What is the real name of the joker. The Joker (DC Comics) is Batman's main enemy. In the film industry, Joe also lit up

Joker (joker) One of the most enigmatic characters in DC comics. He appeared in comics in 1940, and at the same time he was supposed to disappear, but he did not. The image of the character was originally based on both the image of the playing card of the joker and on the image of the actor who played in 1928 the role of Gwynplaine, a man with a grin frozen on his face, in the film The Man Who Laughs. (The Man Who Laughs) .

In his first appearances, the Joker was a real scheming maniac, a jack of all trades. His signature feature was the poison he invented, after inhaling which the victims died in a fit of laughter, with terrible grins on their faces. But even in hand-to-hand combat, he was far from powerless - at the first meeting with Batman, his kung fu turned out to be better than the kung fu of the Dark Knight. In that issue, the Joker was supposed to die - his creators feared that the presence of frequently returning enemies would make Batman look ineffective. But the editor demanded the Joker and he had to be made a frequent guest in the comics.

In 1955, the Golden Age of comics ended, and with the advent of the Silver Age, the Joker's villainy was significantly curtailed - the Comics Code went through it seriously. From a maniac-psychopath, he turned into a prankster, whose atrocities were reduced to hooliganism and robbery, and not massacres. Best of all, the character of the Joker of that time reflects the Batman series with Caesar Romero as the Joker.

According to canon, the real name of the Joker is unknown. He himself has repeatedly told stories about his past, but since the Joker is a sick bastard, these stories are not taken for granted. However, one thing has persisted since 1951: he was a bandit nicknamed the "Red Hood", but accidentally dipped into a vat of chemicals, due to which his skin turned white, his hair turned green, and his mouth was stretched due to damaged nerves. Seeing himself in the mirror, Kolpak went crazy. And who the Joker was before he became the Hood is a mystery shrouded in darkness.

The Joker was repeatedly beaten (and not only by Batman), but his natural vitality and inhuman luck (which some fans explain by the presence of a hidden meta-gene) allowed him to quickly recover and escape from Arkham (he was not put in ordinary prisons, crazy). It got to the point that he influenced Arkham employees. For example, psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel fell in love with the Joker and became his partner, and changed her name to Harley Quinn. True, over time (and after the reboot of the universe), falling in love passed.

The Joker has repeatedly arranged mean things not only for the whole of Gotham, but also for Batman personally. Yes, what! After another skirmish with the Joker, the end came to the second Robin, Jason Todd (although this is generally a muddy story related to telephone voting and the autodial man). He killed Jason and seriously injured Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, making her an invalid (and according to some information, he also raped her). But Batman, despite all the efforts of the Joker, did not turn into an avenging killer.

First of all, the Joker is a psycho. He commits crimes not so much for personal gain (money, power, something else), but for the sake of having fun, annoying Batman (not even necessarily killing him), torturing people. Not for the sake of some philosophy, not out of a sense of anarchy, but just for fun. For the sake of a joke, understandable to him alone. Even his accomplices are afraid of the Joker - you never know when he decides to kill the bandit, who, according to the Joker, "didn't come out with his face", or has a too underdeveloped sense of humor.

You should not argue that the Joker attacks only heroes and innocent people. On his account, a myriad of murdered bandits - at one time he was going to clean Gotham from "boring" crime, and, in particular, from the mafia led by Carmine Falcone. The idea failed, but the balance of the underworld of Gotham has shifted markedly in favor of the "super" criminals. Interestingly, when Gotham suffered from a terrible earthquake and Batman left the city, going in the person of Bruce Wayne to beat out support from the silent government, the Joker did not take advantage of the situation - he was not interested in attacking Gotham without Batman.

All attempts to kill the Joker did not lead to anything good. For example, one cop sniper decided to take revenge on the Joker for the deaths of the police. And the Joker caught a bunch of cops, dressed them up in his costumes and made them run. And the sniper shot them, thinking that he was killing henchmen, or "well, now it's definitely the Joker himself." Subsequently, Sarah Essen, the wife of James Gordon, died at the hands of the Joker.

The Joker also had a chance to participate in very epic events. For example, in the plot of Joker's Last Laugh, the doctors decided to check how the Joker would get used to the idea of ​​his own mortality, and reported that he had a terrible inoperable tumor. The Joker decided - "to die, so with music!" - and made a grand party all over the Earth, dousing a bunch of criminals with his gas. Helped save Harley Quinn's situation by providing Batman with the antidote. And on another occasion, the Joker made a haply on a universal scale, cunningly wringing out the power from Mr. Mixispitlik, the almighty prankster. He erased almost the entire universe, but could not erase Batman, considering him a necessary part of his existence. This story is called Emperor Joker.

After Flashpoint, which restarted the DC Universe at random, the Joker was noted for the most unusual performance - he cut off his face, leaving it as a creep installation, escaped for a year, and then returned and attached his face to its place. He kidnapped Batgirl, Catwoman, Nightwing, Robin, Red Robin, and Red Hood and pretended to cut off their faces. And in the epic plot of Endgame, it turned out that there are traces of Dionesius in the body of the Joker - the main component of the Lazarus Pits, and that the Joker is actually a long-liver who is several hundred years old - but in the end it turned out that he just played Batman again. The Joker unleashed a stoned Justice League on Batman, and then the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime fought in a deep cave under Gotham, where the source of Dionesia was located. And both came haplyk when the cave collapsed. And both survived.

When Batman became the god of knowledge and acquired the Metron Chair, capable of providing an answer to almost any question, he decided to find out the real name of the Joker. The answer discouraged him - the chair said that there were three Jokers. One is original (from Golden Age comics), one is classic (from Crisis on Infinite Earths to Flashpoint), and the third is post-Flashpoint.

