In this article from “Joker from A to Z”, I will try to compile full picture, describing the history and character of the main villain and the most sworn enemy of Batman - the Joker.
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.
All versions of the Joker
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.
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 hopeless situation: Jumping over the railing, he jumped into a vat of chemicals, flew through sewers and ended up 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, massacres, nuclear terrorism, alliances with other supervillains, as well as (brief) world domination and a near-end of the world - that's not all. full list 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.
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.
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” (you have to maintain your 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 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.
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 cunning 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 reprisal until last moment or gave a chance for salvation to his enemy. 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).
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 will not do 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.
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 mortal danger, and over a formidable enemy. 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 weak points their 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.
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...
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 somewhat changed in terms of appearance: now he has a light-colored green hair combed into a ball, and instead of a frozen smile, they lengthened the corners of his mouth 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, only following the Penguin's instructions. After that, the Joker was only in cartoons and comics for a long time.
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).
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.
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: his father's bullying and an unhappy family life, but the true reason is never 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.
The character of the Joker in this version was greatly influenced by 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
Spoiler The tragic death of Heath Ledger raised two pressing questions at the film's release: whether to feature the recently deceased Heath Ledger as a disfigured, talking Joker catchphrase, as well as the wisdom of cutting the scene where the Joker plays dead from the final edit. 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.
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 last meeting and 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- supervillain of the DC Comics universe, the main and sworn enemy of Batman. In cinema, the role of the Joker was played by several actors and in this article I will tell who played the role of the Joker in the film.
Actors who played the Joker
1. The first Joker. Played him on TV for the first time American actor Romero Cesar, who played the famous villain in the Batman series (1967-1969). Although he didn’t particularly look like a villain... here he’s more of a joker, a comedian, than some kind of serial maniac!
2. The second actor to play the role of the Joker in the film “Batman” (1989) Jack Nicholson. Here the character received a backstory: the antagonist, during the fight with Batman, falls into some kind of vat, as a result of which he changes completely (from hair color to psyche)
3. The third was inimitable Heath Ledger with the film “The Dark Knight” (2008). One of the best Jokers. It is not for nothing that the performer of this role, who, unfortunately, did not live to see the premiere of the film, was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Inaccurate makeup, terrible hairstyle and untidy appearance - precisely because of all this, this Joker turned out to be the most realistic. It was he who played him in the film Dark Knight
4. Another Joker became no less inimitable Jared Leto with him leading role in the film "Suicide Squad" (2016). A street rebel, a crazy guy, that’s what the actor himself is. To create his image, most of the details were taken from the comics themselves - green hair, a cheeky grin, silver teeth, rings and an endless number of tattoos on his body. It is possible that such an image will become a new canon and style icon... it was he who played it in Suicide Squad
5. Don’t forget about one of the most famous (in my opinion) and the best Joker(also in my opinion) Mark Hamill. Mark first began voicing one of the most famous cartoon villains in the world in 1992 in the animated series Batman. Before he became the voice of the Joker, the actor already had extensive voice acting experience. animated characters. He voiced him so magnificently that from every second of his Joker on the screen, you are imbued with this voice acting! His voice can also be heard in the Batman series, where he also did an excellent job.
Just listen for yourself how this voice sounds!
And that’s all for now, but I’m sure that the Joker’s role will not end there and in his lifetime, we will still see several reincarnations of the most famous criminal!
With a history as long as that of his nemesis the caped knight, it seems strange that we know so little about Joker. He first appeared on the pages of a comic book about 70 years ago and has been a fixture in comics ever since. television shows, cartoons, films and video games about Batman. Of course, everyone knows the general facts about the Joker - his madness, the manic nature of a clown, his strange love/hate for the Dark Knight. Little is known about the Joker's past until now, even in the film "The Dark Knight" he himself gives several stories about his past, without focusing on any one. His motives are also not particularly clear; he himself refers to chaos and anarchy.
Over these 70 years, a lot has happened to the character. It's just that there are many details you haven't heard about. Most people remember Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight, but he was also a real-life clown, murder victim, and adversary of Judge Dredd.
