Everyone has heard about Batman and the Joker in one way or another. This couple is one of best examples confrontation between hero and villain in the history of comics. It's no surprise that the Joker has become one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe - other supervillains tell each other horror stories about him.

A character with no backstory as such, a character of mystery, but one of the most iconic and popular supervillains in comics, whose cultural impact is difficult to describe. We invite you to read or remember the story of this crazy clown.

Concept

The Joker is easy to recognize even if you haven't read the comics. His wide smile, his white face and often combed back green hair, all of which identify the Clown King of Crime. But how did he come to such a recognizable image in a time when there were no supervillains, much less supervillain clowns?

The concept for the character was based on a sketch of a joker card drawn by Jerry Robinson. However, it is believed that the main source of inspiration was the character Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt) from the film “The Man Who Laughs” (1928). Much of this character's appearance was inspired by the Joker, especially his wide, evil smile.

Co-creator Bob Kane confirmed in a 1994 interview: “... (Joker) looks like Conrad Veidt, you know, the actor from The Man Who Laughs.” Finger had a book of pictures of Conrad and he showed it to me and said, “This is the Joker.”

First appearance

Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939 and, due to his growing popularity, received his own comic book series in April 1940. The first issue expanded the Batman mythology by introducing Catwoman and the Joker, who would become major components of Batman's world. The very first confrontation showed how dangerous the Joker can be when he installed a deadly toxin throughout the city.

In the original script, Kane and Finger killed the Joker in his debut issue. But editor Whitney Ellsworth saved the villain (the last panel showed that the villain survived). This was a huge success for the villain, without which he could simply disappear from the world of comics forever, and it is unknown how Batman would have changed without his main enemy.

Origin

The origin of the Joker has been a huge mystery for over 75 years, and the full and true story of his appearance has never been told. However, many authors tried to tell their version of the appearance of the Joker. Batman fans consider Alan Moore's version in the graphic novel The Killing Joke to be the most canonical version of the origin.

In the novel, we see flashbacks of the Joker, a failed comedian who turned to crime as a member of the Red Hoods gang in order to earn some money to help him support his pregnant wife. However, while trying to escape from Batman, he falls into a vat of chemicals and survives, but is seriously injured. This incident and the death of his wife drive him crazy, turning him into the Joker.

But the most interesting thing here is that even the Joker does not remember his origin story: “Sometimes I remember one thing, sometimes something completely different... if the past is so necessary, let it have options! a person should have a choice! HAHAHA!”

Appearance

The Joker is famous for many reasons, but his unique appearance is undeniable: his red lips, green hair and snow-white skin are all the result of falling into a vat of chemistry.

Also an integral part of the image is a crazy smile. He suffers from the so-called “rictus grin”, when a spasm in the facial muscles creates a constant grin from ear to ear.

In addition to his crazy appearance, the Joker usually wears a purple three-piece suit consisting of a long tuxedo and striped pants.

Golden age

As stated above, the Joker first appeared in Batman #1 in April 1940, in which he killed several people using his signature “Joker toxin” - a poison that not only kills, but kills victims with uncontrollable laughter, leaving corpses with crazy smiles. Despite the fact that the Joker stabs himself in the chest in the first issue, he nevertheless survives and continues to terrorize Batman and Robin. Subsequently, Mr. Jay began to appear in large number the first Batman comics, killing a lot of people along the way and avoiding capture. When Batman and Robin finally caught him, he almost always managed to escape.

When DC introduced the concept of the multiverse, the characters of the Golden Age of Comics became the inhabitants of Earth-2 and, along with other Earths, merged into one as a result of the event “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. The Joker began his final massacre after the death of Bruce Wayne and the revelation of his identity as Batman. The Joker found out that he had lost his main enemy and went even more crazy, went to Gotham, killing many innocents, trying to get the attention of Batman, and he did this one, but Dick Grayson was in the suit.

Silver Age

The Comics Code banned violence in comics, so many characters underwent major changes, including the Joker. He stopped pursuing the goal of killing the Dark Knight, now he just wants to play with him.

Some of the Joker's signature features originated in the Silver Age, such as his inventive pranks, prank guns, and deadly toys.

Additionally, the character's mystery prompted screenwriter Bill Finger to write his origin story. It was then that the Joker became the “Red Hood” and, in an attempt to escape from Batman, fell into a vat of chemistry.

Bronze Age

After a bit of a hiatus in the late '60s and early '70s, writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams revived the Joker. Returning him to the canonical image of a psychopathic killer. Due to his tendencies, he was declared insane and sent to Arkham Asylum instead of prison.

At the height of the Bronze Age from 1975 to 1976, DC launched the Joker series, in which the Clown King of Crime had to face a new villain every issue. But due to the Comic Code, the Joker was presented as a hero in every issue, which significantly reduced interest in the series. And it was canceled after 9 episodes.

At the end of the Silver and beginning of the Bronze Age, screenwriter Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers added additions to the villain's recognizable style in the form of a long face and a long coat.

Modern age

The Crisis on Infinite Earths event launched a new era of comics - Modern age(sometimes called the Dark Age). During this era, Batman's mythology underwent important changes, and the Joker underwent corresponding changes. This period was marked by the writing of significant stories for the character (including The Killing Joke).

The first story was "The Dark Knight Returns" from Frank Miller, which introduced an old and evil version of Batman who comes out of retirement to end crime until he kills the Joker. The story came out in 1986 and turned the industry upside down.

Another story is Batman: A Death in the Family, which tells the story of the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, at the hands of the Joker. For the first time, the Joker kills the central character from the Bat-pantheon, thereby greatly influencing the further development of Batman comics.

Impact on the Batfamily

The Joker has always influenced the Dark Knight, but there have been moments that have seriously affected Batman's loved ones.

In the late '80s, DC fans were tired of Jason Todd and wanted the character replaced. However, instead of making changes, the editors took the idea from The Dark Knight Returns and decided to kill off the character. But not wanting to decide the character's fate themselves, DC opened two hotlines and asked readers to vote: “Should Jason Todd live or die?” In the end, more than 10,000 votes were accepted in the vote, but even a small gap of 72 votes decided the fate of Jason Todd. The Joker kidnapped Robin and locked him in an abandoned warehouse, where he was beaten mercilessly with a crowbar, but an explosion ended Todd's suffering.

Not stopping there, the Killer Clown, in the same “Killing Joke,” broke into the apartment of Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara, also known as Batgirl, and tried to shoot her. After which she was left paralyzed.

Joker Family

The Joker is used to working alongside other Batman foes such as the Scarecrow, the Penguin or Two-Face, but there are only two characters who can be considered members of his "family": Harley Quinn and the Joker's daughter.

Harley Quinn (real name Dr. Harleen Quinzel) first appeared in the 1992 Batman Animated Series, and her comic book journey began a year later in Batman Adventures #12 in September 1993. As the Joker's treating psychiatrist during his time in Arkham, Dr. Quinzel fell in love with the villain and helped him escape. Falling in love with the Joker drives her crazy, and she becomes the villain Harley Quinn.

Another character who is more confused about his past than the Joker is Duela Dent. She first appeared in 1976 in Batman Family #6 as the Joker's daughter, but this was later revealed to be untrue. Then she tried to call herself the daughter of Scarecrow, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler and, ultimately, Harvey Dent.

Influence on Comics and Pop Culture

Long before Heath Ledger's Joker, the character had a huge influence on pop culture for decades. He is often referred to as the first supervillain in comic books, and has also been a long-time enemy of Batman since his first appearance in 1940.

In 2015, renowned psychologist Dr. Travis Langley published The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown King of Crime, the first scholarly work on the supervillain. The Joker is an iconic and important character in comics who has influenced the industry on numerous occasions and will continue to do so. His quotes, such as, “One bad day is enough for the most reasonable person the world is in the dark” has been used more than once in pop culture.

In other media

As the arch-enemy of the Dark Knight, the Joker has appeared in almost every adaptation of the Dark Knight's adventures (more than 250 products). Many actors have portrayed the character on screen or voiced him, but only a few are remembered by fans as the “real” Joker.

The first on-screen Joker was Cesar Romero in the famous 1966 television series “Batman.” The Joker was next played by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 film. The most popular incarnation of the Joker is performed by Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2008). And the recent performance in the film “Suicide Squad” by Jared Leto.

In addition, the Joker has appeared in a large number of feature-length cartoons, where he was voiced by actors such as Mark Hamill and Troy Baker. And, of course, the Joker could not ignore games based on DC comics: he appeared in Injustice: Gods Among Us, DC: Universe Online, the Batman Arkham series and many others.