Hero characteristics

  • Real name: Unknown
  • Nicknames: Red Hood (Red Hood), Domino Killer (Domino Killer), Joseph "Joe" Kerr (Joseph "Joe" Kerr), Oberon Sexton (Oberon Sexton), Clown Prince of Crime (Clown Prince of Crime), DJ (DJ).
  • Current Nickname: Joker
  • Personality: Hidden
  • Universe: New Earth
  • Gender: Male
  • Position: Evil
  • Height: 183 cm (6 feet)
  • Weight: 73 kg (160 lbs)
  • Eye Color: Green
  • Hair Color: Green
  • Relatives: Father (presumed dead), mother (presumably dead), Gini (wife, deceased), unborn son.
  • Group Affiliation: Black Glove (Black Glove), Injustice Gang (Injustice Gang), Injustice League (Injustice League), Joker Anarchist League (Joker League of Anarchy)
  • Friends: Lex Luthor (Lex Luthor), Harley Quinn (Harley Quinn)
  • Enemies: Batman (Batman), all Robins (robin), Nightwing (Nightwing), Justice League (Justice League), James Gordon (James Gordon), Batgirl (bat girl), Red Cap (Red Hood), Superman (Superman), Black Glove (Black Glove), Red Robin (Red Robin), Catwoman (Catwoman).
  • Date of birth: unknown
  • Place of birth: unknown
  • Citizenship: USA
  • Family status: Widower
  • First appearance: Batman #1 (April 1940)
  • Creators: Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, Bob Kane

Biography

Deadly maniac and nemesis of Batman (Batman) with the face of a clown. Uses as a weapon miscellaneous items, stylized as the props of the jester and the illusionist. He is one of the most dangerous people on Earth, with countless victims.

Here's the cold, hard truth, Bats. I don't hate you because I'm crazy... I'm crazy because I hate you.

Origin

Little is known about the Joker's past. According to one version, he was a member of one of the Gotham gangs and was known as the Red Hood. (Red Hood). While he was being robbed by a gang of a chemical plant, the thugs were attacked by Batman. (Batman), and in a scuffle with him, Cap fell into a vat of chemicals. However, the bandit survived, and his appearance changed beyond recognition: his hair turned green, his lips stretched and froze in a smile, and his skin became deathly pale.

Further history

His activities between an accident at a chemical factory and his first public speaking as the Joker is unknown, but his return to Gotham City (Gotham City) was grand. He announced himself on television after killing a reporter with Joker's Poison. (Joker Venom) and publicly told the police that he intended to kill local millionaire Henry Claridge (Henry Claridge) around midnight. Despite a large number of guards and the intervention of Batman, Claridge collapsed to the ground exactly at midnight in a fit of laughter and died with the Joker's trademark "death smile" on his face. The Joker also nearly polluted Gotham City's entire water supply with his poison, but Batman was able to stop him by cutting off the reservoir's connection to the sewer bay, which subsequently led to a drought. The Joker was successfully imprisoned in a cell in the mental hospital "Arkham" (Arkham Asylum), but not for long.

Life in Gotham and criminal career

The incarceration had no effect on the Joker. He has come to frequently view Arkham Asylum as a cozy sanitarium where he makes sinister plans and takes a break from his fight with Batman. His crimes took on a bizarre form, then became truly atrocious. The Joker, unlike many criminals, was not interested in money. He often committed crimes for sheer pleasure, or simply to hurt other people, whom he viewed as part of a "big joke". He often attacked the Dark Knight (Dark Knight), sneaking up on him through loved ones and members of his Family (Bat Family). The Joker showed complete indifference as to who his victims were, as it really didn't matter to him. Here is what he himself said about this:

The only crime I can't afford is killing time!

Although many were afraid to form an alliance with the Joker, during the "Long Halloween" event (Long Halloween) The Clown Prince of Crime has been recruited into a supervillain gang led by Two-Face. (two face) to fight against Carmine Falcone's criminal empire (Carmine Falcone). One of the tasks of the Joker was supposed to be the elimination of Mario Falcone, but he did not succeed. The group was also responsible for taking down Gotham's gang leaders, including Bobby "Don" Gazzo. (Bobbie "The Don" Gazzo) hosted on Columbus Day. The team was disbanded after the battle with the Executioner (Hangman), as well as the newly formed Dynamic Duo (Dynamic Duo) Batman and Robin.

In addition to the above, the Joker has committed a significant number of crimes that distinguish him from ordinary villains.

Killer joke

In an attempt to show Batman how crazy even the most sane person can go, the Joker tried to break Commissioner Gordon. (Commissioner Gordon) and drive him insane. He came to Gordon's house and, expecting to see the commissar himself there, shot the man who opened the door for him. But it turned out that it was not James Gordon himself, but his niece. The bullet stuck in her spine, after which the clown forced the commissioner to watch a slide show where the girl suffers, bleeding. The Joker Didn't Know James Gordon's Niece Was The First Batgirl (bat girl). She was left disabled with a paralyzed lower limb, and later became a mysterious superheroine nicknamed the Oracle. (Oracle).

Death in the family

One of the most heinous acts of the Joker was the murder of Jason Todd. (Jason Todd), the second boy to wear the Robin costume. Jason searched for his mother in Africa and found out too late that she was involved in criminal activities with none other than the Clown Prince of Crime. Jason's mother betrayed the jester, and the Joker tied them up in a warehouse with explosives in order to later blow up two at once, but before that he severely beat Jason with a crowbar, breaking almost all of his bones. Batman was unable to save any of the captives. There was an explosion, and Jason and his mother were killed.

