Editing Joker (character) (section)

=={{anchor|Fictional character biography}}Character biography==
The Joker has undergone many revisions since his 1940 debut. The most common interpretation of the character is that of a man who, while disguised as the criminal Red Hood, is pursued by Batman and falls into a vat of chemicals that bleaches his skin, colors his hair green and his lips red, and drives him insane. The reasons why the Joker was disguised as the Red Hood and his identity before his transformation have changed over time.<ref name="GoldenAge1"/>

The character was introduced in ''Batman'' #1 (1940), in which he announces that he will kill three of Gotham's prominent citizens. Although the police protect his first announced victim, millionaire Henry Claridge, the Joker had poisoned him before making his announcement and Claridge dies with a ghastly grin on his face. Batman eventually defeats him, sending him to prison.<ref name="JokerBioGeek2"/> The Joker commits crimes ranging from whimsical to brutal, for reasons that, in Batman's words, "make sense to him alone".<ref name="Bio101"/> ''Detective Comics'' #168 (1951) introduced the Joker's first origin story as the former [[Red Hood]]: a masked criminal who, during his final heist, vanished after leaping into a vat of chemicals to escape Batman. His resulting disfigurement drove him insane and led him to adopt the name "Joker", from the playing card figure he came to resemble.<ref name="SilverAge1"/> The Joker's [[Silver Age (comics)|Silver Age]] transformation into a figure of fun was established in 1952's "[[Joker's Millions|The Joker's Millions]]". In this story, the Joker is obsessed with maintaining his illusion of wealth and celebrity as a criminal [[folk hero]], afraid to let Gotham's citizens know that he is penniless and was tricked out of his fortune.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=27}} The 1970s redefined the character as a homicidal [[antisocial personality disorder|sociopath]]. "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" has the Joker taking violent revenge on the former gang members who betrayed him,<ref name= "BronzeAge10"/> while "The Laughing Fish" portrays him chemically disfiguring fish so they will share his trademark grin, hoping to profit from a copyright, and killing bureaucrats who stand in his way.<ref name="BronzeAge6"/>

[[File:Alan Moore (2).jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=An older caucasian male with long, thick hair and matching beard, sits facing the camera.|''The Killing Joke'' author [[Alan Moore]] in 2008. The novel has been described as the greatest Joker story ever told.<ref name="ModernAge10"/><ref name="ModernAge11"/><ref name="ModernAgeCBR"/>]]
''Batman: The Killing Joke'' (1988) built on the Joker's 1951 origin story, portraying him as a failed comedian who participates in a robbery as the Red Hood to support his pregnant wife. Batman arrives to stop the robbery, provoking the terrified comedian into jumping into a vat of chemicals, which dyes his skin chalk-white, his hair green, and his lips bright red. His disfigurement, combined with the trauma of his wife's earlier accidental death, drives him insane, and results in the birth of the Joker.<ref name="SilverAge1"/> However, the Joker says that this story may not be true; he admits that he does not remember exactly what drove him insane, and says that he prefers his past to be "multiple choice".<ref name="TKJ"/> In this graphic novel, the Joker shoots and paralyzes [[Barbara Gordon]], the former [[Batgirl]], and tortures her father, [[Jim Gordon (character)|Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon]], to prove that it only takes "one bad day" to drive a normal man insane.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=188}} After Batman rescues Gordon and subdues the Joker, he offers to rehabilitate his old foe and end their rivalry. Although the Joker refuses, he shows his appreciation by sharing a joke with Batman.<ref name="PersonalityTKJ"/> Following the character's maiming of Barbara, she became a more important character in the DC Universe: the Oracle, a data gatherer and superhero informant, who has her revenge in ''[[Birds of Prey (comics)|Birds of Prey]]'' by shattering the Joker's teeth and destroying his smile.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=188}}

In the 1988 story "A Death in the Family", the Joker beats [[Jason Todd]], the second [[Robin (comics)|Robin]], with a crowbar and leaves him to die in an explosion. Todd's death haunts Batman, and for the first time he seriously considers killing the Joker.<ref name= "ModernAge5"/> The Joker temporarily escapes justice when Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] appoints him the [[Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations|Iranian ambassador to the United Nations]], giving him [[diplomatic immunity]]; however, when he tries to poison the U.N. membership, he is defeated by Batman and [[Superman]].<ref name= "ImpactCBR2"/>

In the 1999 "[[No Man's Land (comics)|No Man's Land]]" storyline, the Joker murders Commissioner Gordon's second wife, [[Sarah Essen Gordon|Sarah]], as she shields a group of infants.<ref name="ComicNoManLand"/> He taunts Gordon, who shoots him in the kneecap. The Joker, lamenting that he may never walk again, collapses with laughter when he realizes that the commissioner has avenged Barbara's paralysis.<ref name="DetectiveComic741"/>