Important Comics

In addition to the Killing Joke mentioned above, many important and interesting stories have been written about the Joker that tell a lot about the character.

• "Death of the Family" and "Endgame": two New 52 stories featuring a returning Joker who knows the secrets of the Bat-family;
• "Batman. Under the Hood tells the story of a resurrected Jason Todd who returns to Gotham seeking revenge and killing the Joker;
• The Man Who Laughs, Year One of the Joker, chronicles the supervillain's first appearance in Gotham and the beginning of their confrontation with the Dark Knight.
• Joker is a graphic novel that, although set in an alternate universe, provides a deeper look into the psyche of the Joker.

Character's future

Currently, the Joker is back again and has no intention of leaving. Actor Jared Leto still plans to return to the role of the Clown King of Crime in the DCEU universe. In the comics, the Joker has returned after the events of Endgame, and we'll soon see him face off against the Riddler in Tom King's "War of Jokes and Riddles." And considering the fact that DC Comics: Rebirth revealed that there are three Jokers, we can only guess what will happen next.

The Joker (DC Comics) is one of the most famous comic book villains and Batman's most implacable enemy. Perhaps this is the most charismatic, charming and unpredictable maniac in Gotham, and he also has his own crowd of admirers and admirers.

Character Description

The Joker (DC Comics) first appeared in the first issue of Batman, published on April 25, 1940. The character was created by Jerry Robinson, Billy Finger and Bob Kane. The Joker was originally intended to be a one-time villain who would die upon first appearing. But in the end he was abandoned and became Batman's main enemy.

The Joker's appearance is quite remarkable. His lips are constantly stretched in a smile due to the fact that his facial muscles were paralyzed. The villain's hair and nails are green, his skin is pale, his lips are bright red - all these are the consequences of exposure chemicals. His face is disfigured by two large scars that start at the corners of his mouth, giving the appearance of a hideous smile. The character's height is 198 cm, and his weight is 73 kg.

Birth of the Joker

Batman's nemesis has a mysterious past. In this regard, DC is aligned with Alan Moore, who spoke about the character's multi-variant past. There is an opinion that the Joker himself does not remember who he was before the fateful night when he put on the Red Hood.

According to the canonical version, a man (a gangster or a failed comedian), who later became the Joker, was frightened by Batman and fell into acid. That night he donned the Red Hood and took part in a factory robbery. After the tragedy, he went mad, and his body changed and took on its terrifying appearance.

Some time passed, and in Gotham they accidentally discovered a warehouse filled with the dead, whose lips were frozen in a smile. At the same time, someone in a purple suit appeared on the TV screens, the stranger was talking about when and who he would kill.

The Joker managed to deal with the director of the plant where the tragedy happened to him, and almost poisoned the city reservoir before Batman and Commissioner Gordon, who was helping him, were able to stop him. The result was imprisonment in the Arkham psychiatric hospital, the inhabitants of which were recently released by an insane clown.

Later, the maniac gets a partner wearing a harlequin costume - Harley Quinn, madly in love with the Joker.

According to some versions, the villain had a pregnant wife who died due to an accident. The Joker sometimes remembers her and grieves.

Christmas surprises

Soon the Joker is free and gathers a group of supporters around him. So, the Joker's gang, led by an insane leader, opens fire in the city center on Christmas Eve. Mayor Dickerson and the superintendent are killed in the shootout. However, the goal of the gangsters was not to kill the head of Gotham; the Joker just wanted residents to be afraid to leave their homes throughout the Christmas holidays.

The maniac doesn't stop there. His next step is to prepare a “Christmas present” for Batman. The Joker places bombs all over the city, and the hero has to find them all and save people. While the Dark Knight is busy neutralizing dangerous surprises, a gang of psychopaths again opens fire in the most crowded places of Gotham. Police officers are also among the victims. A bomb explodes in one of the stores; fortunately, Batman managed to evacuate people in advance. With great difficulty, the hero manages to catch the Joker. The psychopath comes to his senses in a hospital bed and laughs, remembering the bloody massacre he caused.

Rebirth

The Joker is the most famous supervillain in the DC Comics universe. And he owes his popularity to his unpredictability, madness and mysterious origins. In Batman #665, the Joker is seriously injured and ends up in a wheelchair. After an intensive period of recovery and intervention by plastic surgeons, the maniac’s appearance changes.

While undergoing treatment, the Joker was able to perfect the formula for his Venom. He gave the toxin to Harley Quinn and ordered the murder of his former criminal partners, which would indicate the rebirth of the villain. Despite following orders, the Joker tries to kill Quinn. The girl is saved only by Batman's intervention. After these events, the maniac joins the Black Glove criminal community.

Abilities and character

First of all, you need to remember that the Joker (DC Comics) is a typical crazy maniac. Comics about a villain only reinforce this judgment for readers. The Joker is smart, unpredictable, has various skills and is versed in a number of sciences, including chemistry. He trusts no one and is equally secretive with both enemies and partners, who do not stay alive for long. The Joker easily deals with his allies as soon as they fulfill their function. The maniac is simply obsessed with Batman, whom he considers the main reason for all his failures. Nevertheless, the Joker considers his opponent worthy and intelligent.

The villain is completely insane and is ready to do anything for his goal. The Joker is fearless and dexterous, perfectly oriented in a new situation and knows how to avoid danger. Madness prompts him to make non-trivial decisions.

In addition, the Joker has the following abilities:

• Very high intelligence.
• Excellent knowledge of chemistry.
• Incredible ingenuity.
• Amazing willpower that makes him immune to torture and mind control.
• Strategic talent.
• Immunity to acids and poisons.

Technical devices

The Joker (DC Comics) does not hesitate to use various devices and chemicals. Among them:

• A toxin that makes the victim laugh to death.
• Acid that corrodes everything.
• Playing cards with sharp edges.
• Smoke balls.
• Wears poisonous needles or electric shocks on his arm.
• Cane with rockets.
• Bombs various forms and sizes.

The Joker (DC Comics) has appeared more than once in various lists villains and comic book characters and more. Thus, in 2006, he was named the best villain of all time by Wizard magazine. In 2009, the Internet portal IGN named him second among 100 comic book villains. In 2013, the Joker took 8th place among the 50 best comic book characters from Empire magazine, a position that no other villain has ever received such a high place.

, Two-Face , Red Hood

• • Crazy and brilliant intellect
  • Unbending willpower
  • Leadership qualities
  • Extensive knowledge of, and access to, poisons, explosives and technologies
  • Masterful skills with various weapons
  • Escape Artist
  • Master of Disguise
  • Mastery of hand-to-hand combat skills
  • An excellent actor and master of impersonation
  • Master of manipulation and intimidation
  • Immunity to the vast majority of poisons and chemicals
  • Infected Blood
  • Pain Resistance
  • Survival
  • Special sense of humor

New 52

The image of the Joker has undergone some changes in the version The New 52; The character's appearance in the restarted universe remained virtually unchanged. The killer maniac first appears in Detective Comics#1, where he is being chased by the entire Gotham police force. After another skirmish with Batman, the Joker was caught and taken to Arkham Asylum. In the clown's cell, the clown is visited by a new villain, Dollmaker. He cuts off the Joker's face after revealing that he is his biggest fan. However, it must be emphasized that the Joker met the Puppeteer with the words “This is the ideal place for the procedure,” thereby making it clear that he would allow it to be done to himself. After his defeat, the Joker disappears for about a year. When Harley Quinn hears rumors about the death of a maniac, she loses the last of her sanity and abandons the Suicide Squad to personally see the cut off face of her lover at the Gotham police station. Apparently she's hoping to have the opportunity to restore the Joker's face.

In the episode "Batman: Europa", Batman and the Joker find themselves infected with a certain Colossus virus. To be healed, they have to join forces and go to Europe in search of the one who infected them. They pass through Berlin, Prague, Paris and Rome. In Paris, they manage to get close enough to the mysterious enemy, a battle ensues, during which Batman, weakened by the virus that kills him, falls from the roof. However, intentionally or accidentally, the Joker saves his life, preventing him from falling to his death. In Rome, Batman and the Joker finally learn that Bane set this all up to prove that Batman cannot live without the Joker. He begins to brutally beat the Joker, but the Dark Knight stops him and defeats him in the duel. Batman and Joker realize that the antidote to the virus is in their blood, but Batman hesitates, realizing that if they drink each other's blood, they will both survive, and if not, then both will die. In the end, the Joker takes the initiative, punching his nemesis in the face and literally forcing him to save them both. Thus, Batman lets the Joker live, knowing that many people in the future will suffer because of this. In this story arc, Batman also learns that the Joker is proficient in French. He says: “The French Joker... Parfait (French: flawless). It makes me realize how little I know about my closest enemy, even after all these years.” The reader also learns that the Joker has connections in the underworld of Paris and, possibly, throughout France.