No Man's Land

During the period when Gotham City became known as No Man's Land (No Man's Land), Batman left town and the Joker simply saw no reason to stay in town without his nemesis. However, the clown showed up during the burgeoning chaos, and his contribution was shocking. A large number of city officials and policemen were killed. The Joker had some policemen dress up like his own image and they were killed by a police sniper who wanted to get revenge on the Joker for his comrades. The avenger did not know who was hiding under the guise of jokers, so a large number of innocent police officers were shot dead.

Later, the jester took an entire hospital ward full of newborn babies as hostages. When Detective Sarah Essen (Sarah Essen), Jim Gordon's wife, arrived at the hospital, the Joker pointed a gun at her and told her not to move, but then threw the baby at the woman. Sarah instinctively extended her arms to catch the child, and the Joker shot her in the head. When Gordon found out about this, in anger he almost killed the clown, but instead he shot the maniac in the knee. The Joker pretended to be worried about the damage to his leg, worried that he would never be able to walk, but then laughed hysterically and said that it was a joke.

Emperor Joker

Once upon a time, the Joker stole the reality-altering power of the imp Mister Mxizeptlk. (Mister Mxyzptlk) and remade the whole world in his ugly image. He amused himself with various atrocities, such as constantly killing Lex Luthor and devouring the entire population of China. Obsessed with Batman, the Joker tortured and killed his opponent every day, bringing him to his senses and resurrecting him again and again. The strong will of Superman (Superman) allowed him to avoid the clown's influence long enough to make contact with the weakened Mxizptlk, who, along with the less powerful Spectre (Specter), helped Superman expose the Joker's weakness before reality was destroyed by the imp's misuse of power.

Superman realized that the Joker still couldn't erase Batman from history, as the clown presented himself as an opposition to the Dark Knight. For this reason, the Joker was unable to destroy the entire universe, since he is unable to kill Batman. This freed the psychic Mxizptlk and Specter from control, who restored reality from the moment when the Joker destroyed everything. However, Batman remained broken from the experience of multiple deaths, and Superman had to erase Bruce's memories. (Bruce Wayne) about these events so that he can continue his activities.

Joker's last laugh

In an attempt to get the clown to admit his mortality, the prison doctor informed the Joker that he must die of a malignant cancerous tumor. Instead, the Joker decided he wanted to make his mark on the world and began a chain of chaotic events that would become known as "The Joker's Last Laugh" (Joker's Last Laugh). He used various formulations of the Joker's Poison and actually turned all the metahuman inmates of the "Slabside" prison (Slabside Penitentary) into jokers, putting them in the same state, but with the added benefit of each being absolutely loyal to him. The Joker's army ravaged the planet fighting all of Earth's heroes, but Batman was eventually able to thwart the attacks using an antidote he received from Harley Quinn. (Harley Quinn). Harley was angry at the Joker for trying to impregnate her without marrying her. Nightwing (Nightwing), falsely believing that Robin had eaten Killer Croc in the ensuing madness, caught up with the Joker and beat him to death. However, Batman, not wanting Nightwing to have blood on his hands, reanimated the Joker, thereby saving his life.

Khash

Khash (hush) and Riddler (Riddle) recruited several other villains to take down Batman. Part of their plan included encouraging Bruce to believe that his childhood friend, Tommy Elliot, (Tommy Elliot), was one of the victims of the Joker. This infuriated Batman, but before he could kill the clown, Bruce was stopped by Commissioner Gordon, saying that he would not allow him to become an assassin, thus preventing the Joker from ruining Wayne's life.

In the story "Easy Targets" (soft targets) The Joker started the fun with the murder of Mayor Dickerson (Mayor Dickerson) from sniper rifle to force the citizens of Gotham City to stay in their homes during the Christmas holidays. He then planted several bombs throughout the city. This forced security to respond quickly to save a large number of Christmas shoppers from death. But this was not enough for the Joker, and then he started a shootout at the Head Office for the Prevention of Crime, where he killed several detectives, but was shot down by Maggie Sawyer (Maggie Sawyer). When the bomb exploded in the already evacuated toy store, it turned out that the Joker had survived and was watching TV in the hospital, laughing at the massacre he had caused.

Infinite Crisis

The Joker was one of the very few villains who were not in Secret Society supervillains (Secret Society of Supervillains) Alexander Luthor Jr. (Alexander Luthor jr.) during the Infinite Crisis. Unlike many other villains like Catman (Catman), - The Joker wanted to become a member of the Society, but the leaders of the organization would not allow him to join, which infuriated him. When the Joker destroyed the Royal Flash gang (Royal Flush Gang), he was ridiculed by the King, who said that the Joker was too wild to be in the Secret Society (after which the clown killed him with a hand-held stun gun). Later, after the Society was defeated, Alex Luthor was lured into a trap by the real Lex Luthor. (Lex Luthor) and the Joker. Before the Joker sadistically killed Alex, Lex told him that they should have let the Joker play.

Under the hood

Due to the events of Infinite Crisis (Infinite Crisis) Jason Todd has come back to life. Angry at Batman for refusing to avenge his death, he took on the guise of the Red Hood, which used to be the Joker. Todd kidnapped the clown and tried to force Batman to shoot him. Even though the Clown Prince of Crime was surprised that Jason was alive, the fact that the former Robin had become yet another nemesis of Batman cheered him up.

Oh-oh-oh, so you're thinking about me?