The 2000s began with the [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] story "Emperor Joker", in which the Joker steals [[Mister Mxyzptlk]]'s reality-altering power and remakes the universe in his image (torturing and killing Batman daily, before resurrecting him). When the supervillain then tries to destroy the universe, his reluctance to eliminate Batman makes him lose control, and Superman defeats him.<ref name= "JokerBioGeek3"/> Broken by his experience, Batman's experiences of death are transferred to Superman by the [[Spectre (DC Comics character)#Hal Jordan, Spirit of Redemption|Spectre]] so he can heal mentally.<ref name= "ComicEmperorJoker"/> {{anchor|Last_Laugh}} In ''[[Last Laugh (comics)|Joker: Last Laugh]]'' (2001), the doctors at [[Arkham Asylum]] convince the character that he is dying in an attempt to rehabilitate him. Instead, the Joker (flanked by an army of "Jokerized" supervillains) launches a final crime spree. Believing that Robin ([[Tim Drake]]) has been killed in the chaos, [[Dick Grayson]] beats the Joker to death (although Batman revives his foe to keep Grayson from becoming a murderer), and the villain succeeds in making a member of the Bat-family break their rule against killing.<ref name="ImpactCBR2"/><ref name="JokerBioGeek2"/>

In "[[Batman: Under the Hood|Under the Hood]]" (2005), a resurrected Todd tries to force Batman to avenge his death by killing the Joker. Batman refuses, arguing that if he allowed himself to kill the Joker, he would not be able to stop himself from killing other criminals.<ref name= "ComicUndertheHood"/> The Joker kills [[Alexander Luthor, Jr.]] in ''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' (2005) for excluding him from the [[Secret Society of Super Villains]], which considers him too unpredictable for membership.<ref name="ComicInfiniteCrisis7"/><ref name="DoGIC"/> In Morrison's "[[Batman and Son]]" (2006), a deranged police officer who impersonates Batman shoots the Joker in the face, scarring and disabling him. The supervillain returns in "The Clown at Midnight" (2007) as an enigmatic force who awakens and tries to kill Harley Quinn to prove to Batman that he has become more than human.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=195}}<ref name= "ImpactCBR2"/> In the 2008 story arc "[[Batman R.I.P.]]" the Joker is recruited by the Black Glove to destroy Batman, but betrays the group, killing its members one by one.<ref name= "JokerBioGeek2"/> After Batman's apparent death in ''[[Final Crisis]]'' (2008), Grayson investigates a series of murders (which leads him to a disguised Joker).<ref name="ComicBatmanRobin12"/> The Joker is arrested, and then-Robin [[Damian Wayne]] beats him with a crowbar, paralleling Todd's murder. When the Joker escapes, he attacks the Black Glove, burying its leader [[Simon Hurt]] alive after the supervillain considers him a failure as an opponent; the Joker is then defeated by the recently returned Batman.<ref name="InfoCA1"/><ref name="InfoCA2"/><ref name="ComicBatmanRobin16"/>
[[File:Joker (DC Comics character) with cards.png|alt=|left|thumb|''The Origin of The Joker'' (2010) by [[Mark Waid]] and [[Brian Bolland]].]]
In DC's [[The New 52]], a 2011 relaunch of its titles following ''[[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]]'', the Joker has his own face cut off.<ref name="JokerBioGeek"/> He disappears for a year, returning to launch an attack on Batman's extended family in "Death of the Family" so he and Batman can be the best hero and villain they can be.<ref name="DotF1"/> At the end of the storyline, the Joker falls off a cliff into a dark abyss.<ref name="DotF1"/><ref name= "DOTFGuardian"/> The Joker returns in the 2014 storyline "Endgame" in which he brainwashes the Justice League into attacking Batman, believing he has betrayed their relationship.<ref name="IGNEndgame"/><ref name="IGNEndgame2"/> The story implies that the Joker is immortal—having existed for centuries in Gotham as a cause of tragedy after exposure to a substance the Joker terms "dionesium"—and is able to regenerate from mortal injuries. "Endgame" restores the Joker's face, and also reveals that he knows Batman's [[secret identity]].<ref name= "NewsaramaEndgame"/> The story ends with the apparent deaths of Batman and the Joker at each other's hands, though it is revealed that they were both resurrected in a life-restoring Lazarus Pit, without their memories.<ref name= "Guardian"/><ref name="PostEndGameRama"/>