Here are 10 things you didn't know about the Joker.
10. He was on a team with Carnage
Spider-Man/Batman fit together better than many other crossovers within the same company, but in this case they didn't even bother to explain how the two fictional universes came together. It's just a fact that Marvel's New York and DC's Gotham exist in the same world. The Joker and the Carnage symbiont underwent experimental therapy: special chips were installed in their heads to extinguish their madness.
Of course, this therapy did not work, otherwise what would be the point of uniting two psychos from two different universes. They run away together and begin to wreak havoc.
9. And fought against Judge Dredd
This crossover makes even less sense, but at least this time they tried to explain. Batman/Judge Dredd focuses on a random jump where the Joker has traveled from Gotham to the dystopia of Mega City One. There he finds communication with Dredd's villain the Dark Judge. The Joker gets along so well that Judge Death appoints him the fifth Dark Judge. It's funny, isn't it? Fortunately, his physical body is in Gotham, and in the world of Judges there is only a disembodied spirit.
At least until he figures out how to inhabit the bodies of other Dark Judges. The result is a monstrous hybrid that only Batman and Judge Dredd can stop.
8. His girlfriend came straight from a cartoon series
Harley Quinn has done the incredible - she has become one of the most recognizable characters in the Batman universe. And this despite the fact that it first appeared in the world in 1992, that is, quite recently. Since then, she often appears in the company of the Joker, and was paired with Poison Ivy. She fits perfectly into the Arkham game universe.
Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist at Arkham Asylum, where she worked on the Joker. Later she fell in love with him, helped him escape and became his assistant.
7. He was almost killed
Despite being Batman's greatest nemesis (and arguably one of the greatest supervillains in comic book history), the Joker could quickly fade into obscurity. The Joker first appeared in 1940's Batman #1 and was originally planned as a two-issue character. At that time, the character of the Dark Knight was just being formed and the possible outcome of the clash between the Joker and Batman could have ended in death for the former. Of course, now we know that Batman did not kill the clown back then, but sent him to Arkham Asylum.
6. Initially not so cruel
Initially, the Joker acted as a simple serial killer. But after the introduction of the Comics Code, which required no sex, no swearing and a hell of a lot less violence for big sales, the Joker spent 20 years doing stupid robbery using a lot of circus tricks. But that time has passed and now we know the Joker as a sick psycho. We love him that way.
5. Disappeared for a decade
All this ruined the Joker's character. What's so scary about a clown who plays petty pranks? All clowns do this. Throughout the 50s, the Joker was used less and less in favor of other rogues such as the Penguin and his ilk. By 1964, the clown was completely removed from the pages of comics. He returned only 10 years later.
It's hard to believe now that the greatest villain in Batman history simply disappeared between 1964 and 1973. But he made a grand return in a crazier form in The Joker's Five Paths of Revenge.
4. Long life in cinema
The first who embodied the image of the Joker on the screen was Cesar Romero, but besides him, the clown was played greatest actors of his generation. The incomparable Jack Nicholson played him as the devil in pale moonlight in Tim Burton's film, Heath Ledger made absolutely everyone fall in love with the Joker in Christopher Nolan's film, and Mark Hamill surprised everyone by voicing him perfectly in the animated series and video games. Who would have thought that Luke Skywalker would become the Joker, albeit only in voice. The Joker's next appearance on the big screen is the film Suicide Squad, where he will be played by Jared Leto. But there is another appearance of the “living” Joker, which few people know about.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the spin-off series Birds of Prey was released, which talked about minor female characters in the Batman universe - Huntress, Black Canary and former Batgirl Barbara Gordon. The TV show didn't last long, but the first episodes featured cameos from the Dark Knight and the Joker, played by one Roger Stoneburner.
3. Always "The" Joker (except once)
Regardless of the Joker's various external and internal changes over the years, there are some things that never change. He always has green hair, clown makeup, a scary smile, purple clothes, and is almost always psychopathic to some degree. IN English There are articles and it’s strange, but the Joker is always written with the article “the” (The Joker), although the same Batman is written without.