Run to the rescue

During the next period, most of the villains of the Earth were sent to the Hell Planet. (hell planet), where the Joker became the leader of one of the factions. This group did not take an active part in the events on the planet, but only tried to steal food and food from Lex Luthor's group in order to find a way to escape. The conflict ended in a one-on-one fight between Luthor and the Joker. Although Luthor had the upper hand, the Joker eventually overpowered Lex, but then the entire villain community was forced to unite as they were attacked by Parademons. (Parademons), servants of Darkseid (Darksied). In the end, the villains were able to fight back and return back to Earth.

Countdown

Jimmy Olsen (Jimmy Olsen) interviewed the imprisoned Joker, where he asked a question about the murder of Duela Dent (Duela Dent) who called herself "Joker's Daughter" (Joker's Daughter). The Joker Says He Never Had a Daughter, But Accepts the Multiverse Existence (Multiverse) and changes in reality.

Clown at midnight

A deranged cop named Joseph Muller (Joseph Muller), wearing a Batman costume, shot the Joker in the face, leaving him disabled. The clown underwent complex plastic surgery and physical therapy, and reappeared, only with new scars running from the corners of his mouth high up his cheeks.

In intensive care at Arkham, the Joker developed a new, deadlier variant of the Joker's Venom and ordered Harley Quinn to use it to kill his former henchmen in order to inform everyone of his spiritual "revival". Before being stopped by Batman, the Joker tried to kill Harley herself. (her death was the final "climax" of his revival), but he did not succeed.

Batman rest in peace (Batman R.I.P.)

Once the Joker was offered to join the organization "Black Glove" (Black Glove) Dr. Hurt (Doctor Hurt) who plotted against Batman. At this time, the Joker escaped from Arkham Asylum in an ambulance, but was forced to turn off the bridge, as the Batmobile blocked the road. (Batmobile), driven by Damien Wayne (Damian Wayne).

Oberon Sexton

The Joker soon reappeared under the guise of British journalist/detective Oberon Sexton. (Oberon Sexton). At the same time, in parallel, he acted as the Domino Killer. (Domino Killer), killing the members of the Black Glove one by one. Since the Joker's main opponent, Batman, was dead, he decided to make Hurt and his organization his new main enemies. But Dick Grayson (Dick Grayson), former Nightwing and current Batman, figured out his plan and tried to stop Domino from killing him. Oberon removed his mask in front of Dick, and he saw a grinning face without the scar from a bullet wound in the head.

After the Joker was arrested, he admitted that he underestimated the new Robin (Damien Wayne) in an attempt to sway the prodigy's pity. Damien retaliated by beating him with a crowbar (fending off the murder of Jason Todd). The cops ignored the Joker's pleas for help.

However, the Joker's apparent helplessness was another ploy. Feigning wounds from Robin's attack, he poisoned him with a paralyzing toxin applied to his nails. Taking Robin's belt, the clown ran off to stage an attack on the Black Glove, poisoning a group of spectators gathered by Professor Pyg with poisonous popcorn. (Professor Pig), and began leading Batman and his allies into a final confrontation with the Black Glove. A little later, the Joker was already in an unspecified place with Robin, whom he tied up and put a gag in his mouth. The situation was dangerous because there were nuclear weapons in the place where they were. Help arrived in the form of the original Batman (who had just returned from his time travel). He aided his successor and son in their battle against the Black Glove and the Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker eventually killed Dr. Hurt by infecting him with the Joker Toxin and burying him alive. The second Batman pursued and captured the Joker, while the original Dark Knight, Robin, and Alfred Pennyworth (Alfred Pennyworth) disarmed the nuclear weapons and defeated the remaining members of the Gauntlet.

Black mirror

The Joker escaped Arkham again by ingesting his poison mixed with alcohol to exude through his pores, making him poisonous to the touch. Ex-wife James Gordon, Barbara Eileen Gordon (Barbara Eilin Gordon) exposed to a large number of toxic substances. Batman tracked the Joker to an underground lair. While fighting Batman, the Joker refused to acknowledge Dick Grayson as a worthy successor to "his" Batman, but revealed that he never touched Gordon's wife. As it turned out later, the villain was telling the truth, and James Gordon Jr. participated in the attack. (James Gordon Jr.), who released the Joker in order to divert Batman's attention.

The real joke is your tenacity, your deep conviction that somehow, somewhere, everything has to make sense! This is what always pisses me off!

Flashpoint

After the timeline was changed by Professor Zoom (Professor Zoom), in a new version of the story, Bruce was shot by Joe Chill (Joe Chill) on Crime Alley (Crime Alley) while his parents survived. Thomas Wayne (Thomas Whane; Bruce's father) vowed to avenge his son and became Batman. At the same time, after being brutally beaten up on the street by Chill, Martha Wayne went mad with grief and became the Joker, carving a smile into her face. She got into a fight with Batman and ended up dying.

Post-Flashpoint or The New 52

Here, the Joker is reintroduced as a deadly assassin who is being pursued by the entire Gotham police force. His appearance in the new DC Universe changed relatively little at first.

After a fight with Batman, the Joker was captured and sent to Arkham Asylum. There he was visited by a villain called the Puppeteer. (dollmaker). The villain admitted to the Joker that he is his most devoted fan and is ready to do anything for him. After that, the clown asked to have his face amputated. When the guards found the cut off skin, everyone assumed that the Joker was dead. Everyone except Batman.

Soon Harley Quinn found out about the incident, after which she left the Suicide Squad. (Suicide Squad) staging a mass prison break in Belle Reve (Belle Reve).

Family death

Here you go. Family reunion, how sweet!