The Joker was also supposed to appear in the next film in the series, The Dark Knight Rises, as a cameo (similar to the Scarecrow, who, being a villain in Batman Begins, briefly appeared in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. ), but Heath Ledger died while filming another film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The novelization of the film mentions that the Joker is in Arkham, but he is not mentioned in the film itself out of respect for Ledger.

For his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger posthumously received Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and MTV Movie Awards.

The death of Heath Ledger raised two pressing questions during the film's release: whether to show the recently deceased Heath Ledger as a disfigured Joker speaking a catchphrase, and whether to cut the scene where the Joker pretends to be dead from the final cut, but ultimately decided to remove it, leaving the indication in credits that the film is dedicated to the memory of the actor.

At Lex Luther's party, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent have a conversation, during which Bruce suggests that perhaps Gotham is speaking in him, and that they have had problems with psychos dressed as clowns, most likely referring to the Joker and his gang.

In November 2014, the head of Warner Bros. Pictures Greg Silverman has announced that Oscar winner Jared Leto will play the Joker in Suicide Squad. Shown in trailers and film new image Joker: He has deathly pale skin instead of white, green hair (combed back, like in some comics of recent years), missing eyebrows, many characteristic tattoos on his body and iron dentures instead of front teeth. In the film, the Joker wears a gray corduroy jacket, a purple silk shirt unbuttoned to the navel, black pants and shoes. He also appears dressed in a purple crocodile coat over his naked body and a tailcoat, very similar to the famous traditional costume of the Joker, in which he is most often depicted in the comics, but in the film he is not purple, but black. In Suicide Squad, the Joker is given very little screen time, but he still manages to be memorable and give the impression of an extravagant psychopath. In the film, he is introduced as falling in love with Harley Quinn and trying to free her from her imprisonment. However, it is worth noting that the Joker's attitude towards Harley Quinn is ambiguous throughout the film, just like in the comics. For example, the final version of the film did not include the footage previously shown in the trailer: during the final battle, the Joker appears at the metro station with his facial skin burned as a result of a helicopter fall. The villain invites Harley Quinn to escape with him, however, the girl refuses, citing the fact that she must help her friends. Then the Joker leaves her, throwing a smoke grenade at the Squad.

TV series

The 1966-1968 television series is a continuation of the film of the same name. The role of the Joker continued to be played by Cesar Romero.

The Joker appears in one short cameo in the first series. However, the main villain of the series, Harley Quinn, often remembers her “Mr. Jay”, never stopping trying to avenge his death and trying to restore his criminal empire. The villain is played by stuntman Roger Stonebarner, and is voiced by Mark Hamill, known for frequently voicing the Joker in animated films.

In the 16th episode of this series, a character appeared, perceived by many as a young Joker: Jerome Valeska, traveling around the country with a circus group. In this version, the character is played by actor Cameron Monaghan and is presented as the son of the snake dancer Lila, whom he killed with an ax for her promiscuous and overly demanding behavior: “Oh, well, you know mothers. She saw no boundaries. I thought - okay, mom, be a whore. Yes, even be a drunken whore, but you don’t have to be a annoying drunken whore.” Jerome's father also appears in the series - the psychic Cissero, possibly a circus swindler. Valeska was killed in the third episode of the second season; at the end of the same episode, we may see the real young Joker among the hysterically laughing people who saw the story about Jerome on the news. The actor who played Jerome also refutes this - Cameron Monaghan said in an interview - “I am often asked, is Jerome Valeska the Joker? And I always answer: “No!”

The creators of the series have officially announced that Jerome will return in the third season. This was confirmed in episode 12, where Jerome's corpse was shown being reanimated. In the same episode, it was shown that a whole cult of psychopaths in clown and Harlequin costumes had arisen, inspired by Jerome's dying video speech. In the next episode, Jerome is revived, but with his face cut off: the scientist who revived him tried to lead a cult of imitators himself, wearing Jerome's face as a mask, but Valeska was resurrected and took his face. A little later, he sewed it into place with staples, which gave it the appearance of a scary clown. In the same episode, the Joker card was occasionally shown, in connection with which it can be assumed that Jerome may still be the young Joker.

Animation

In the majority animated films and the animated series, the Joker was voiced by Mark Hamill.

Cartoon series

• "The Adventures of Batman" ( The Adventures of Batman, 1968-1969)
• "The New Adventures of Batman" (1977)
• “Batman” (Batman: The Animated Series, 1992-1995) and “The New Batman Adventures” (The New Batman Adventures, 1997-1999) - The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill
• “Batman Beyond” (Batman Beyond, 1999-2001) - the Joker does not appear directly, but references to him are made many times: numerous gangs of Jokers (Jokerz), in “Joyride” (season 2, episode 3) a cave with a skeleton in a suit is shown Joker.
• Justice League - episodes Injustice for All (2002) and Wild Cards (2003)
• "Static Shock" - episode of The Big Leagues (2002).
• "Batman" (The Batman, 2004-2008)
• "Young Justice" - episode Revelation (2011)
• “Batman: the Brave and the Bold, 2008-2011”

Animated films

• “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993) - The Joker is again voiced by Mark Hamill. The Joker's past is revealed; he was a hitman in the service of mafia boss Salvator Valestri.
• In the cartoon "Batman and Superman" (The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest, 1998) he became Lex Luthor's partner.
• In the full-length animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), the Joker appears in the world of the future after being thought dead for a long time. And the Joker again wants to defeat Batman, but Bruce Wayne is already old, and his opponent is the student of the original Dark Knight. The villain is voiced by Mark Hamill.
• Short film "Batman: New Times" (Batman: New Times, 2005).
• In the cartoon "Batman vs. Dracula" (2005), the Joker became a vampire. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
• An alternate version of the Joker, the superhero Jester, appears in the prologue of Justice League: Crisis on Two Worlds (2010).
• In the cartoon "Batman: Under the Red Hood" (2010), the Joker locks Robin in a warehouse with explosives - in the explosion, Robin dies. Five years later, the bandit Black Mask helps him escape from Arkham and makes a deal, but the Joker terminates the “agreement” and takes Black Mask and his people prisoner. When an attempt is made to set the van on fire, Batman appears and prevents the bandits from being killed. Red Hood takes the psycho to his lair and beats him up. Batman intervenes, preventing the Joker from being killed. The Joker returns to Arkham again. He is voiced by John DiMaggio.
• In the two-part Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Joker has a cameo in the first and appears as Batman's adversary in the second. In the first part, the Joker is overcome by catatonic syndrome, but upon hearing about Batman's return, his condition returns to normal. In the second part, the Joker pretends that he has become normal and that Batman is to blame for his manic behavior. Joker kills large number poisons people with laughter on a late-night talk show, after which he goes to a local amusement park, where he also kills many people. Batman realizes that he killed so many people by allowing the Joker to live. In the fight, the maniac tries to kill Batman, piercing him with a knife many times, after which the Joker breaks his neck. He rejoices as he believes he has defeated his nemesis by causing him to lose control. The Joker laughs, turns his neck, completely breaking his cervical spine, and dies. After the police arrive, the Joker's body catches fire and Batman tells him to stop laughing.
• In the cartoon "Batman.  Assault on Arkham The Joker is freed from Arkham by his accomplice Harley Quinn. He planned to detonate a “dirty bomb” that would contaminate all of Gotham with radiation. But Batman defuses the bomb, and Deadshot pushes the helicopter, along with the Joker inside, from a skyscraper; the Joker's body was not found at the helicopter crash site. He is voiced by Troy Baker.
• In the 2015 animated film Batman Unlimited: Chaos, the Joker is the main villain.
• Appears in the animated film Batman: The Killing Joke, (an adaptation of Alan Moore's comic book) and is the main villain. Having escaped from Arkham, the Joker decides to conduct a monstrous experiment on the honest Commissioner Gordon. He shows up at his home, shoots Barbara, the commissioner's daughter, and takes nude photographs of her, after which he takes Gordon to a closed amusement park and shows in detail everything that he did to his daughter, in the hope of driving Commissioner Gordon crazy.
• In the 2017 animated film The LEGO Movie: Batman, the Joker reappears as the main villain planning to take over Gotham City.

