barbara Gordon's later barrack-Batgirl barrage after he was paralyzed by the Joker) and films such as Batman's 1989's and 2008's The Dark Knight . Grant Morrison's 1989 Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth explores the psychosis of Batman, Joker and other robbers at an eponymous facility.
The 1992 animated series introduced the female sidekick Joker: Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who fell in love - and ended up in a rough relationship with - Joker, becoming his superfly. The character was popular, and adapted into comics as a Joker romantic interest in 1999. That same year, Alan Grant's comic book and Norm Breyfogle Anarky concluded with the revelation that the titular character is the Joker. son. Breyfogle considers the idea as a means to broaden the characterization of Anarchy, but O'Neil (then editor of the Batman series) opposes it, and only allows it to be written under protest. , and with the promise that the revelation will eventually be declared untrue. However, the series Anarky was canceled before the rebuttal could be published. Joker's first main story story in The New 52, ​​DC Comics' 2011 reboot continuity story, is "Death of the Family" 2012 by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo. The story arc explores the symbiotic relationship between Joker and Batman, and sees criminals destroying the trust between Batman and his adoptive family. Joker Capullo's design replaces his traditional outfit with a utilitarian, messy, and crumpled appearance to convey that the character is on a mission; his face (surgery removed in 2011 Detective Comics # 1) is reconnected with belts, wires, and hooks, and he is equipped with mechanical overalls. Joker's face is restored in Snyder and Capullo "Endgame" (2014), the closing chapter for "Death of the Family".
Maps Joker (character)
Character biography
The Joker has undergone many revisions since its debut 1940. The most common interpretation of the character is that he is disguised as a Red Criminal, and is pursued by Batman. The joker falls into a chemical vat that whitens his skin, dyeing his hair green and his lips red, and driving him insane. The reason why Joker is disguised as Red Hood, and his identity before transformation changes over time.
The character was introduced in Batman # 1 (1940), where he announced that he would kill three leading citizens of Gotham (including Mayor Henry Claridge). Although the police were protecting Claridge, the Joker had poisoned him before making his announcement and Claridge died with a gruesome grin on his face; Batman eventually defeated him, sending him to jail. Joker commits a strange and brutal crime on the grounds that, in Batman's words, "it only makes sense to him". Detective Comics # 168 (1951) introduces the Joker's first story as Red Hood: a criminal who, during his last robbery, disappeared after jumping into a chemical keg to escape from Batman. The resulting damage caused him to adopt the name "Joker", from the figure of playing card he liked. The Joker's Silver-Age Transformation became a delightful figure founded in 1952, "The Joker Millions". In this story Joker obsessed defending the illusion of wealth and celebrity as a criminal folk hero, afraid to let Gotham citizens know that he has no money and cheated from his wealth. The 1970s redefined the character as a murderous psychopath. "The Five Joker's Vengeance" made the Joker retaliate against former gang members who betrayed him; in "The Laughing Fish", the chemical character adds his face to the Gotham fish (hoping to profit from copyright), killing the bureaucrats who are blocking his path.
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988) is built on the origin of Joker 1951, portraying him as a comedian who failed to be pressured to commit crimes like Red Hood to support his pregnant wife. Batman's interference causes him to jump into the chemical barrel, which destroys it. This, combined with the trauma of his wife's previous accident death, caused him to go mad and become a Joker. However, Joker says that this story may not be true, because he prefers his past as a "multiple choice". In this graphic novel, Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara Gordon and tortured her father, Commissioner James Gordon, to prove that it takes only a bad day to get normal people insane. After Batman rescued Gordon and subdued the Joker, he offered to rehabilitate his old foe and end their rivalry. Although Joker refused, he showed his appreciation by sharing a joke with Batman. After the leave character from Barbara, she becomes a more important character in the DC Universe: Oracle, data collector and superhero informant, who takes revenge on the Birds of Prey by destroying Joker's teeth and destroying her smile.
In the 1988 story "A Death in the Family", Joker defeated Jason Todd with a crowbar and let him die in an explosion. Todd's death haunted Batman, and for the first time he considered killing the Joker. Joker temporarily fled from justice when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini appointed him as Iran's ambassador to the UN, giving him diplomatic immunity. However, when he tried to poison the UN membership, he was defeated by Batman and Superman.