The Joker returned to Gotham City a year after he disappeared. He killed several police officers and reported this to Commissioner Gordon. In the days that followed, he reenacted some of his earliest crimes, such as publicly declaring his intention to poison the mayor. At the same time, in each crime there was some painful unexpected turn. In addition, he claimed to have uncovered the secret of Batman's identity.

The Joker used Harley Quinn to distract Batman while the clown hunted down anyone with a connection to the Dark Knight. The Joker defeated and captured all of Bruce Wayne's friends: Batgirl, Alfred Pennyworth, Catwoman (Catwoman), Robin, Nightwing, Red Robin (Red Robin) and the Red Hood, after which he delivered them to Arkham.

By the time Batman arrived, the Joker had set a trap for him where the Dark Knight fought all of his old enemies but was caught by the clown. But all this was just the beginning. The Joker seated the entire Bat-family, who had bandaged faces, at a large table. He claimed to have amputated their faces, as the Puppeteer had amputated his. He also explained why he ordered the Puppeteer to remove his face: Joker just wanted to show that there was another big smile underneath his smile. After that, he set fire to the room where the table stood, and left.

Batman was able to free himself and free his friends. He was relieved to find that their faces were not damaged. He caught up with the fleeing Joker and taunted him, promising to tell him who the Joker was before taking his chemical bath. Not wanting to listen to him, the Joker jumped off the cliff. He is currently presumed dead.

Batman lied: he still had no idea who the Joker really was. But the clown also lied about exposing Batman. He had already seen his enemy without a mask, but he chose to look through him and not pay attention to the face, so as not to learn the secret of the Dark Knight.

Powers and Abilities

Forces

Unique Physiology: due to falling into a vat of chemicals, the Joker's physiology has changed, which gives him an advantage over ordinary people.

  • Pain resistance: it is suggested that falling into the chemicals increased the Joker's resistance to pain. Also, due to his masochistic nature, the Joker does not succumb to torture.
  • Infected Blood: The Joker's blood is infected. It has been said that, as a consumer of chemical products, the Joker is actually a carrier of poisonous substances. When a mosquito sucks the Joker's blood \"he writhes and whines, choking on infected blood\".
  • Immunity to Joker Poison: The Joker is immune to his own poison, as well as various similar toxins.

Cheating death: The Joker has cheated death numerous times, even in the most unavoidable and lethal situations.

Awareness of the Fourth Wall: The Joker has shown from time to time that he is fully aware that he is a comic book character. However, everyone ignores his arguments simply because he is insane.

Capabilities

Unbending Willpower: the Joker's insanity or the structure of his mind leaves him immune to the Specter's justice. Batman tried to explain this phenomenon by saying that the Joker is not actually aware of what is right and wrong, expressing a lack of understanding for which the Specter should judge him.

Genius level intelligence: The Joker is portrayed as highly intelligent and skilled in the fields of chemistry and technology, as well as an expert in explosives.

  • Escape Master
  • Tactical Analysis

Disguise: The Joker is also a master of disguise.

Hand to hand combat: The Joker applies some knowledge in hand-to-hand combat. Over the years, it has been shown that while Batman is stronger, the Joker is faster and more agile, and his fighting style is chaotic and hard to predict. This gives him an advantage over fighters like Cassandra Kane. (Cassandra Cain). The Joker has been known to be able to put up a decent fight against Batman, and sometimes even come close to winning.

Weaknesses

Mentally unstable. He can change his plans at the very last moment, which leads to the failure of the whole undertaking.

Equipment

The Joker commits crimes with "comic" weapons (such as a razor-sharp playing card, acid-spewing flowers, cyanide pies, and lethal handheld stun guns) and the Joker's Poison.

Notes

  • Rumor has it that the Joker's name is Jack Napier. (Jack Napier). This version was used in the 1989 movie and subsequent animated series, where the name was one of the 100 aliases.
  • Two canonical sources suggest that his name is Jack, and the name Joe has also been used repeatedly.
  • In release Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 The Joker's name was almost revealed by his cousin Melvin Rapan (Melvin Rapien), using part of his name (most likely the beginning) - \"Ja..\". However, when Melvin was about to mention the full name, the Joker shut him up just in time: \"We don't use the old name, remember? I'm now Cousin Joker".
  • In comic book releases Batman: Confidential #22-25, 29, 30 The Joker was fingerprinted, but they turned out to be just pure black blobs with no lines. \"Acid. Lots of acid" Joker said. He also has green nails on his hands.
  • The Joker has one of the most extensive casualty numbers for any human-level villain in DC (not counting those incidents where entire planets were destroyed).
  • In a graphic novel \"Arkham Asylum\"(1989) composed by Grant Morrison (Grant Morrison), it has been suggested that the Joker's mental state was a previously unprecedented form of "super sanity", a form of ultrasensory perception. There are also suggestions that he doesn't have a true self of his own, and that on any given day, he could be either a harmless clown or a vicious killer, whichever he gets more use out of.
  • In a crossover marvel vs dc The Joker has been shown to be immune to Powder of Death. (Dust of Death) Red Skull (Red Skull), as it is similar in composition to Joker's Poison.

Alternate universes

  • Joker from Earth One.
  • Joker from Earth-2.
  • Joxter (jokester) from Earth-3.
  • Joker from Earth-12.
  • Joker from Earth-31.
  • Joker from Earth-37.
  • Joker from Earth-43.
  • Joker from Earth-3898 (Superman/Batman: Generations) .

No less interesting alternate universe

There is such a universe where Bruce dies, and his father tries to fight crime after the tragedy, thus becoming Bats. And in turn, the mother, never recovering from the loss, goes crazy, her mind and soul are crippled so much that her alter ego, in the form of the embodiment of hysterical laughter and chaos for the sake of chaos, takes precedence over all the saints that she had in herself. She then transforms into the Joker.

