Joker (comics)

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Character analysis

The Joker is also referred to as the Clown Prince of Crime and the Harlequin of Hate. Throughout the evolution of the Batman universe, interpretations and incarnations of the Joker have taken two forms. The original and currently dominant image is of a sadistic, fiendishly intelligent psychopath with a warped sense of humor, deriving pleasure from inflicting grotesque, morbid death and terror upon innocent people. In this interpretation, he is a textbook example of antisocial personality disorder; in a sense he is Charles Manson cursed with a clown's grinning face and a grotesque sense of showmanship. The other interpretation of the Joker, popular in the late 1940s through 1960s comic books as well as the 1960s television series, portrays the Joker as an eccentric but harmless prankster and thief. The 1990s cartoon ' is notable for blending these two aspects, but most interpretations tend to embrace one characterization or the other.

Related Topics:
Sadistic - Antisocial personality disorder - Charles Manson - 1940s - 1960s - 1960s television series - 1990s - Cartoon

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Part of the Joker's prominence among Batman's enemies likely derives from the fact that he, more than any other villain, represents the antithesis of Batman's personality and methods. Batman is almost always depicted, even in the campy 1960s television show, as a serious, stoic man who pursues his campaign against crime with utter earnestness and a disciplined, focused mind. In the darker portrayals of the comics and more recent films and television, the Dark Knight is further depicted as a brooding and humorless avenger who pursues justice as an enigmatic shadow striking from the dead of night. The Joker, by contrast, is literally a killer clown, driven by a disordered and chaotic mind to pursue destruction and chaos with as much panache as possible. His appearance and actions suggest the bright and garish pomp and circumstance of the circus. Nightwing has stated that he believes the Joker and Batman exist because of each other, that Batman represents order and the Joker represents the chaos that challenges it. Like Superman and Lex Luthor, it has been suggested that Batman and the Joker need each other. The Joker's obsession with Batman is somewhat unique to other super heroes and villians. In the movie , the new Batman said to the Joker that the only real reason he kept coming back was because he never got a laugh out of the original Batman. The Joker has also said that without Batman, his life is nothing. In an episode of , when it was thought some newbie in the crime syndicate killed Batman, Joker held his own funeral for Batman at the very place he had his "accident" and even nailed the man who supposedly killed him in the coffin and dropped it in a vat of acid.

Related Topics:
Antithesis - Circus - Nightwing - Superman - Lex Luthor

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In one of the comics in the 1970's, the Joker, by a random and unexpected occurence, knocked out Batman and considered unmasking and killing him there but decided not too, his logic being that his victory over Batman had to be public and had to be something astounding; not some accident the Joker didn't mean to do. In another issue, the Joker threatened crime boss Rupert Thorne to stop trying to get the city council to ban Batman. Thorne replied "you're actually defending him?" and Joker explained that he's destined to defeat Batman and his death has to be something worthy of the Joker and no one else is to defeat Batman except for him.

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What also makes the Joker Batman's greatest foe is not only his insanity, but also his unpredictablity. While certain villians have one method to commit a crime or to fight, such as Mr. Freeze with his freeze gun or Poison Ivy with her plants, Joker has many different methods. He has a variety of weapons at his disposal, and you never know what kind of weapon it is. For example, Joker always has a flower on his jacket and it almost always has a different use. It either sprays acid or his trademark laughing gas, or it could on some occasions just be an ordinary flower. Sometimes he commits crimes just for the fun of it, or it could be a small part of a much grander scheme. Batman has been noted to say that you always have to expect the unexpected when it comes to the Joker and that his plans make sense to him alone. The Joker's unpredictability makes him one of the most dangerous villains of all time.

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