Computer games

• In Lego Batman: The Videogame, the Joker is the main villain and is available as a playable character in the villain story and free play.
• The Joker appears in the game Mortal Kombat vs.  DC Universe." Its ending states that after the separation of the worlds, the Joker became much stronger. He took over Gotham City and declared himself mayor. Now he will start the Mortal Kombat tournament in Gotham City, the participants of which will fight to the death for the amusement of the Joker. In the end, the winner of the tournament will fight the Joker himself.
• In Batman Vengeance, the Joker, along with his beloved Harley Quinn, kidnaps a woman's child and fakes his death in a fist fight with Batman, then, "resurrected", sets explosives on the airship. The villain was soon caught by Batman and sent to the Arkham Asylum.
• In the game Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Joker is one of Batman's opponents and the main antagonist of the game. Brought to Arkham by Batman, he rebels and seizes power in the hospital. He constantly appears, leaving both audio messages and video messages. In one of Batman's hallucinations, the player controls the Joker, but only for a short period of time. In the PlayStation 3 version of the game, you can use the Joker to fight the hospital guards, and he has a variety of clown gadgets. The appearance of the Joker in the game was most influenced by Tim Burton's film, comic books and animated series. The Joker was voiced by actor Mark Hamill, who managed to get to know this character and get used to the character while working on the animated series.
• In Batman: Arkham City, the Joker is also one of the main bosses. After the events of Arkham Asylum, he is infected with a Titan. At the end of the game, the Joker accidentally broke a test tube with medicine. The Joker asks Batman if he is happy, to which Batman replies that even after what the Joker did, he would still save him. The Joker says that this is really funny and dies. Batman carries the Joker's body outside the walls of Arkham City and gives it to the police. After this, the hero leaves, clearly blaming himself for what happened. After the game's credits, a recording is heard on Batman's communicator, in which the Joker sings a song Only You (And You Alone) band The Platters, and then laughs wildly.
• In DC Universe Online, the Joker is the main enemy of the heroes in Gotham. He is also the trainer of Gotham villains and the player can choose him as their mentor. Playable in Legend mode.
• In the game LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, the Joker is one of the two main enemies, along with Lex Luthor.
• In the game "Batman" for the Sega Mega Drive, based on the film of the same name, the Joker appears only at the end, where Batman defeats him.
• In The Adventures of Batman and Robin, the clown escapes from Arkham Asylum along with other villains. The Joker celebrates his birthday, planning to blow up the city and kill the heroes. He is the first boss in the game to fly in a hot air balloon. At the end of the first mission, he is defeated by Batman and Robin.
• In the game "Batman: Arkham Origins", which is a prequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Joker captures Black Mask and, under his guise, gathers 8 mercenaries to kill Batman. He is the main antagonist of the game. Like Bane, he is a playable character in multiplayer.
• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Joker drugs Superman into killing Lois Lane, after which the Man of Steel kills him and establishes a dictatorial regime across the Earth. The Joker from a parallel universe ends up in this universe along with the rest of the heroes, where he tries to take all the power for himself, but is defeated at the hands of Lex Luthor.
• Playable character in the MOBA game Infinite Crisis.
• In the game Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the Joker becomes an anti-hero and helps the Justice League save the world from the villain Brainiac. Also a DLC character.
• In Batman: Arkham Knight, the Joker will haunt Batman as a hallucination after the events at the Ace Chemicals chemical plant and will comment on all the hero's thoughts and actions in his own style (and appear as a glitch on posters around the city). After deciding to surrender and reveal Batman's secret, Scarecrow will inject Bruce with a toxin, and the Joker will take over his mind and see the world through his eyes. But still, due to his fear of oblivion, the Joker's hold on Bruce's mind weakens, and in the final battle, Batman gains the upper hand over the Joker and locks him in the depths of his mind. After the game's credits, the Joker sings a farewell song and laughs sadly. He is the “subconscious” antagonist of the game. And in a subconscious moment, a playable character.
• In Lego Dimensions, Joker appears as a boss in the level "Meltdown at Sector 7-G". He is also a playable character.

Other appearances

Famous fan films

Criticism and reviews

Notes

1. The Joker Profile - Batman"s Archenemy The Joker Bio (undefined) . Comicbooks.about.com (March 2, 2011). Archived from the original on June 6, 2012.
2. Batman: The Killing Joke
3. Batman: The Man Who Laughs (2005)
4. Batman: Harley Quinn (1999)
5. Gotham Knight 50
6. Daniel, Tony (w). Detective Comics v2, 1 (September 2011), DC Comics
7. Glass, Adam (w). Suicide Squad v4, 6 (February 2012), DC Comics
8. Glass, Adam (w). Suicide Squad v4, 7 (March 2012), DC Comics
9. Snyder, Scott (w). Batman v2, 13 (December 2012), DC Comics "Death of the Family: Knock Knock"
10. World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks
11. In Stetson or Wig, He’s Hard to Pin Down
12. Christopher Nolan not referencing Ledger's Joker's fate in new Batman film |  Hollywood.com
13. It’s Official: Meet the Cast of DC Comics" Suicide Squad Movie! - ComingSoon.net
14. Deleted scenes from Suicide Squad and why there are so few Jokers |  Favorites on MirF - World of science fiction, films and geek culture(Russian) . Retrieved August 20, 2016.
15. Mark Hamill - Biography (English) on the Internet Movie Database
16. Christopher George. The Adventures of Batman & Robin for Genesis (1995) - MobyGames(English) (16 January 2003). Retrieved August 1, 2012. Archived August 7, 2012.
17. Whitney Phillips. Trololo: You can’t just go ahead and publish a book about trolling = This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things. Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture. - M.:

In this article from “The Joker from A to Z”, I will try to create a complete picture, describing the history and character of the main villain and Batman’s most sworn enemy - the Joker.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Name: The Joker. Real name unknown.

Also known as: Jack Napier, Jason Reipen, Johnny Trape, Joseph Kerr, Tromp Mercury, Johnny Jape, Slappy, Red Hood, Mr. Genesius, Sir Reginald Harlequin, J. Columbine, H. A. Laughlin, etc., etc.

Place of residence: Gotham city. He spends most of his time in the Arkham psychiatric hospital for criminals.

Occupation: Professional criminal.

Weight: 86 kg.

Height: 189 cm.

Eyes: Green.

Hair: Green.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

External signs: White skin; ruby lips, forever stretched into a wide smile; long nose, elongated chin.

Sexual orientation: Hetero. Claims that he was married and that his wife died in an accident. He sincerely rejoices when he has to deal with female opponents (which does not prevent him from treating them with no less cruelty than everyone else). He is partial to some of the inhabitants of Arkham, which, as a rule, terrifies them. Since the 90s, his constant girlfriend is Harley Quinn, a former Arkham psychiatrist who sacrificed her career and sanity for the Joker and became his obedient slave. He periodically throws her out of the window, but otherwise they have an almost perfect relationship.

Favorite clothes: Purple suit and hat, yellow vest, yellow or green shirt, white gloves.

Favorite food: Fish.

Favorite animal: Hyena.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Story: One terrible night, a gang of criminals, led by a man in a red cap, entered the Ace Chemical Processing Inc. factory to rob a card company that was located in the same building. Within minutes they were discovered and confronted by the police and a mysterious vigilante in a bat suit. All the bandits, except Red Hood, died from police bullets. The leader was able to find a way out of the hopeless situation: jumping over the railing, he jumped into a vat of chemicals, flew through sewers and found himself in the river where Ace Chemical dumped its toxic waste. The criminal successfully escaped from pursuit and, having climbed ashore, took off his cap. It turned out that swimming in the poisoned liquid had left its traces: from the reflection in the river, a nightmarish clown face stared at the unfortunate man. Chalk white skin, hair the color of artificial grass and ruby ​​lips stretched into a creepy toothy smile - that's what the unlucky robber saw. And from that moment he disappeared... his personality dissolved into madness.

NO ONE knows who this man was before this day. NOBODY, not even himself - in his inflamed brain the true and the imaginary, truth and lies, reality and fantasy were mixed. Was he a cold-blooded thug or an ordinary loser who risked breaking the law to get money for his family? One thing is certain: something bad happened before his visit to Ace Chemical, and the physical transformation was only the last straw for him. (This in no way justifies what that person THEN did.)

The silence of the night was broken by insane laughter: the disfigured criminal appreciated the joke that fate played on him. And I decided to joke back. “I look like an evil clown... Clown? Not a clown, but... JOKER!!!” And the reborn got down to business.