In the 1999 "No Man's Land" storyline, Joker kills Gordon's second wife, Sarah, as she protects a group of babies. He mocks Gordon, who shot him in a kneecap. The Joker, lamenting that he might never walk again, fainted from laughter when he realized that the commissioner had repaid Barbara's paralysis. The story also introduces Joker's boyfriend, Harley Quinn.
The year 2000 begins with an "Emperor Joker" crossover story, in which the Joker steals the ability to change the reality of Mister Mxyzptlk and rearrange the universe in his image (torturing and killing Batman every day, before awakening it). When the supervillain then tries to destroy the universe, his reluctance to eliminate Batman makes him lose control, and Superman defeats him. Damaged by his experience, Batman's death experience was transferred to Superman by the Specters so he could heal mentally. In "Joker Last Laugh" (2001), the doctors at Arkham Asylum assured the character that he was dying in an effort to rehabilitate him. Instead, the Joker (flanked by the "Jokerized" supervillies) launches the final crime. Believing that Robin (Tim Drake) had been killed in the chaos, Dick Grayson defeated the Joker to death (though Batman enlivens his enemy to keep Grayson from becoming a murderer), and criminals managed to make members break their family Bat-rules against murder.
In "Under the Hood" (2005), the resurrected Todd tries to force Batman to avenge his death by killing the Joker. Batman refuses, arguing that if he allows himself to kill the Joker, he will not be able to stop killing other criminals. Joker killed Alexander Luthor in Infinite Crisis (2005) for removing him from the Secret Society of Super Villains, who considered him too unpredictable for membership. At Morrison's "Batman and Son" (2006), a crazed police officer who imitated Batman shot Joker in the face, scar tissue and paralyzed it. The supervillain returns in "The Clown at Midnight" (2007) as a cruel, mysterious power that awakens and tries to kill Harley Quinn to prove to Batman that he has become more than human. In the 2008 arc story "Batman R.I.P." Joker was recruited by Black Glove to destroy Batman, but betrayed the group, killing its members one by one. After Batman's apparent death in "Final Crisis" (2008), Grayson investigates a series of murders (which took him to an undercover Joker). The Joker was arrested, and then-Robin Damian Wayne hit him with a crowbar, parallel to Todd's murder. When the Joker escapes, he attacks Black Glove, burying his leader Simon Hurt alive after supervillain considers him a failure as opposed; The Joker was later defeated by Batman who had just returned.
In DC's New 52, ​​2011 re-launch of its titles follows Flashpoint , Joker has her own face cut off. He disappeared for a year, returning to launch an attack on Batman's big family in "Death of the Family" so that he and Batman can be the best heroes and villains they can. At the end of the storyline, the Joker falls from a cliff into a dark chasm. The Joker is back in the 2014 "Endgame" storyline where he brainwashed the League of Justice to attack Batman, believing he has betrayed their relationship. This story implies that the immortal Joker - has existed for centuries in Gotham as a cause of tragedy after exposure to the substance of the term Joker 'dionesium' - and capable of regenerating from mortal wounds. "Endgame" returns Joker's face, and also reveals that he knows the secret identity of Batman. The story ends with a clear death of Batman and Joker in the hands of each.
Origins
Although a number of backstories have been given, the definitive has not been set for the Joker. An unreliable narrator, his character is not sure who he was before and how he became a Joker: "Sometimes I remember it in one way, sometimes... if I will have the past, I prefer it to be a multiple choice!" the story of Joker's origins appeared in Detective Comics # 168 (February 1951), almost a decade after the character's debut. Here, the character is a laboratory worker who becomes Red Hood (a masked criminal) to steal a million dollars from his employer and retire. He fell into the chemical dumpster when his robbery was thwarted by Batman, appearing with clean white skin, red lips, green hair and a permanent grin.