The only time the article was not used in relation to the Joker was in the early 2000s in the animated series Batman, which was famous for a bunch of interesting recast characters. The clown has been given overly neat makeup, green dreadlocks, and a chimpanzee-like appearance, making him one of the most radically redesigned characters. And this is the only time when he became just Joker, and Batman, in turn, received his article “the”.
2. His absence from The Dark Knight Rises was explained
The tragic death of Heath Ledger greatly influenced the Joker's absence from the final part of the Dark Knight trilogy. Everyone knows that the plans were for a clown to appear in the film. The mad Joker played by Heath Ledger was supposed to be Batman's main adversary in the third part, but for obvious reasons he was replaced by the opposite Bane (played by Tom Hardy).
Viewers knew why the Joker would not appear in the film and there was no talk of re-casting, but his disappearance was never mentioned in the film. However, in the official novelization of "The Dark Knight Rises" there was a small mention of the clown: apparently, after the Dent Act, all the villains were moved from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison. Everyone except the Joker, who remained in the mental hospital. Thus, at the time of the events of the film, he was behind bars.
1. The Joker's death at the hands of Batman has been discussed many times.
One of the most confusing aspects of Batman and his constant rivalry with the Joker is that the Dark Knight does not kill and lets his opponent live every time. It is clear that Batman initially did not want to kill him, thinking that the clown would reform. And in the 50s, murder was censored. But these days, with the Joker constantly escaping from Arkham and killing crowds of people, it would seem that Batman could do some good for the world by killing him once and for all.
The most common explanation is that the Dark Knight doesn't want to break his treasured rule of not killing anyone, which seems like a poor excuse considering the number of civilians who have died because of that rule.
What's interesting is that Batman actually considered killing the Joker numerous times. The Joker himself also tried to kill his opponent, even luring him into a trap where he sincerely thought that Batman was dead. At that time, the Joker's sanity overtook him, he did plastic surgery and lived like a man for some time. When he found out that Batman was alive, he returned to his original state.
We all know that Batman needs the Joker, and the Joker needs Batman.
The world-famous DC comics publishing house has, throughout its entire long history there were many successful characters. And these are not only superheroes, but also villains. One of the most mysterious and sinister is the Joker. His popularity in all decades was so great that with the beginning of the film adaptations of DC graphic novels, this scoundrel often appeared in them. Moreover, some of the best actors in Hollywood were trusted to play this role. Let's meet those who played the Joker in Batman and other film adaptations, and also learn more about the character himself.
A little about Batman
The Dark Knight first appeared in comic books in 1939 and soon became one of readers' favorite superheroes. Unlike Superman, Green Lantern and the like, Batman was an ordinary person, albeit fabulously rich.
Protesting against the rampant crime and corruption of the police in his native Gotham, he decided to restore justice on his own. His physical skills and very human adaptations helped him fight crime.
Over the course of his many years of career, the Dark Knight had many opponents, each of whom was unique and terrible at the same time. Moreover, the Joker is considered the most famous of them. Moreover, in the minds of millions of people the names of these two characters have long become antonyms.
Who is the Joker in DC comics
Although this supervillain is nearly seventy years old, his past is still shrouded in mystery. Most believe that this character grew up in a circus family, hence his passion for clown paraphernalia. Later, he either followed in his parents' footsteps and became a comedian (not very successful) or turned into a gangster.
The book biography of this hero begins with the fact that he, dressed in a Red Hood costume, tried to rob a card factory. This crime was stopped by Batman, but the villain accidentally fell into a vat of acid.
The Joker managed to survive, but irreversible changes occurred in his body and consciousness. The skin turned deathly white, the hair turned green, and a smile was forever frozen on the face. In addition, genius awoke in the Joker, although it bordered on madness.
Soon after his transformation, this character began to terrify many Gotham residents. And although Batman and Commissioner Gordon managed to catch him and put him in a psychiatric hospital, the Joker escaped from there more than once and terrorized Gotham.
First appearance on television
This supervillain first appeared in the 1966 film Batman. This picture was actually a continuation of the mega-popular television series about the Dark Knight of Gotham.