Very soon the newspapers called him nothing less than the Clown Prince of Crime. Operating with incredible ingenuity and ruthlessness, the madman has gained a reputation as the most dangerous creature in Gotham City. Robberies, mass murder, nuclear terrorism, alliances with other supervillains, as well as (brief) world domination and a near-end of the world are just some of the Joker's deeds. He even managed (I'm not kidding) to serve as the UN ambassador for Iran and serve time in a Soviet concentration camp.

The Joker commits his crimes in a special style. Bringing to life the phrase “die of laughter” became his life’s goal. He loves to turn his atrocities into sinister performances, accompanying absurdly cruel actions with buffoonery and clowning. His criminal plans are carefully thought out, but at the same time leave room for improvisation and include many different options retreat.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Batman: What do you want from the city?

Joker: I want a new bike... I want to go to Florida... I want...

A scene from Tim Burton's Batman script that was not included in the film itself.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

1989 film version: Jack Napier, the mafia's right-hand man, always carries his lucky deck and his favorite purple suit with him. But suddenly the mafia decides to get rid of him (Jack liked the leader’s girlfriend), and sets the police on him. Location of Axis Chemicals. Then, of course, Batman appears. And it's his fault that Jack falls into acid. his face becomes disfigured, his skin takes on a shade of blue. Even plastic surgery doesn't help. They tried to do everything in their power, but alas, now our Jack is doomed to wear a malicious smile on his face. When Jack looked at himself in the mirror after the operation, he lost all sanity. Now he has nothing to lose. Essentially, Jack died and, like a phoenix, was reborn from the ashes as a psychopathic killer. Oh yes... New life– new “business cards” (we need to maintain our image =)), and this is, of course, the Joker card. The weapon certainly looked like a clown prop. And before us appears the same Joker we know today.

Target of crimes: Potentially anyone and everyone. The Joker trusts no one and treats victims, enemies, allies, helpers and those who simply “passed by” with equal cruelty. He is a “wild card” in any human deck, an outcast in any company, not controlled by anyone and not subject to any influence. Those who consider him an ally tend to die first. Those who hire him for “dirty work” must be prepared for unpredictable results. His assistants had better keep their mouths shut (“Learn not to ask stupid questions,” says the Joker, throwing one of his subordinates under the wheels of a passing car to the rest of the gang in one of the comics). Decent people...

Decent people have no place in this city. They are better off living somewhere else.

The Joker in Tim Burton's Batman.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

The maniacal jester also has a circle of favorite victims. First of all, of course, Batman is the superhero of Gotham, the mysterious night avenger, the protector of the innocent. It was from him that the Red Hood ran away, jumping into chemical waste. But this is not about trivial revenge. In most of his comic and screen “incarnations,” the evil harlequin does not consider Batman to be the culprit of his misfortunes; he thinks that fate struck him by chance, and strikes back in exactly the same way - at random. But competing in wits with the Man-Bat quickly became the very essence of the criminal clown's existence. He needs a worthy opponent on whom he can play deadly tricks, and constant defeats only stimulate him. The Joker always says that he will kill the Bat, that he hates the Knight of the Night, etc., but in reality everything is much more complicated - without an opponent, his life will lose meaning, because there will be no one to “play” with him.

Joker: Haven't you figured out why I haven't killed you yet?

Batman: No.

Joker: I've been meaning to tell you for a long time... eh-he-he-he-he... I LET you win. This is the game, you know? I make a mess, you catch me... If you win, I go back to Arkham, run away, and it all starts again. But if I win... BOOM! KAPUTT! Game over! And who needs it?

That is why the Joker, although he had many opportunities to put an end to the Black Avenger forever, always delayed the execution until the last moment or gave his enemy a chance to save himself. And he never took the chance to find out the true identity of the mysterious opponent. However, according to many fans, he recognized her a long time ago - it just doesn’t matter to him.

One of the inhabitants of “Arkham”: I say, let’s take off his mask. I want to see his real face.

Joker: Oh, don't be so predictable, for God's sake! THIS is his true face.

From the comic book “Asylum “Arkham”.

Next on the list are the Bat's allies. They are the ones in the greatest danger - the Joker only needs them as a way to hurt Batman. Then - policemen, lawyers, politicians - everyone who personifies law and order so hated by him (the more famous, the better - the mayor or the police commissioner, for example). Finally, the doctors treating the Joker in the Gotham psychiatric hospital “Arkham” - after another escape, he sometimes visits his doctors to communicate at home (of course, with a fatal outcome).

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Causes and purposes of crimes: There is no reason as such. Everything the Joker does is for his own pleasure, experiencing psychotic ecstasy from his sociopathic deeds. His main goal is to prove to everyone that he is both the greatest comedian and the greatest criminal of all time. The Clown Prince of the Underworld is sure that he can achieve this in only one way - by defeating the Bat, and always with the help of some witty trick (a banal shot in the heart is not suitable in any case!). Of course, in many stories the villain pursues mercantile goals, but still money is not the main thing for him. He can rob a bank, and the next day buy 20 thousand “jacks in a box” for, to put it mildly, an obscure reason.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Strengths: The Joker has no superhuman abilities, no international criminal empire, no millions in a Swiss bank, not even very developed muscles. And yet, in the DCU (DC Universe - a universe that exists in the imagination of thousands of authors and artists working for the DC comics company), he is the most terrible and dangerous psychopath, striking fear into the hearts of much more powerful and physically strong villains. The Joker likes to say that his strength is madness, and this is true. He is ready to do anything in order to achieve his goals and realize his plans; dangers and even death do not frighten him (at least in many stories), although the instinct of self-preservation always kicks in at the right moment, saving the psycho from imminent death. His madness manifests itself in an uncontrollably frivolous attitude towards life and reality: he ridicules everything in his path and, having ridiculed it, destroys it. Therefore, he is ready to laugh at both mortal danger and a formidable opponent. Some comics directly state that the Joker is not very aware of what is going on both around him and in his own head (in films, this point is usually not emphasized).

Dr. Ruth Adams, psychiatrist at Arkham: The Joker is a special case. Some of us feel that he is beyond treatment. In fact, we're not even sure if he can be called insane... We're starting to think it's some kind of neurological disorder like Torett's syndrome. It is possible that what we are actually seeing here is a kind of super-sanity, a brilliant new modification of human thinking, more suitable for urban life in the late twentieth century. Unlike you and me, the Joker seems to have no control over the information he receives from his senses from the world around him. He can deal with this chaotic clutter at the entrance only by going with the flow. So on some days he is a mischievous clown, on others he is a psychopathic killer... He reinvents himself every day. He considers himself the ruler of chaos, and the world around him as a theater of the absurd.

Batman: Tell that to his victims.

From the comic book “Asylum “Arkham”.

However, without really delving into the essence of what is happening, the sinister jester navigates a dangerous situation much better than healthy people and knows how to turn the tide of a fight with a seemingly predetermined outcome: his sick brain always suggests unexpected and witty solutions. He has no equal in his ability to find the weak points of his opponents and use their own weapons against them. Finally, the Clown Prince of Crime never cared about such nonsense as the fairness of the fight.

Madness gives him a number of other abilities. As you know, the physical strength of crazy people increases due to the adrenaline reaction of the body. Joker never studied martial arts and hand-to-hand combat and in a fight he has nothing special to boast about, but sometimes insane rage gives him the strength to rush at the enemy like an animal and fight on equal terms even with Batman, an expert in all possible martial arts. In addition, the permanent phase shift gave the killer jester unusually agile nervous system: he is not affected by any psychotropic, intoxicating, etc. drugs (although they often later affect the doctors who give them), as well as the “fear gas” invented by a mad scientist nicknamed Scarecrow, and the botanical charms of the villainess Poison Ivy .

Over the years of his criminal life, the Joker has acquired a number of practical skills: he is a good shooter (his favorite tactic is to shoot at every living thing indiscriminately), has a good command of bladed weapons, is well versed in explosives and toxic substances, not to mention various cunning tricks and dastardly tricks, often demonstrates undoubted acting talent and mastery of disguise, and is an expert in all kinds of torture and sadistic methods of brainwashing. But still, his main weapon is ingenuity, unprincipledness and... madness.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Survival: Almost superhuman. He was shot, drowned, blown up, burned, electric current was passed through him, and still he survived.