This story is the basis of Moore's most-quoted, one-shot story of The Killing Joke . Joker quit his job as a Lab assistant, becoming a stand-up comedian to support his pregnant wife. Unsuccessfully, he agreed to help the mob with robbery and don Hood Red. The robbery was awry; the comedian jumped into a chemical keg to escape from Batman, surfacing. This, combined with the unintentional death of his unborn wife and child, made the comedian crazy and he became a Joker. This version has been cited in many stories, including Batman: The Man Who Laughs (where Batman concludes that Red Hood survived his downfall and became a Joker), Batman # 450 (at where the Joker don Hood Red to help his recovery after the incident in A Death in the Family , but found the experience too traumatic) and "Death of the Family". Other stories have developed in this origin; "Pushback" explains that Joker's wife was killed by corrupt police who worked for the mafia, and "Payback" gave Joker's first name as "Jack".
However, the unreliable Joker memory has allowed the author to develop other origins for the characters. "Case Study", the story of Paul Dini-Alex Ross, describes the Joker as a sadistic gangster who creates the identity of Red Hood to continue the sensation of small-scale criminality. He had a crucial first encounter with Batman, who produced a defect. It is recommended that the Joker is sane, and pretend to be crazy to avoid the death penalty. In Batman Confidential (# 7-12), the character, Jack, is a talented criminal who is bored with his job. He meets (and becomes obsessed) Batman during the theft, starts a crime to attract his attention. After Jack hurt Batman's boyfriend, Batman injured Jack's face with a permanent grin and betrayed him to a mob group, who tortured him at a chemical plant. Jack fled, but fell into an empty barrel as the cannon fire pierced the chemical tanks above him. Flood chemicals (used in anti-psychotic drugs) change their appearance and complete their transformation. Atomic superheroes see Joker's memory of burning his parents alive (after they find him killing animals) on The Brave and the Bold # 31, and "Zero Year" Snyder (2013) indicates that the Joker is broken is the criminal mastermind who leads a group of Red Hoods.
The Joker has claimed a number of origins, including being the son of a rude father who broke his nose and a long-lived joke of an Egyptian pharaoh. As Batman says, "Like any comedian, he uses whatever material will work".
Alternate version
A number of alternative universes in the DC Comics publication allow authors to introduce variations on Joker, where the origin of characters, behavior, and morality differ from mainstream settings. The Dark Knight Returns describes the final fight between old Batman and Joker; others describe after the death of Joker in the hands of a number of characters, including Superman. Still others describe a distant future in which the Joker is a computer virus or hero who tries to defeat Batman's tyranny of that era. In some stories, Joker is someone else entirely; "Flashpoint" featured Batman's mother Martha Wayne as a Joker in response to her son's murder, and in Superman: Speeding Bullets Lex Luthor became a Joker in a world where Superman is Batman.
Characterization
Famous as Batman's greatest enemy, the Joker is known by a number of nicknames, including Clown Prince of Crime, Jester of Genocide, Harlequin of Hate, and Ace of Knaves. During the evolution of the DC Universe, Joker's interpretation and version has taken two forms. The original and dominant image is an extreme psychopath, with a witty and sadistic intelligence and humorous intelligence. Other versions, popular in comic books from the late 1940s to the 1960s and in the 1960s television series, were both eccentric and harmless thieves and thieves. Like other long-lived characters, the character and interpretation of the Joker culture has changed over time, but unlike other characters that may need to reconcile or ignore previous versions to make more sense, more than any other comic book character, Joker thrives on his game and his identity can not be reconciled. The Joker is usually seen in a purple suit with a long-tailed jacket, padded-shoulder, tie rope, gloves, striped pants and spats on pointed shoe (sometimes with wide brimmed hat). This appearance is a fundamental aspect of the character that when the 2004 animated series The Batman puts the Joker in a tight jacket, it quickly redesigns him with the clothes he knows.
The Joker is obsessed with Batman, a couple representing yin-who fight against dark and bright forces; though it is a Joker that represents humor and color and Batman who dwells in darkness. Murder, theft, and terrorism, no crime outside the Joker, and his exploits are cute theatrical performances for him alone. The spectacle is more important than success for the Joker, and if it's not spectacular it's boring. Although Joker claims indifference to everything, he secretly desperately needs the attention and validation of Batman. The characters are described to have killed more than 2,000 people at The Joker: Devil's Advocate (1996). Despite this body count, he is always found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Arkham Asylum, avoiding the death penalty. Many Joker actions try to force Batman to kill; if the most orderly and self-controlling man can kill, anyone can be a monster like a Joker. Criminals show no instinct to defend themselves, and are willing to die to prove his point. The Joker is "irrational personification", and represents "all Batman [against]".