The actor who played the Joker in Batman was named Cesar Romero. As a descendant of Cuban descent, he bore little resemblance to a classic comic book villain. However, in those years, the film itself bore little resemblance to the series of graphic novels of the same name.
After the role of the Joker, as well as before it, Romero’s career was more successful. He acted a lot, often in television series. His most famous roles are in the projects “Zorro”, “Get Smart” (1966-1970), “Ocean’s 11” (1960), “Murder, She Wrote” and others.
Jack Nicholson is the one who played the Joker in 1989's Batman
Jack Nicholson was considered one of the best performers of this role for almost twenty years. As an artist, the genius who played the Joker in the 1989 film Batman, he is known to audiences for more than just that work.
The most popular films with his participation: “On a Clear Day You Can See Eternity”, “The Wolf”, “The Raven” (1963), “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “The Witches of Eastwick”, “As Good As It Gets”, “The Departed” and many others .
This multifaceted actor, despite his very prosaic appearance, managed to make a dizzying career. He is the first performer of the Joker role to win the coveted Oscar. True, it was for the performance of this character that Nicholson was not nominated for the coveted golden statuette, but he was a contender for the Golden Globe and BAFTA.
It is worth noting that the image created for him for the role of the Joker was quite different from the canonical one, but this did not stop Jack Nicholson from creating a three-dimensional and attractive image of a brilliant maniac.
Who played the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight?
Heath Ledger, the actor who embodied new image Joker though for many years it seemed that no one was destined to surpass Nicholson's Joker. In 2008, Christopher Nolan's stylish action movie The Dark Knight was released.
In it, viewers were shown a new form of the main Batman villain. He was even more cruel and insane, but at the same time he was damn smart and attractive. Almost ten years have passed, but to this day this particular image of the Joker continues to remain beloved by audiences all over the world. In addition, he became the hero of numerous memes and motivators.
Such incredible popularity is largely due to Heath Ledger, the actor who played the Joker in Batman. He never knew how highly his work would be appreciated. After all, the actor died from an overdose of painkillers even before the premiere. Despite this sad event, Ledger (for the first time in world film practice) was posthumously awarded for his role as the Joker not only with an Oscar, but also with a Golden Globe, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award.
It is worth noting that in addition to the above-mentioned role, the artist played in other famous films: “Brokeback Mountain”, “A Knight’s Tale”, “The Brothers Grimm”, “Casanova”, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and others.
Jared Leto - the new Joker of the DC cinematic universe
It's unlikely that anyone can play this role better than Heath Ledger (who played the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight), and attempts to find a new face are ongoing.
In 2016, as part of the creation of a single DC cinematic universe, the action film “Suicide Squad” was filmed. In it, viewers were presented with a new interpretation of the image of the popular supervillain. This role was given to the famous Hollywood rock musician and Oscar winner Jared Leto.
Having decided to create it different from previous characters, the appearance of the new Joker was brought closer to the classic one (green hair, white skin, makeup and an eternal smile). For a change, he had metal teeth inserted and a lot of tattoos.
To be fair, it’s worth noting that Leto’s villain was very convincing. His crazy, bottomless eyes were especially impressive. However, the new performer is inferior to the late Ledger (the artist who played the Joker in the film “Batman: The Dark Knight”), but is on the same level as Nicholson (“Batman” 1989).
And considering that Leto will soon appear in other films about DC superheroes, this means that the artist will still have a chance to achieve greater audience recognition.
Cameron Monaghan - performer of the role of the Joker in the television series "Gotham"
When considering the names of those who played the role of the Joker in Batman, pay attention not only to feature films, but also to television series.
For four seasons now, the series “Gotham” has been successfully broadcast on screens, telling about the formation of Batman’s personality and his future enemies.
In addition to such villains as the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and others, the young Joker also appears in this project. It is performed by Cameron Monaghan.