Relationships with the underworld: As already mentioned, complex. He has no friends or permanent accomplices, because he denies any laws and rules - including those of the criminal world. The Joker has repeatedly joined forces with other supervillains (Penguin, Scarecrow, Lex Luthor, Carnage); every time it all ended in mutual betrayal and fight. However, his eerie aura and nightmarish reputation inspire respectful fear and almost reverence among most criminals, and his power within the walls of Arkham is limitless. The Joker has never lacked help, as he pays well and his plans always work (until the Bat interferes). As a rule, a maniac clown takes into his team two or three strong and stupid thugs who do not ask unnecessary questions and do not think about what they are doing. But, unlike most crime bosses, he loves to do all the dirty work himself.

The Joker is a member of the Unjust Gang, a secret society of supervillains led by Lex Luthor. He is also a member of the Council of Nero (that is the name of the Devil in the DCU), was one of his five lieutenants; however, he later teamed up with Luthor to steal the power of the ruler of hell.

Current status: Healthy, cheerful, crazy, energetic and ready for action.

Joe also appeared in the film industry:

Batman (film, 1966) (film and TV series) - Cesar Romero

Batman (1989) - Jack Nicholson

Batman: Dead End (2003 film) - Andrew Koenig

The Dark Knight (2008) - Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger was the ultimate Joker. It was he who revealed his entire character. But the Joker played a cruel joke on him. On January 22, 2008, Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. Probable Causes death - suicide or drug overdose. Many believe his death is the Joker's fault. What exactly the role of the Joker influenced the psyche of Heath himself. Even Jack Nicholson believes it. Before filming The Dark Knight, Heath met with Nicholson to share his experience. The first thing Jack said was: “Don’t mess with the Joker, he won’t bring you any good.” Who knows, maybe the Joker tried this...

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Well, let's start from the beginning. The Joker's first appearance in a movie was the TV series of the 60s, where he was slightly changed in terms of appearance: now he has light green hair, combed into a ball, and instead of a frozen smile, the corners of his mouth were lengthened with lipstick. His suit was made dark pink, and his gloves were purple. In the series, the Joker is more of a clown than a villain. In addition, he acts very weakly here, just following the Penguin's instructions. After that, the Joker was only in cartoons and comics for a long time.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

In 1989, the Joker returned in Tim Burton's Batman, played by Jack Nicholson. Here he gets a name - Jack Napier, the former right hand of crime boss Carl Grissom. Jack falls into acid... I already wrote further) There is no Robin in this film, and Batman remembers that the Joker killed Bruce Wayne's parents when Bruce was still a little boy (by the way, it's interesting here... imagine: little Bruce... well, approximately how old was he when they killed him parents? And approximately how old was Joe in those years? Well, let’s say about 25 years old. Now Bruce is 25-30, then Joe’s approximate age is 45-50... but this is based on the film of 1989). The traditional appearance was preserved: green hair, white face, red lips, expensive purple suit, purple gloves and a constant smile. They did their best with a smile: Jack Nicholson had artificial make-up applied to the corners of his lips and cheeks, “frozen in a smile.” At the end of the film, he was killed by Batman, although the Joker was given much more time than Batman. In the story, Harley Quinn was killed by the Joker himself (although she was denied a jester costume and a nickname, but let's hope that Harley will show herself in the next Batman).

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

In 2003, another film appeared, this time an amateur low-budget one, BUT Andrew Koenig (who plays the Joker) impressed many and is considered something between the images of Ledger and Nicholson. The Joker's appearance is reminiscent of the Nolan film, but the Joker here has brown hair instead of green. The character of the Joker in this film is a little crazy and dies at the end.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

And finally, The Dark Knight. Here the Joker has no name (in addition, he leaves no evidence, and his past cannot be found out). The appearance is traditional, but distorted: the Joker has light green curly hair, black outlines around his eyes (taken from the comics), a dirty purple suit, dark purple gloves and a white face. The permanent smile became 2 scars carved in the mouth. Throughout the film, the Joker gives two versions of their appearance: the mockery of the father and the unfortunate family life, but the real reason has never been revealed. The stories are accompanied by the phrase “Why are you so serious?” (originally “Why so serious?”), which became the signature to the film. Falling into waste is abandoned here - the Joker's white face here is sloppily applied makeup, which is wiped off several times during the course of the film. The knife is the favorite weapon of the new Joker: in his opinion: “knives provide the closest contact with the victim.” Also distinguishing features of this villain are dynamite and gasoline. The Joker does not die at the end, making the film a prequel.

Hit himself, having locked himself in the living room for a month, came up with the image of the Joker. He didn't want his Joker to be like Jack Nicholson's Joker. Heath's Joker is selfish, with his unsurpassed facial expressions, with an eternal smile in the form of scars, with the wonderful intonations of a psychopath. In this film, Joker shows all the morality of society. Not Batman, who protects the citizens of the city, but the Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker provides us with the meaning and philosophy of people like Harvey Dent as well as society. The Joker plunges the city into chaos and plays his subtle game.

A big influence on the Joker character in this version was the Batman comic book episodes entitled "The Long Halloween", "The Killing Joke", and "The Man Who Laughs". The character's 1940s co-creator, Jerry Robinson, was hired as a consultant, as was his colleague Bob Kane for Batman (1989).

Grim Joe

The Joker's makeup consists of three parts - special super-strong silicone pads, which are secured with special cosmetics. Two of them are attached to the cheeks, and the third is under the lower jaw. Lip makeup is done using special lipstick and silicone products that can give the face the effect of a stretched mouth. This combination, in combination with makeup, allows you to get the effect of a mouth torn from ear to ear and a post-traumatic keloid scar on the lower lip and right cheek, in order to further frighten the actor’s face, and also give the image some external deformities. In addition, a special makeup was also applied to the face, making it possible to give the face an extremely pale tint, and therefore Heath’s hero looks like a living dead man. All the makeup, not counting the overlays, was applied carelessly and sloppily, so that the viewer would no longer have any doubts that this is a real psycho. Heath Ledger's daily makeup took just under an hour.

The tragic death of Heath Ledger raised two pressing questions during the film's release: whether to show the recently deceased Heath Ledger as a disfigured Joker speaking his catchphrase, and whether to cut the scene where the Joker plays dead from the final cut. This situation was resolved on the basis that Heath Ledger worked very hard on this role and in any case would have been proud and happy about it.

Well, we're done with the films.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

The following image of the Joker is shown in the recently released game Batman: Arkham Asylum. The Joker is one of Batman's opponents and the game's bosses. Delivered by Batman to Arkham. As it turned out, it was a carefully planned plan to try to kill Batman, but as it turned out, it was not ideal. He starts a riot and seizes power in the hospital. He constantly appears, leaving both audio messages and video messages. He is Batman's main opponent. In one of the meetings, he turns two of his assistants into monsters using a mutagen called "Titan" (in the last meeting, himself). The PlayStation 3 version of the game has the ability to play as the Joker (I hope to appear on PC). The appearance of the Joker in the game was most influenced by the Batman movie, comic books and the animated series. The Joker was voiced by actor Mark Hamill (everyone's favorite Jedi also voices the warden in the game Darksiders), who managed to become familiar with this character while working on the animated series about Batman.

Joker "from A to Z"

Joker "from A to Z"

Joe is also present in the game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Its ending states that after the separation of the worlds, the Joker became much stronger. He took over Gotham City and declared himself mayor. Now he will start a Mortal Kombat tournament in Gotham City, in which participants will fight to the death for the amusement of the Joker. In the end, the winner of the tournament will fight the Joker himself.

In addition to Batman, the Joker has been a member of other universes. In the full-length cartoon The Batman/Superman Movie, he became Lex Luthor's partner. Batman was also there, as Superman's ally and Lois Lane's new love interest.

The Joker was also in one of the Scooby-Doo series. There was also Penguin Man, who he teamed up with. Batman and Robin were there too, as new friends of the Mystery Inc.

Green hair, white face, smile, more like a grin - even those who have never touched comics in their lives recognize him. A laughing psychopath, a killer jester, a clown prince of crime - or simply the Joker, the one and only. Batman's arch nemesis turned 77, and it's been one hell of a busy year. In our material we will try to go through at least the top of this voluminous and vibrant story, filled with laughter and blood.

If you approach the character from the perspective of cultural studies, it turns out that he is a couple of thousand years old. After all, in essence, the Joker is a trickster, not much different from the folklore Loki and Mephistopheles, an evil, insidious creature who mocks what people revere, the embodiment of pure nihilism. Its predecessors can be found in almost every world culture and era, be it a forest spirit with a specific sense of humor or a fairground Harlequin mocking poor Pierrot. Perhaps this is why the Joker has taken root so well - because he has always been around.