Personality
The main characteristic of Joker is his real madness, though he is not depicted as having a certain psychological disorder. Like a psychopath, he lacks empathy, conscience, and concern for right and wrong. In Serious Land on Earth Seriously, Joker is able to process sensory information outside just by adapting it. This allows him to create a new personality every day (depending on what will benefit him) and explain why, at different times, he is a mischievous clown or psychopathic killer. In "The Clown at Midnight" (Batman # 663, 2007), Joker enters a state of meditation in which he evaluates himself before to consciously create a new personality, effectively modifying himself for his needs.
The Killing Joke (where Joker is an unreliable narrator) explains his mad roots as "a bad day": the loss of his unborn wife and son and damaged by chemicals, parallel to Batman's origin in lost his parents. He tried (and failed) to prove that anyone could become like him after a bad day by torturing Commissioner Gordon, physically and psychologically. Batman offers to rehabilitate his enemies; Joker with regret refused, believing that it was too late for him to be saved. Another interpretation shows that the Joker is fully conscious of how his actions affect others and that his madness is merely an act. Comic expert Peter Coogan described the Joker as an attempt to reshape reality to suit itself by forcing its face on its victims (and fish) in an attempt to make the world understood by creating a parody of twisting itself. Englehart's "The Laughing Fish" shows an illogical character trait: trying the copyright fish that bore his face, and not understanding why threatening copyright clerks could not produce the desired results.
The Joker is alternatively described as sexual and asexual. In The Dark Knight Returns and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth , the Joker teases against Batman; it is uncertain whether their relationship has a homoerotic tone or if the Joker is just trying to manipulate its arch-rivals. Frank Miller interprets the characters as fixated on death and not interested in sexual relations, while Robinson believes that the Joker is able to forge romantic relationships. His relationship with Harley Quinn is a horrendous paradox; though Joker asked him to stay by his side, he lightly hurt him (for example, throwing him out the window without seeing if he survived). Harley loved him but Joker did not reply to his feelings, admonishing him for diverting his attention from other plans.
Snyder's "Death of the Family" describes the Joker as being in love with Batman, though not traditionally romantic. Joker believes that Batman did not kill him because he made Batman better, and he loves criminals for it. Batman comic book writer Peter Tomasi agrees, stating that Joker's main goal is to make Batman the best he can. The Joker and Batman represent the opposite: The extrovert Joker wore colorful clothing and covers the chaos, while Batman introverts, monochromatically represents order and discipline. The Joker is often described as defining its existence through its conflict with Batman. In 1994, "Going Sane", criminals tried to live a normal life after Batman's (obvious) death, only to become his former self again when Batman reappeared; in the "Emperor Joker", a seemingly omnipotent Joker can not destroy Batman without damaging himself. Since Joker is just a "Joker", he believes that Batman is "Batman" (with or without costume) and is not interested in what lies behind Batman's mask, ignoring the opportunity to learn the secret identity of Batman. Given an opportunity to kill Batman, the evil villain; he believes that without their game, winning is meaningless. Characters have no desire for a typical criminal purpose such as money or power; its criminality is designed only to continue its game with Batman.
The Joker is described as having no fear; when a fellow supervillain Scarecrow dose him with fear of poison in Knightfall (1993), Joker just laughed and said, "Boo!". The villain is temporarily considered sane in several ways, including Martian Manhunter's telepathic manipulation and resurrection in Lazarus Pit that restores life (an experience that specifically induces temporary insanity in the subject). In these moments, the Joker is described as expressing remorse for his actions; However, during the medically induced period of partial sanity in Batman: Cacophony he tells his opponent: "I do not hate you for being crazy, I'm crazy because I hate you," and asserted that he would just stop killing when Batman is dead.