In fact, it would be a very interesting interpretation of the famous confrontation between the cold and calculating mind, against unpredictable chaos and anarchy. This could explain a lot about their relationship, namely that they would never kill each other. Bets will not be allowed by his morality, and his love for the character of the bat will not allow the Joker, because if he still kills him, he will lose the meaning of his existence

JOKER
THE ART OF BEING FREE

Most often, when we hear the word "joker", the first thing in our minds is an association with the game of the same name.noah card, or, in a broader sense, with a card game.However, the very idea of ​​the “joker” is much more complex and does not lie on the green cloth of the playing table, but goes back to the teachingsmedieval alchemists and magicians.

However, first things first.

ORIGIN and ORIGIN

Indeed, in most decks consisting of 54 cards, there is one special one, which is called the “joker”. Traditionally, it depicts a court jester. In various card games, the joker is used in different ways. In some, he is the defining card, which contains the whole meaning of the game, in others, the joker is simply not involved. In general, most often the joker is used instead of any card when making the desired combination, or as the most "strong" card,capable of "beating" any other.

It is curious that the origin of the word "joker" is in no way connected with the English "joker" (joker), as many people think. It is believed that it appeared due to the incorrect pronunciation of the name of the German game Juker (yuker). It is in this game late XIX century, a joker appeared, which denoted the highest trump card.

According to another version, the origin of the joker is associated with French Tarot cards, in which such a card has a long history. However, no one dares to say that the Jester from the Tarot is the prototype of the joker, since the classic Tarot deck originated in the Middle Ages, and the appearance of the joker, by historical standards, happened relatively recently. At the same time, we can confidently talk about borrowing a visual image.

One way or another, the history of the joker is confusing and ambiguous, so let's leave this question to the researchers, who may someday establish the truth. Here we just want to talk about the "joker", its symbolism and meanings.

SYMBOLISM AND MEANING

It seems most logical to interpret the concept of “joker”, based on the meaning of the corresponding card from the Tarot deck, the images in which have a complex interpretation from the point of view of astrology, occultism and alchemy, therefore Tarot is traditionally associated with “secret knowledge” and is considered mystical.

The card, called the Jester, is considered one of the most difficult in the Tarot. Like the joker, it depicts a man dressed as a jester. Here it is worth noting that, as you know, court jesters were smart, insightful and comprehensively gifted people.

Under the pretext of jokes and entertainment, they were allowed to speak and do with impunity that could entail extremely severe punishment even for the highest nobility. Therefore, the jester had to be able at any moment to take on the image that would allow him to tell the truth, remain unharmed, and often achieve his goal.goals.

Like the Jester from the Tarot deck, the joker is a combination of opposites, it carries both white and black, truth and lies, good and evil. Due to his susceptibility to everything new, he learns and accepts the world unbiased. His goal is to get joy and pleasure from life, and to accumulate experience "easily".

The other side of the symbolism of the joker lies in its connection with the principle of primordial and constant movement. He is adventurous and trusts instinct, inquisitive and open. Experience it all for yourself - one of the basic principles his existence. And therefore, the joker is free to choose the direction himself, go anywhere and do whatever he wants, because all his actions are subject to a single hidden plan.

The Joker is walking along a road that cannot be turned off - fate itself leads him along it. And you need to continue the path, relying on your intuition, luck and the patronage of the Higher powers. The divine genius leading it is capable of creating the Universe with the hands of the joker and destroying it, and the absolute freedom of this formation and its potential contain all existing possibilities.

JOKES AND JOKERS: LITERATURE, HISTORY, CINEMA

First of all, we can recall the jester from Shakespeare's King Lear. S.Ya. wrote beautifully about him. Marshak, who translated the songs of the royal jester: “The philosophical, ethical and even political content of the songs of the jester is almost always disguised, hidden in a riddle, in a proverb, in a joke, as if ingenuous and childish. In essence, the most adult character in the tragedy is precisely the jester who sees the background of all relationships and soberly assesses them.

At the royal court of Ivan the Terrible there was a whole staff of buffoons, often recruited from the Moscow boyars and served as an indispensable attribute at almost daily feasts. Moscow in the time of Ivan IV was well acquainted with the sovereign's tough temper. The royal jester put his head on the line every day. According to Karamzin, for fun, Grozny once poured a bowl of hot cabbage soup on his jester's head, and when he tried to run away, he plunged a knife into his back.

Medieval Europe. Having seized the English throne, Rodrik orders to kill all the relatives of the previous king. But by a lucky chance, one baby of royal blood manages to escape. Supporters of the overthrown king rally around the boy and guard the only heir. One of them, a fair singer, pretends to be a new jester at the royal court and helps justice and order prevail.

In modern culture, the Joker is widely known as the hero of the adaptation of the Batman comic book The Dark Knight. In this film, the Joker is the personification of evil and the nemesis of the protagonist. The Dark Knight was named one of the top 250 movies of all time by the Internet Movie Database, the world's largest movie database and website, and Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Summing up, we can say that the Joker is an expressive symbol of healthy optimism and a creative approach to any situation. He is a master of the Aesopian language and a desperate fighter for justice and truth, which in no way conflicts with his instinct for self-preservation. In the Joker, seemingly contradictory properties are present and combined, which only confirms the versatility of his nature.

Excellent possession of an infinite variety of innate and developed qualities and skills, as well as extensive knowledge in various fields, with his position at the lowest rung of the hierarchical ladder, endows him with a special symbolic significance, which speaks of great human capabilities and success in all endeavors.

