Joker (DC)
The Joker is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Golden Age
The Joker was a male human who lived in the modern age where he terrorised Gotham City.
Silver Age
Bronze Age
Modern Age
He later resurfaced where he took the guise of a masked British detective known as Oberon Sexton. At the same time, he began targeting the members of the Black Glove organization who he killed one-by-one and came to be regarded as the mysterious Domino Killer. (Batman and Robin v1 #12)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
One time, he operated in the guise of the masked bespectacled Oberon Sexton as well as being the infamous Domino Killer. (Batman and Robin v1 #12)
Powers and abilities
As an avid consumer of his own products, the Joker was said to had developed an immunity to poisons over the years. In one case, a mosquito was known to had sucked his blood where it writhed, whined and choked on the tainted blood. (Batman v1 #663)
One of his signature weapons was the Joker Venom that caused people to experience a laughing fit where they died and were left with a smile on their faces. (Batman v1 #1)
At one time, he was noted to had created his own version of Batman's Utility Belt that he equipped with a number of joke-themed gadgets to give him an edge in a fight. (Batman v1 #73)
In his hand, he was known to use a joy buzzer that typically only dealt a mild electrical shock but the Joker had increased his version's capacity with it dealing 200 volts. (Joker v1 #2)
Among his followers included:
- Gaggy the Dwarf : Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy was a dwarfish man who was a refugee from the circus before he joined as the court jester for Joker and served as his sidekick with him notable for having a glass-shattering scream. (Batman v1 #186)
- Harley Quinn :
- Merrymaker : Dr. Byron Merideth was a psychiatrist noted for his extreme methods in treating patients at Arkham Asylum where he eventually left to start his own private practice with him specialising to treat those with obsessions over the Joker. He eventually faked his death and became the masked Merrymaker where he created the League of Smiles consisting of his former patients as they terrorised Gotham during the Joker's return but really used them to eliminate his enemies. (Detective Comics v2 #17)
He was known to make use of henchmen known as Slapstick Men that were people who impersonated him and had their identities changed multiple times to hide their true selves. (The Batman Who Laughs v2 #1)
The Joker was said to have he tendency to attract anybody not in their right mind. These included the obsessives, the nihilistic fanatics looking for a hero and even the depressingly ordinary who simply required inspiration to indulge in their dark thoughts. (Detective Comics v2 #16)
It was believed that the Joker's heart contained a singular super-toxin that was released if he ever died. The toxin then transformed the person who killed him into the next Joker. (The Batman Who Laughs v1 #1)
The Joker's spine once contained a regenerative healing compound called Dionesium that allowed those exposed to it to recover from injuries at an accelerated rate. (Batman v2 #38) At one point, he had the omnipotent powers of a 5th Dimensional Imp after Mister Mxyzptlk gave his abilities to the Joker. (Emperor Joker v1 #1)
Notes
- The Joker was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson where he made his first appearance in Batman v1 #1 (April, 1940).
- According to Bill Finger, he showed fellow co-creator and artist Bob Kane a photograph of actor Conrad Veidt wearing make-up for the 1928 silent film "The Man Who Laughs" with this becoming the model of the character that became the Joker.
- "Batman From the '30s to the '70s" (1970) noted that the character was initially going to be killed by a knife wound in his second appearance but series editor Whitney Ellsworth decided the character had potential and should survive with this resulting in an additional panel depicting the Joker's survival
- In the 1960's, editor Julius Schwartz who despised the character came to take over the Batman line of comics and relegated the Joker to comic book limbo.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Batman, the Joker appeared in the setting of the 1960s live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Cesar Romero.
- In the DC Animated Universe, the Joker made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Batman: The Animated Series, the Joker appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Mark Hamill.
- In Justice League, the Joker appeared in the animated television series where he was once again voiced by actor Mark Hamill.
Films
- In Batman, the Joker appeared in the 1989 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Jack Nicholson. This version was originally Jack Napier who was the right-hand man of mob boss Carl Grissom and years ago was responsible for the murder of Thomas along with Martha Wayne.
- In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the Joker appeared in the animated film set in the DC Animated Universe where he was once again voiced by actor Mark Hamill.
- In The Dark Knight, the Joker featured as the primary antagonist in the live-action film that was part of The Dark Knight Trilogy where he was portrayed by actor Heath Ledger.
Video games
- In Infinite Crisis, the Joker appeared as a playable champion in the setting of the MOBA video game where he was voiced by actor Richard Epcar.
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Joker appeared as a playable character in the setting of the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Richard Epcar.
- In Injustice 2, the Joker appeared as a playable character in the setting of the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Richard Epcar.
Appearances
- Batman v1:
- Joker v1:
- JLA v1:
- Batman and Robin v1:
- Batman v2:
- Detective Comics v2:
- Justice League v4:
- The Batman Who Laughs v2:
- Justice League: Hell Arisen v1:
External Links
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