Skills and equipment
The Joker does not have the inherent super human ability. He commits crimes with powerful thematic tools such as a pile of dimly lit cards, rolling marbles, Jack-in-the-box with unpleasant surprises and exploding cigs that are able to flatten a building. The flower in the spray sprayed the acid, and his hands often held the shackles of lethal joy that drew a million volts of electricity, although both items were introduced in 1952 as harmless joke. However, his chemical genius provides the most important weapon: Joker venom , a liquid or gas poison that sends its target into uncontrolled laughter; higher doses may cause paralysis, coma or death, leaving the victim with a painful, hoarse smile. Joker has been using poison since his debut; only he knows the formula, and proves quite gifted to produce toxins from ordinary household chemicals. Another version of the poison (used in "Joker Last Laugh") makes its victim resemble a Joker, vulnerable to his orders. The enemy is immune to poison and most toxins; in Batman # 663 (2007), Morrison writes that being a "diligent consumer of his own chemical experiments, Joker's immunity to poison potions that might kill others in an instant has been developed over the years dedicated, abusive. "
This character weapon is inspired by its nemesis weapons, such as batarang. In "The Joker's Utility Belt" (1952), he mimicked Batman's utility belt with non-lethal items, such as Mexican mung beans and sneezing powder. In 1942, "The Joker Follows Suit" the villain builds his version of Batplane and Batmobile, Jokergyro and Jokermobile (the latter with a large Joker face on his hood), and creates a Joker signal with which criminals can call him for their robbery.. The Jokermobile lasts for several decades, evolving with the Batmobile. His technical genius is not limited by practicality, allowing him to hijack the Gotham television airwaves to issue threats, turn buildings into a death trap, launch a city gas attack and poison glass fragments on his citizens from the plane.
The Joker is described as skilled in close combat, from his initial appearance when he defeated Batman in a sword fight (almost killing him), and others when he controlled Batman but refused to kill him. He is gifted with firearms, though his weapons are theatrical; his long-barreled revolver often releases a flag that reads "Bang", and a second trigger launches a flag to pierce his target. Though tough in battle, Joker's main asset is his mind.
Relationships
The unpredictable nature of the Joker predicate makes it one of the most feared men in the DC world; Trickster said in the 1995 mini-series Underworld Unleashed, "When super criminals want to scare each other, they tell the Joker story". Gotham criminals also feel threatened by character; depending on the circumstances, he tends to fight with his rivals to rule the city because he will join them for an entertaining result. The Joker interacts with other supervillain who oppose Batman, whether he's on the streets or in Arkham Asylum. He has collaborated with criminals such as Penguin, Riddler and Two-Face, although this partnership rarely ends well because of Joker's desire for uncontrolled chaos, and uses his stature to lead others (such as Killer Croc and Scarecrow). Joker's biggest rival is the world's smartest man, Lex Luthor. Although they had a friendly partnership in the 1950s World's Finest Comics # 88, the unions then emphasized hostility and ego conflicting.
Despite his tendency to kill his subordinates anxiously, the Joker had no trouble attracting the accomplices with an apparently unlimited supply of cash and intimidation: they were too afraid of their employer to refuse his claim that they were wearing red clown noses or laughing at horrible jokes. Even with the uncertainty and lack of superpowers, the limited series 2007 Salvation Run see hundreds of criminals falling under his spell because they are more afraid of him than the alternative: Luthor. Batman # 186 (1966) introduced the first Joker sidekick: a one-shot character, Gaggy Gagsworth, a short one, and dressed as a clown; the character was later resurrected as his successor's enemy, Harley Quinn. Introduced in the 1992 animated series, Quinn is a former Arkham Joker psychiatrist who developed an obsessive obsession with him and don the red-black harlequin costume to join him in the 1999 Batman graphics novel Batman: Harley Quinn. Although Quinn likes Joker, he is obsessed with Batman and uses him to achieve his goals with the expenses he spends. Despite the violence, he returned to her. The Joker is sometimes shown to keep the hyena as a pet; this trait was introduced to the 1977 animated series The New Adventures of Batman. A 1976 edition of the Batman Family introduced Duela Dent as a Joker princess, though her claim of descent was later proved wrong.