- Joker Gang
- Injustice League
- Society of Super Villains
- Super Villains Club
- Justice League Arkham
- Perverse sense of humor
- Crazy and brilliant intellect
- Cunning and deceit
- Extensive knowledge of poisons and explosives
- Immunity to certain chemicals (Laughter's own poison, Scarecrow's fear gas, Poison Ivy's pheromones, and others)
- Masterful skills with various weapons
- Leadership qualities
- Endurance and hand-to-hand combat skills
- Escape Artist
- Agility and agility
- Increased reaction
- An excellent actor and master of impersonation
- Various gadgets stylized as clown props:
- flower spraying acid
- lethal hand electric shock
- shooting toy gun
- razor sharp playing cards
- Poison of laughter
Later, the Joker got a partner - a girl named Harley Quinn, dressed in a harlequin costume and madly in love with a maniac. Also (according to an unconfirmed version) he had a pregnant wife, Jenny, who died in an accident, and the Joker sometimes worried about her.
New 52
The image of the Joker has undergone some changes in the version The New 52. For the first time here, a killer maniac appears in Detective Comics, where he is pursued by the entire Gotham police force. The character's appearance in the restarted universe has remained virtually unchanged. After another skirmish with Batman, the Joker is captured and taken to Arkham. In the clown's cell, a new villain, the Puppeteer, visits him. Dollmaker). He declares himself to be the Joker's biggest fan and then amputates the joker's face. When Harley Quinn hears rumors about the death of a maniac, she loses the last of her sanity and leaves the Suicide Squad to personally see the cut off face of her lover at the Gotham police station. Apparently she's counting on the opportunity to restore the Joker's face.
Film and television
Movies
"Batman" (1966)
The Joker's first appearance in a movie was the 1966 film "Batman", where he was slightly changed in terms of appearance: now he has light green hair, combed into a "ball", and a smile drawn bright red lipstick. His suit was made dark pink and his gloves purple; The Joker Mobile, a multi-colored van, also appears here. The villain's name and origin story are not revealed; It is also unclear whether he can get rid of his makeup, or whether this is the result of falling into acid. This Joker is more of a failed comedian than a criminal, and all his attacks are jokes, not serious villainies.
"Batman" (1989)
The tragic death of Heath Ledger posed two pressing questions during the film's release: whether to show the recently deceased Heath Ledger as a disfigured Joker speaking the 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 for it.
TV series
Batman
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.
Birds of Prey
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 Roger Stonebarner and is voiced by Mark Hamill, known for frequently voicing the Joker in animated films.
Animation
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) - Mark Hamill will again voice the Joker.
- In the cartoon "Batman and Superman" (The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest, 1998) he became Lex Luthor's partner. Batman also appeared there as an ally of Superman and his new lover Lois Lane.
- In the full-length animated film “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000), the Joker appears in the world of the future after he is killed. long time was considered dead. And the Joker again wants to defeat Batman, but Bruce Wayne is already old, and his opponent becomes a student of the original Dark Knight. The villain is voiced by Mark Hamill.
- Short film "Batman: Modern 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 Earths (2010)
- The Joker is one of the main villains in Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), voiced by John DiMaggio.
Video games
Other appearances
- In The Scooby Doo New Movies - episodes "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper" (1972) - there was also a Penguin with whom the Joker teamed up. Batman and Robin were there too, as new friends of the Mystery Inc.
- In the animated series "The Super Power Team: Galactic Guardians" - episode "Wild Cards" (1985)
- In the animated series "Robot Chicken" - the Joker is parodied several times (season 4, episodes 9 "But Not in That Way" and 14 "President Hu Forbids It"; season 5, episode 9 "Catch Me If You Kangaroo Jack") - in the first and in the third he is voiced by Mark Hamill, in the second by Seth Green.
Fan films
Criticism and reviews
See also
Notes
| Batman | |
|---|---|
| Creators | Bob Kane · Bill Finger · Other Creators |
| Batman's Allies | Robin (Dick Grayson · Jason Todd · Tim Drake · Stephanie Brown · Damien Wayne) · Batgirl (Barbara Gordon · Helena Bertinelli · Cassandra Cain · Stephanie Brown) · Spoiler · Nightwing · Huntress · |