Joker's first appearance

The terrorist clown appeared in its familiar form in 1940. Who this character's father really is is a mystery that is not destined to be solved. Each of the three people working on Batman comics at the time - Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson - claimed that he created the Joker, and the others, they say, just picked up the idea.

It is no longer possible to determine which of them is right. But the source of inspiration is definitely known - the German actor Conrad Veidt in the image of Gwynplaine from the film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Man Who Laughs” in 1928. And also, oddly enough, the Joker playing card.

Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine. It is possible that the Joker's skin color also owes to the fact that the film was in black and white.

Those who think that at first the Joker was a cheerful criminal and joker, and began to kill only towards the end of the 20th century, do not know the history of comics well. The so-called "Golden Age", which lasted from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, was heavily implicated in blood. The same Batman, for example, did not immediately become a thorough moralist and once did not stand on ceremony with gangsters. Of course, he didn’t shoot at point-blank range, but if he had to throw another bandit off the roof, he didn’t hesitate. So the Joker made his debut in comics as a real serial killer.

According to the plot of Batman #1, the newly-minted villain announced on the radio the names of his victims, usually someone from the city elite of Gotham, and they died exactly 24 hours later with unnatural smiles on their faces. The maniac had a simple goal - to sow fear and gain authority based on it among local gangsters. A very reasonable plan. The early Joker was generally far from mad. Cruel, cold-blooded, resourceful, but hardly crazy. He hardly even laughed.

Early comic books were a bit like silent horror films. For all their absurdity, they regularly create horror

But there was still something irrational in him. The evil jester decided that he did not want to know who was hiding under the mask of Batman, and even refused to kill the hero at the first opportunity - it’s not interesting. If we draw parallels between the first Joker and Heath Ledger's interpretation, the image of the villain in The Dark Knight no longer seems so non-canonical.

When the Joker was funny

For ten years, none of the authors even thought to explain why the character has white skin and green hair. Although this wasn't common practice for Batman comics. The Joker generally became the first full-fledged supervillain of the Bat-universe - before him, Bruce Wayne fought with ordinary criminals. The story of the red-hooded robber falling into a vat of chemicals only appeared in the early 1950s and is still considered canon.

In the Silver Age, the Joker was hungry for wealth and afraid of the tax office

Around the same time, conservative psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published a controversial book, Corrupting the Innocent, in which he argued that comic books were polluting the minds of children and leading them down a crooked path. The work caused a lot of noise, and publishers across America were forced to adopt the Comics Code, which obliged writers and artists to strict self-censorship. Thus began the “Silver Age” - an era of fun, harmless and monotonous adventures.

Batman and the Joker also came under attack, turning into a noble knight and a playful clown, respectively. From now on there could be no talk of any murders. Thematic crimes took their place. Pumping the city with laughing gas and making everyone throw away their jewelry, committing a robbery dressed up as Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, escaping from the police, making the cops laugh until they were helpless - that’s what the white-faced villain now liked. And what kind of villain is he? So, a hooligan and a dirty trick.

In the 1960s, the Joker finally received his first screen incarnation in the Batman series with Adam West. The role was played by Cuban-born actor Cesar Romero, who had previously played mostly heroic lovers. However, he showed himself brightly in his new role. The Joker turned out to be noisy, silly, but charming - to match the series itself.

The 1960s Batman series is considered a classic in the States. This is how most mature Americans have known the Joker since childhood.

The jokes are over

You can't expect anything good from such a clown

In the 1970s, the good nature pills with which he had been fed for twenty years slowly stopped working on the Joker. Violence was creeping into popular culture, especially in cinema, and comics could not help but succumb to the general trend. It was then that the saga of the Dark Knight acquired the familiar features of a dark detective thriller.

The first bell that marked the return of the killer clown was the plot of “Five Ways of Revenge of the Joker” in 1973. There's a villain in it once again escaped from custody, but instead of committing absurd crimes, he began to punish former accomplices who abandoned the leader to the mercy of fate. And the punishment did not mean throwing a cake in the face - no, everything was in an adult way. Two were poisoned with the poison of laughter, another took a drag from a cigar with nitroglycerin, and the fourth was simply hanged by the maniac. The last henchman was supposed to be a snack for the shark, but Batman saved him.

The Joker's personal series did not last long. How to write about someone who doesn’t even look like an antihero?

The Joker experienced a real renaissance in the 1980s, when two stories about him were released, which left the deepest mark in the history of comics. Everyone who is into geek culture has heard about Alan Moore's The Killing Joke at least once. This graphic novel consistently ranks among the top must-read comics. There are many reasons for this.

Firstly, it was after the events of The Killing Joke that Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, found herself chained to wheelchair. This was a bold move on the part of the publishing house - before this, the heroes had never lost their strength for a long time and certainly had not become disabled.

Secondly, The Killing Joke is the first attempt to show the Joker as a real person, a tragic figure whose madness has a good reason. Thanks to the deft manipulation of emotions, the reader was surprised to discover that the sinister jester, it turns out, could be empathized with. But it is a mistake to believe that the comic reveals the real backstory of the Joker - no, DC and Moore would not risk killing the intrigue. The novel offers only one of the possible options.

This scene from The Killing Joke has sparked outrage among feminists across America.

But the “Death in the Family” arc, on the contrary, sought not to surprise the reader, but to please. DC audiences at the time loved the Joker's violent antics and hated the second Robin, Jason Todd. The writers created him to replace the super-correct Dick Grayson, who left Batman for free and became Nightwing. The new Boy Wonder was supposed to be a "bad guy" in the spirit of the times, but instead he became a bad character.

The public did not like the daring and harsh sidekick so much that DC took an unprecedented step - they launched a telephone vote whether Todd would survive the next adventure or not. Readers coldly sentenced the guy to death. His death was not quick or painless - the Joker, laughing devilishly, beat the young man with a tire iron and left him, barely alive, in a mined warehouse. Batman tried to save his ward, but everything was already predetermined.

Over time, Jason Todd was resurrected, but it took more than ten years. And in the 1980s, Robin's death was final and irrevocable. It's hard to overstate the importance of this plot twist for Batman and the comic book industry as a whole. Later, the scriptwriters more than once forced the Joker to commit much greater atrocities, going beyond all limits. But it seems that no one has been able to surpass the effectiveness of “The Killing Joke” and “Death in the Family”.

On large and small screens

The success of the 1978 Superman film and the increased popularity of the Batman comics convinced Warner Bros. that audiences were ready for a big Night Knight movie. The studio bosses decided to play straight away with their trump cards. Or rather, from the Joker. In early drafts of the script there was also a Penguin, but the creators threw him out so as not to distract the audience's attention from the confrontation between the two arch-enemies.

The film company wanted the film to be a clear hit, and the risk tolerance was exhausted by hiring a young Tim Burton to direct and the not-so-famous Michael Keaton to play Batman. The villain had to be played by a real star. Robin Williams and even David Bowie showed interest in this role.

Legend has it that Jack Nicholson became a prime candidate after one of the producers saw Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. The actor’s wild grin and crazy eyes made an indelible impression on the film boss, and he convinced his colleagues that Nicholson and no one else should play the Joker. After much persuasion, Jack agreed, but the fee he asked for was fabulous - 60 million from the film’s box office receipts and a percentage of video and merchandise sales.

Let's admit the obvious: Nicholson played Nicholson in "Batman", only in makeup

The Joker in Burton's film turned out to be bright and charismatic, but... not crazy at all. This is a narcissistic and cruel gangster dude, but not an infernal buffoon whose laughter sends goosebumps down your spine. Perhaps the reason is that its origin is not shrouded in secrecy. The viewer knows that before falling into a vat of chemicals, Nicholson's Joker was an ordinary bandit. The writers even gave him human name- Jack Napier (after the late actor Alan Napier, who played Alfred in the 1960s Batman). There is no mystery, no intrigue. And the decision to make him the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents caused wild indignation among comic book fans.

However, the film turned out to be worthwhile and successful. He popularized Batman and the Joker, showed them in all their dark glory, erased the memories of the old comedy show. Warner Bros. almost immediately they gave the go-ahead for a sequel and, what is much more important for us, the animated series “Batman” by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini - gothic, gloomy, and not wanting to coddle with the young viewer. Of course, it was also intended for children, but he was not shy about raising adult topics. There was drama, there was psychologism. It was there that the Joker's companion appeared - everyone's favorite Harley Quinn. And there was the best Joker outside of comics.