Despite his obsession with Batman, the character sometimes travels outside Gotham City to counter Batman's superhero allies. In "To Laugh and Die in Metropolis" (1987) the character kidnaps Lois Lane, diverting Superman with nuclear weapons. This story is famous for the Joker taking (relatively) the god and the ease with which Superman defeated him - it only took 17 pages. Asked why he came to Metropolis, Joker just replied: "Oh Superman, why not?" In 1995, Joker fought his third major DC hero: Wonder Woman, who drew the Greek god of deceit to muffle the Joker humor and destroy his confidence. Characters have joined the supervillain groups such as Gang of Injustice and League of Injustice, to take on superhero groups like the Justice League.
Cultural impact
The Joker is considered one of, if not, the most recognizable and iconic fictional characters in popular culture (Batman is practically the same), one of the best comic criminals, and one of the greatest villains of all time. The character was highly favored after his debut, appearing in nine of the first twelve Batman problems, and remains one of Batman's most popular enemies throughout the publication. The character is considered one of the top four comic book characters, along with Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. Indeed, when DC Comics released the original series of Greatest Stories Ever Told (1987-1988) featuring a collection of stories about heroes like Batman and Superman, the Joker was the only villain included beside them. Character has become the focus of ethical discussion on Batman's desire (which obeys unbreakable code prohibits murder) saves lives by killing the Joker (a tireless death dealer). This debate weighed positively (stopping the Joker permanently) against its effect on Batman's character and the possibility that he might start killing all criminals.
In 2006, Joker was number one on the Wizard magazine "100 Greatest Villains of All Time". In 2008 the Wizard ' list of "200 Best Comic Book Characters of All Time" puts the fifth Joker, and the eighth character on Empire ' list of "50 Greatest Comic Book Stories" (highest ranked criminals on both lists). In 2009, Joker came second in the "Top 100 Comic Book Villains" list, and in 2011 Wired named it "Comics' Greatest Supervillain". Complex, CollegeHumor and WhatCulture named the Joker the biggest comic book villain of all time, while IGN enrolled it as a DC Comics villain in 2013, and Newsarama as the greatest Batman villain.
The popularity of the Joker (and its role as the enemy of Batman) has involved characters in most of Batman's media-related, from television to video games. The adaptation of this character has been positively received in movies, television, and in video games. As in comic, personality and shifting character personality; he is vulnerable, malignant or unstable, depending on the author and the intended audience.
The game's inspired theme park roller coaster (The Joker's Jinx, The Joker in Mexico and California, and The Joker Chaos Coaster), and featured in story-based rides like Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. The Joker is one of several supervillain comic books that will be represented on merchandise and children's toys, appearing on items including action figures, trading cards, board games, money boxes, pajamas, socks, and shoes. Jokermobile is a popular toy; a metal replica of Corgi's die-cast was successful during the 1950s, and in the 1970's a microforce microforce Jow-style, Flower-era manufactured by Mego. In 2015, "The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime" became the first academic book to be published about a supervillain.
Literary analysis
Since the Comical Bronze Age, the Joker has been interpreted as a typical gimmick, featuring talent for sly intelligence, social engineering, pranks, plays, and idiomatic humor. Like the deceiver, the Joker alternates between evil violence and clever ingenuity. He is immoral and is not driven by ethical considerations, but by his shameless and insatiable nature, and although his actions are condemned as evil, he is necessary for cultural endurance. The deceiver uses immoral and immoral acts to disrupt the status quo and reveal the cultural, political, and ethical hypocrisy that society is trying to ignore. However, Joker is different that his actions usually only benefit himself. The Joker has an abnormal body image, reflecting the order inversion. Con artists are simultaneously inhuman and super human, a creature that shows a lack of unity in body and mind. At Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, the Joker serves as Batman's impostor guiding through the hero's soul, testing him in various ways before finally offering to surrender his power to Asylum to Batman.
Rather than a typical anarchist interpretation, others have analyzed the character as a Marxist (in contrast to Batman's capitalist), arguing that anarchism requires the rejection of all the authorities in favor of uncontrolled freedom. The Joker rejects most of the authority, but defends his own, using his actions to force and consolidate power within himself and convert the masses to his own way of thinking, while eliminating all who oppose it. In The Killing Joke , Joker is a member of an underprivileged class who is driven insane by the failure of the social system. Joker denied material needs, and his first appearance at Batman 1 saw him commit a crime against Gotham's richest man and the judge who had sent him to jail. Batman is rich, but Joker is able to win through his own innovations.