With a history as long as that of his nemesis the cloaked knight, it seems strange that we know so little about Joker. He first appeared in the pages of a comic about 70 years ago and has since been featured in Batman TV shows, cartoons, movies and video games. Of course, everyone knows the general facts about the Joker - his insanity, clown mania, strange love/hate for the Dark Knight. Little is known about the Joker's past so far, even in the film The Dark Knight, he himself gives several stories about his past, without focusing on any. His motives are also not very clear, he himself refers to chaos and anarchy.

A lot has happened to the character in these 70 years. It's just that a lot of the 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 Judge Dredd's enemy.

Here are 10 things you didn't know about the Joker.

10 He Teamed Up 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. Just a fact, Marvel's New York and Gotham DC exist in the same world. The Joker and the symbiont Carnage were undergoing experimental therapy: special chips were built into their heads to extinguish their insanity.

Of course, this therapy did not work, otherwise what is the point of uniting two psychos from two different universes. They escape together and start wreaking 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 is transported from Gotham to the dystopian Mega City One. There he finds communion with Dredd's villain the Dark Judge. The Joker takes root so well that Judge Death appoints him as the fifth Dark Judge. It's funny, isn't it? Fortunately, his physical body is in Gotham, and in the world of the Judges there is only a disembodied spirit.

At least until he figured out how to take over the bodies of the other Dark Judges. The result is a monstrous hybrid that only Batman and Judge Dredd can stop.


8. His girlfriend came straight from the animated series

Harley Quinn did the unbelievable - she became 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, was paired with Poison Ivy. She fit perfectly into the Arkham gaming universe.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist at Arkham Mental Hospital, 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 the fact that the Joker is the main enemy of Batman (and arguably one of the greatest supervillains in the history of comics), he could quickly disappear and be forgotten. 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 skirmish between the Joker and Batman could have ended in death for the first. Of course, now we know that Batman did not kill the clown then, but sent him to Arkham Asylum.


6. Initially not so violent

Initially, the Joker acted as a simple Serial killer. But after the introduction of the Comics Code, which required no sex, swearing, and a hell of a lot less violence to sell big, the Joker spent 20 years doing stupid robbery with 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 spoiled the character of the Joker. What's so terrible about a clown who does petty pranks? All clowns do it. Throughout the 50s, the Joker was used less and less in favor of other crooks like the Penguin and his ilk. By 1964, the clown was completely removed from the pages of comics. He returned only after 10 years.

It's hard to believe now that the greatest villain in Batman history simply vanished between 1964 and 1973. He did make a grand comeback in a wilder guise in The Joker's Five Ways of Revenge.

4. Long life in movies

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 a Tim Burton film, Heath Ledger made everyone fall in love with the Joker in a Christopher Nolan 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 big-screen appearance is in Suicide Squad, where he will be played by Jared Leto. But there is another appearance of the "live" Joker, which few people know about.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the Birds of Prey spin-off series was released, which told about the minor female characters of the Batman universe - the Huntress, the Black Canary and the former "Batgirl" Barbara Gordon. The TV show didn't last long, but the first episodes featured cameos by The Dark Knight and the Joker, played by one Roger Stoneburner.


3. Always "The" Joker (except once)

Regardless of the various internal and external changes the Joker has made over the years, there are some things that never change. He always has green hair, clown makeup, an intimidating smile, purple clothes, and is almost always a psychopath to some extent. IN English language there are articles and it's strange, but the Joker is always written with the article "the" (The Joker), although the same Batman is without.

The only time the article was not used for the Joker was in the early 2000s in the Batman animated series, which was famous for a bunch of interesting recast characters. The Clown has been given overly neat make-up, green dreadlocks and a chimpanzee look, making him one of the most drastically redesigned characters. And this is the only time he became simply Joker, and Batman in turn received his article "the".


2. His absence from The Dark Knight Rises has been explained

The tragic death of Heath Ledger largely contributed to the absence of the Joker in the final part of the Dark Knight trilogy. Everyone knows that the plans included the appearance of a clown in the film. The Mad Joker, played by Heath Ledger, was supposed to be Batman's main opponent in the third part, but for obvious reasons, he was replaced with the opposite Bane (played by Tom Hardy).

The audience knew why the Joker would not appear in the film and there was no question 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 slight mention of a clown: apparently, after Dent's act, all the villains were moved from Arkham Mental Hospital to Blackgate Prison. Everyone except the Joker, who remained in a psychiatric hospital. Thus, at the time of the events of the film, he was behind bars.


1. The death of the Joker at the hands of Batman has been discussed many times.

One of the most confusing aspects of Batman and his ongoing rivalry with the Joker is that the Dark Knight doesn't kill and lets his opponent live each time. It is clear that initially Batman did not want to kill him, thinking that the clown would reform. And in the 50s, censorship was imposed on murders. But in this day and age, with the Joker constantly escaping Arkham and killing crowds of people, it would seem that Batman could benefit the world by killing him once and for all.

The most common explanation is that the Dark Knight doesn't want to break his precious rule of not killing anyone, which seems like a poor excuse given the number of civilians who 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 had died. At that time, the Joker was overtaken by sanity, he had plastic surgery and lived as a person for a while. 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.

Date of birth: unknown

Real name: Unknown

Aliases: Red Hood, Clown Prince of Crime, Oberon Sexton, Domino Killer, Joseph Kerr

Relatives: Wife (dead) - Ginny (Jeannie); Unborn child (deceased)

Gender: Male

Height: 182 cm.

Weight: 73 kg.