Hamill's Joker will forever remain in the childhood memories of thousands of viewers. Well, or in nightmares

When Mark Hamill was invited to the studio, he was sure that he would be offered to write a couple of stories for the series. After "Star Wars" acting career didn’t work out, and Mark began writing scripts, even achieving success in this. Therefore, when he was asked to stand behind the microphone, the former Skywalker was somewhat surprised. But there was nothing unusual about this - two years earlier, Hamill played the supervillain Trickster in the series “The Flash,” created by the same WB television division in the wake of the popularity of Burton’s “Batman.” The types of the two villains coincided in many ways, and the creators decided to call this particular actor.

And this turned out to be one of the most correct decisions in almost the entire history of animated series. Mark felt the character so subtly and truly, got into the role so much that to this day he is considered in the best voice Joker of all. What is there - simply the best Joker. He's funny, creepy, crazy, and his laugh is unmistakable.

Mark Hamill still managed to play the Joker live... well, almost. In the TV series "The Flash" he returned to the role of the Trickster, but borrowed his voice and mannerisms from the killer clown

Joker of the new century

In the 1990s, the comic book industry was in a frenzy. A crisis of sales, a crisis of ideas - in general, a crisis of everything. In what was happening in the DC universe of those years, from its parallel worlds, shifts in space-time, sudden deaths and resurrections, the devil himself will break his leg. Therefore, we will bypass this kingdom of chaos, since nothing truly epochal about the Joker came out then. Although true comic book experts can certainly argue with this.

In the "Emperor Joker" arc, the evil jester tricked him into gaining divine power and temporarily became the ruler of the universe...

...and in “The Last Laugh” he infected the whole world with a virus that turns everyone into a crazy clown

He remained on the periphery in the early 2000s. In significant arcs like Batman: Hush! the clown appeared, but more often in a supporting role. Readers and authors seem to have become bored with him. The tired image needed a radical update.

In the 2004 Batman animated series, the Joker already appears in an unusual form. He is hunched over, moves in a monkey manner, instead of a neat hairstyle there is a lush green mane, instead of a tailcoat there is a straitjacket. Unusual, but fresh and bold, although overall the animated series was much inferior to its predecessor. But those changes in the Joker were only a sign of what was really to come.

In the 2004 animated series, the Joker is completely different from himself. And it suits him

When Christopher Nolan was asked why he cast Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the director replied, “Because Heath is fearless.” And what Nolan and David Goyer had in mind required remarkable courage. Both fully understood the burden of responsibility that lay on their shoulders, despite the fact that Christopher was and remains far from comics. Restarting the Batman franchise is one thing, but fitting it into a conventionally realistic world fantastic character, which also has a gigantic army of fans, is completely different. This required an actor who was ready, firstly, to accept a barrage of criticism from geeks, and secondly, to convince the world that the filmmakers were right in encroaching on the canon.

Many articles and even scientific works have been written about Ledger’s Joker. This is, without a doubt, one of the most striking and influential acting works in cinema. beginning of the XXI century. But comic book conservatives still criticize it for being uncanonical. They say this is no Mr. Jay: he behaves wrong, doesn’t look like he should, and in general, Nolan made something of his own, and not a film adaptation of comic books about Batman.

The last entry in the diary that Ledger kept on behalf of the Joker while preparing for the role was the words “bye-bye” on the entire page. Creepy coincidence

But if we analyze the image created by Ledger, precisely in the context of the character’s history, an interesting thing becomes clear: the actor and the screenwriters captured the essence of the Joker as accurately as possible. What should a killer jester be like? Crazy? The Joker in The Dark Knight makes grandiose multi-step plans in order to achieve an irrational goal that is understandable to him alone. Cunning and cruel? How many
He killed during the film, how many lives he broke! It was he who turned the honest and noble Harvey Dent into the revenge-obsessed Two-Face, significantly desecrating the moral ideals that had barely arisen in Gotham. Eccentric and ironic? Yes, all the Joker’s monologues resemble the stand-up show of a radical comedian, and he himself is a kind of hybrid of Andy Kaufman and Charles Manson. And how he bursts into laughter during the beating - this is the most revealing scene that reflects the essence of the character!

Even the Joker’s special relationship with Batman is revealed in “The Dark Knight” much better than in Burton’s, where the gangster clown perceived the arch-enemy as just another hindrance, nothing more. So everything couldn’t be more canonical.

The year The Dark Knight was released, Brian Azzarello published the graphic novel Joker, where the villain clearly resembles Heath Ledger

Clown without a face

Eight years have passed since the release of The Dark Knight. All this time, the Joker, whose interest has grown sharply, constantly appeared in comics, cartoons and video games. We especially highlight the Batman: Arkham series, in which Mark Hamill returned to his favorite role for two games, and was replaced by the no less talented Troy Baker. The franchise covers almost the entire history of the confrontation between Batman and the Joker - from the first clash to the death of the laughing psychopath and his, so to speak, posthumous existence. This is a competent compilation of dozens of comic stories into several voluminous but integral works.

As for the comics, the version of the clown from the New 52 universe that made the most noise. Screenwriter Scott Snyder (no relation to Zack Snyder, by the way) took a daring move: in the story, the Joker loses face. Literally. The clown simply cuts it off. And after some time, he steals his face from the Gotham police evidence vault. And puts it on. Like a mask. Directly onto the bare meat. Brrr, even writing about this is unpleasant.

So just watch

Nevertheless, such extreme suited the character perfectly. The new look emphasized the depth of the clown’s mental disorder. He is a real monster, whose inflamed brain generates ingenious and sophisticated plans. Even Harley Quinn is afraid of such a Mr. Jay, and she is understandable.

It seems that the Joker is able to survive anything only because death itself prefers to stay away from him. Batman is more confused and helpless than ever before this embodiment of chaos. In the finale of the Death of the Family arc, which is considered one of the best in The New 52, ​​the Dark Knight defeats his enemy, but it seems that this is also just part of the Joker's plan. The show must go on.

In the Batman arc R.I.P. The Joker already looks like a serial killer from a horror movie

Over the past year, we've gotten two new on-screen Jokers. The first of them appeared in the series “Gotham”, and everything is not easy with him. The character played by Cameron Monaghan is named Jerome Valeska. He is the son of a circus performer who killed his own mother, after which he was committed to Arkham Asylum, escaped from there and became a daring criminal with a penchant for theatrical effects.

The creators claim that Jerome is not the Joker, but it’s hard to believe them. He acts like the Joker, talks like the Joker, laughs like the Joker. He even looks like the Joker, except that his skin is normal color and his hair is red. And since the series has completely given up on realism and resurrects dead characters once or twice, the likelihood that a young psychopath will bathe in chemicals increases to 99%.

And that's good. Yes, the mystery of the identity of the killer jester will disappear again, but “Gotham” is famous for showing on the screen everything that was left behind the scenes in the comics. Otherwise, Monahan's image corresponds to the canon, and the acting style is clearly inspired by Mark Hamill's voice acting.

Cameron Monaghan (Jerome from Gotham) doesn't even need to wear makeup

And now we get to the most talked about Joker of recent years - Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. The irony is that there is essentially nothing to say about him. The character in the film the bat cried - for a little over eight minutes, and he is revealed (or rather, “outlined”) in just a couple of scenes. He is eccentric, self-centered, emotionally unstable - in general, almost as he should be. Only sometimes, like everything in the DC cinematic universe, it is too serious and pathetic. The Joker's comedic side is barely hinted at.

But they added humanity to the image. In the film, Mr. J not only keeps Harley Quinn with him like a funny toy, but loves her, although it’s hard to believe that his rotten heart is capable of feelings. Leto himself said in an interview that he wanted to show the complex and contradictory nature of the Joker, to make him a person who both enjoys madness and suffers from it. Alas, a huge number of filmed scenes with his participation were never included in the theatrical cut of the film.

Let's hope all the deleted scenes with the Joker will be shown someday. I really want to know what kind of toys Leto wanted to show

Of course, we missed something. It is impossible to cover everything that has come out about the Joker over 75 years within one material. For example, there are no theories about what is happening with the clown in DC comics now. And there it just turned out that all these years there were as many as three different Jokers acting as villains instead of one. This plot twist is aimed at hype as clearly as the much-publicized betrayal of Captain America. And until the writers come up with a clear and sane justification for it, it’s not worth taking it seriously.

Joker is a global star. An icon of modern pop culture, no less than Batman. And no matter what writers, artists, actors and directors do with it, its essence will not change. An evil clown, the embodiment of cruel irony of fate and unadulterated madness. A villain whose image is etched in the memory at first sight. Too popular to ever disappear. No matter how the fate of the DC cinematic universe turns out, there is no need to worry about the Joker - his laughter will ring out more than once.