Ryan Litsey describes the Joker as an example of "Nietzschean Superman", arguing that the fundamental aspect of Superman Friedrich Nietzsche, "the will to power", is exemplified in all Joker actions, giving morality to Batman's slave morality. The character of "the will to power" means he never despairs because he is captured or defeated and he is not controlled by guilt or regret. Joker represents his master, who creates rules and defines them, which judges others without consent, and for whom something is good because it benefits him. He creates his own morality and is bound only by his own rules without wanting anything higher than himself, unlike Batman, the slave, who makes the distinction between good and evil, and bound to rule outside himself (such as the avoidance of killing), in his quest for justice. The Joker does not have a clear origin story that requires him to question how he became, like Superman he does not regret or judge the past and just move forward.
The Joker's controlling and arbitrary relationship with Harley Quinn has been analyzed as a way of strengthening his own confidence in his power in a world where he can be killed or neutralized by another villain or Batman. The Joker reflects his identity through Harley in his appearance, and although he may ignore or act unconcerned about him, he continues to try and make him subordinate to his power. When Harley manages to defeat Batman in Mad Love (1994), Joker, defeated by his own failure, badly hurt him for fear of what other criminals will think. However, while Harley recovers, the Joker sends the flowers he receives, reaffirming his control over him.
Harley's creator, Paul Dini, describes their relationship as Harley as someone who makes Joker feel better about himself, and who can do a job that he himself does not want to do. In the 1999 one-shot comic Batman: Harley Quinn, Joker decides to kill Harley, after admitting that he cares about her, that their relationship is romantic, and that this feeling prevents her from fulfilling her wishes. aim. Removing traditional male-female relationships, as in the storyline of Batman: Thrillkiller where the Joker (Bianca Steeplechase) is a woman and involved in lesbian relationships with Harley, their relationship has no aspect of violence or conquest.
In other media
The Joker has appeared in various media, including television series, animated films and live-action. WorldCat (library catalog in 170 countries) records over 250 productions featuring Joker as a subject, including movies, books, and video games, and Batman movies featuring the most commonly successful characters. The earliest adaptation of the character's screen was in the 1966 Batman television series and the film adaptation of Batman, where he was played as a fad joke by Cesar Romero (reflecting his comic counterpart). The Joker later appeared in the animated television series The Adventures of Batman (1968, voiced by Larry Storch), The New Adventures of Batman (1977, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) and < i> Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardian (1985, voiced by Frank Welker).
The darker version of Joker (played by Jack Nicholson) made his film debut in 1989's Batman , which earned more than $ 400 million at box office worldwide. This role is a decisive performance in Nicholson's career and is considered shadowing Batman, with film critic Roger Ebert saying that viewers sometimes have to remind themselves to not take root for the Joker. Batman's success ' caused the 1992 television series, Batman: The Animated Series . Spoken by Mark Hamill, Joker maintains a dark tone of comic in a story received for young children. Hamill's Joker is considered a crucial depiction, and he voiced characters 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 voices of amusement parks. A redesigned Joker, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, appeared in 2004 The Batman ; Richardson was the first African-American to play the character.
After Christopher Nolan managed the 2005 Batman reboot movie, Batman Begins, which ended with a teaser for Joker involvement in the sequel, the character appeared in 2008 The Dark Knight , played by Heath Ledger as an avatar anarchy and chaos. While Batman Begins earns a total of $ 370 million worldwide; The Dark Knight earned more than $ 1 billion and was the highest grossing film of the year, setting some box-office records (including the highest midnight opening, opening day and opening weekend). Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, the first ever acting Oscar for a superhero movie. The Joker has been featured in a number of animation projects, such as Batman's 2009: The Brave and the Bold (vocalized by Jeff Bennett) and 2011's Young Justice (voiced by Brent Spiner), and comic book adaptation (including Batman's 2010: Under the Red Hood, where he was voiced by John DiMaggio). In 2012, Michael Emerson voiced his character in a two-part animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. Jared Leto describes the Joker in Suicide Squad (2016), and Zach Galifianakis voiced the character in The Lego Batman Movie (2017).
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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