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: Green

Skin color: White

Position: Evil

Universe: New Earth

Location: Gotham City

First Appearance: Batman #1, 1940

Publisher: DC Comics

Creators: Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson

Description of the Joker

The Joker is a homicidal maniac, the sworn enemy of Batman. At the moment, the real name and date of birth of the Joker remains unknown. However, it is known that he got white skin and green hair by falling into chemicals. Because of this incident, an eternal smile froze on his face.

The Joker delights in killing and maiming. The phrase "die of laughter" became his hallmark. He committed many crimes, and the number of his victims is in the thousands. The lack of principles and unpredictability of the Joker make him a dangerous opponent for any living creature. Any person can become a target in his crimes. He trusts no one and treats both enemies and temporary allies with equal cruelty. The Clown also has a favorite victim - Batman. In him, he sees not only quenching the thirst for revenge, but also a worthy opponent with whom he can compete in cunning and play deadly games.

The Joker's first appearance was in March 1940 in Batman #1. Created by Finger and Robinson, the character was noted for his great skill in hand-to-hand combat, agility, agility, and sophisticated genius intellect. Most of the Joker's equipment is stylized as clown props, furthering the image of the Joker as an underworld clown.

Biography of the Joker

At the moment, there are many options for the origin of the Joker. He himself told several stories about his past, each of which was new and contradicted by other stories. It is known for certain that the Joker had a wife, Ginny, who is presumably already dead. Otherwise, his past is hazy.

The image of the Joker originates in one of the nights of Gotham City, when a group of criminals, led by a man in a red cap, enter the Ace Chemical Processing Inc. factory to commit a robbery. The gang's plan failed, they were confronted by the cops and a mysterious man in a bat suit. A firefight broke out, as a result of which all members of the group were disabled, with the exception of the Red Hood. The gang leader decided to run away and jumped into a vat of chemical waste. There he swam through the sewers and ended up in the river, where the chemicals were poured. The red cap on the fugitive's head helped him survive and escape from persecution. After reaching safety, the unknown leader took off his red cap and saw the effects of swimming in the chemicals. His face was disfigured. Her skin faded to white as chalk, her hair turned green, and her lips took on a ruby ​​hue and stretched into an eerie smile. From that moment on, the already weak mind of the criminal was shaken, and the old personality ceased to exist. In the night, a mad maniac-killer was born, who dubbed himself the Joker.

The Joker considers the tragedy that happened to him an accident of fate. Similarly, he strikes back, choosing random victims for his crimes. He has no principles, his actions are often unpredictable. It is useless to cooperate with him, since at any moment an ally can suffer death from his hand. The Joker recognizes strength in madness, and this makes him one of the most intimidating villains in the DC comics universe.
The Joker doesn't have superpowers, he doesn't have millions of dollars. However, his madness sometimes gives him an inhuman surge of physical energy, allowing him to fight Batman in hand-to-hand combat. Also, madness gives the Clown the ability to resist the effects of various psychotropic substances, which he constantly uses in comics. The main weapon of the Joker is a mixture of ingenious intellect and madness. Thanks to these qualities, he is able to shock an opponent with his actions at any moment. In addition, he has leadership qualities and excellent knowledge in the field of explosives, edged weapons and firearms.

Joker's abilities

Through immersion in chemical waste, the Joker has acquired a unique, different physiology from all people. He has various advantages over an ordinary person.

Pain resistance

It is speculated that after being exposed to the chemicals, the Joker has increased his resistance to pain. In addition, it is implied that he is a masochist by nature. All this makes the application of pain to him ineffective.

Immunity to Poison

The Joker is immune to various poisons, toxins and psychotropic substances. It is also known that his blood is poisoned and can harm another living organism.

Deception of death

The clown has cheated death many times already. Even in a seemingly inevitable deadly situation, the Joker survives. Throughout the existence of the character, he was shot many times, blown up, shocked, he fell from high altitude, but always returned to wreak havoc again.

Character Awareness

From time to time, the Joker communicates with readers and he seems to realize that he is a comic book character. However, most of the characters ignore this as they consider him to be an insane criminal.

genius level of intelligence

The Joker is portrayed as being highly intelligent in chemistry, mechanical engineering, and is also an expert in explosives, bladed weapons, and firearms.

Hand-to-hand combat master

The Joker has some knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques. Over the years of character development, the Joker has become more agile and faster, his attacks are chaotic and difficult to predict. It is worth noting that the level of skill in melee combat of the Clown has changed. In various reincarnations, the Joker either suffered a defeat from one blow from Batman, then competed with him, and sometimes defeated him. There is a version that the strength of the Joker depends on the degree of his madness. Sometimes he is so insane that he receives an inhuman surge of physical energy and can fight in hand-to-hand combat with Batman on equal terms.

Joker outfit

Poison of the Joker

One of the Joker's calling cards from number one is a deadly poison, the victim of which starts laughing uncontrollably until he dies with a smile on his face. Death is believed to be due to suffocation. There is also a non-lethal version of the poison, or a lethal one with a slower effect. Such "safe" versions of the Joker prefers to use in rare cases. The Clown himself is immune to poison and actively uses it in various forms (liquid, gaseous).

Joker teeth

One of the Joker's favorite gadgets is clockwork teeth. Used for mockery and as a business card. The Joker often leaves them at the crime scene for Batman. At first, the teeth were not hostile and were an element of the image of a clown. Later, the teeth became explosive and often detonated at the most unexpected moment.

Various gadgets of the Joker

Razor-sharp playing cards, an acid flower, and other terrifying clown gadgets are the Joker's constant weapons. Such devices amuse him and make him unpredictable.

Joker electric buzzer

The Joker often uses a modified non-palm buzzer. The device sends lethal dose electricity, to anyone who came into contact with it.


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