During the "[[Darkseid War]]" (2015–2016) storyline, Batman uses [[Metron (comics)|Metron]]'s Mobius Chair to find out the Joker's real name; the chair's answer leaves Batman in disbelief. In the ''[[DC Rebirth|DC Universe: Rebirth]]'' (2016) one-shot, Batman informs [[Hal Jordan]] that the chair told him there were three individual Jokers, not just one.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=Paul |title=Batman: How the Dark Knight Discovered the Three Jokers |url=https://www.cbr.com/batman-discovered-three-jokers/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=May 6, 2021 |date=August 24, 2020}}</ref> This revelation was the basis for the miniseries ''[[Batman: Three Jokers]]'' (2020), written by [[Geoff Johns]] with art by [[Jason Fabok]]. ''Three Jokers'' reveals that the three Jokers, who work in tandem, include "The Criminal", a methodical mastermind based on the Golden Age Joker; "The Clown", a goofy prankster based on the Silver Age Joker; and "The Comedian", a sadistic psychopath based on the [[Modern Age of Comics|Modern Age]] Joker.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Calamia |first1=Kat |title=Meet the Three Jokers: The Criminal, The Clownish, The Comedian |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/meet-the-three-jokers-the-criminal-the-clownish-the-comedian/ |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=May 6, 2021}}</ref> The Comedian orchestrates the deaths of the other two Jokers and reveals himself as the original. The miniseries ends with the revelation that Batman knows the Joker's true identity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Outlaw |first1=Kofi |title=Batman: Three Jokers Ending Reveals Major Twist to Joker's Origin |url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/batman-three-jokers-spoilers-ending-real-joker-origin-wife-son/ |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |access-date=May 6, 2021 |date=October 27, 2020}}</ref>

==={{anchor|Various origins}}Origins===
{{Quote box|width=27%|align=right|quote= "They've given many origins of the Joker, how he came to be. That doesn't seem to matter—just how he is now. I never intended to give a reason for his appearance. We discussed that and Bill [Finger] and I never wanted to change it at that time. I thought—and he agreed—that it takes away some of the essential mystery."|source=– Jerry Robinson, the Joker's creator{{sfn|Langley|2012|p=180}}|style=padding:10px; background-color: #EFEFEF;}}

Although a number of [[Backstory|backstories]] have been given, a definitive one has never been established for the Joker. An [[unreliable narrator]], the character is uncertain of who he was before and how he became the Joker: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another&nbsp;...if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"<ref name= "Origin3"/><ref name="TKJ"/> A story about the Joker's origin appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #168 (February 1951), more than decade after the character's debut. Here, the character is a laboratory worker who becomes the Red Hood (a masked criminal) to steal $1 million and retire. He falls into a vat of chemical waste when his heist is thwarted by Batman, emerging with bleached white skin, red lips, green hair and a permanent grin.<ref name="Origin1"/><ref name= "Origin2"/>

This story was the basis for the most often-cited origin tale, Moore's [[One-shot (comics)|one-shot]] ''The Killing Joke''.<ref name= "ModernAge11"/> The man who will become the Joker quits his job as a lab assistant in order to fulfill his dream of being a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to support his pregnant wife, he agrees to help two criminals commit a robbery as the Red Hood. The heist goes awry; the comedian leaps into a chemical vat to escape Batman, surfacing disfigured. This, combined with the earlier accidental death of his wife and unborn child, drives the comedian insane, turning him into the Joker.<ref name="SilverAge1"/><ref name="ImpactCBR2"/> This version has been cited in many stories, including ''[[Batman: The Man Who Laughs]]'' (in which Batman deduces that the Red Hood survived his fall and became the Joker), ''Batman'' #450 (in which the Joker dons the Red Hood to aid his recovery after the events in "A Death in the Family", but finds the experience too traumatic), ''[[Batman: Shadow of the Bat]]'' #38 (in which Joker's failed stand-up performance is shown), "Death of the Family",<ref name="Origin2"/> and ''Batman: Three Jokers'' (which asserts that it is the [[canon (fiction)|canon]] origin story).<ref name="IGNThreeJokersEnding"/> Other stories have expanded on this origin; "[[Batman: Gotham Knights|Pushback]]" suggests that the Joker's wife was murdered by a corrupt policeman working for the mobsters,<ref name="OriginPushback"/> and "Payback" gives the Joker's first name as "Jack".<ref name="Origin2"/> The ending of ''Batman: Three Jokers'' establishes that the Joker's wife did not actually die—rather, she fled to Alaska with the help of Gotham police and Batman because she feared her husband would be an abusive father; the police then told the Joker a story about her dying to protect her. The miniseries also reveals that Batman knows the Joker's identity, and has kept it secret in order to protect the criminal's wife and son.<ref name="IGNThreeJokersEnding">{{cite web |last1=Schedeen |first1=Jesse |title=Three Jokers Ending Explained: How the Series Redefines Batman and Joker's Rivalry |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/batman-three-jokers-finale-ending-explained-identity-canon |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=October 28, 2020 |date=October 27, 2020}}</ref>

However, the Joker's unreliable memory has allowed writers to develop other origins for the character.<ref name="Origin2"/> "Case Study", a [[Paul Dini]]-[[Alex Ross]] story, describes the Joker as a sadistic gangster who creates the Red Hood identity because he misses the thrill of committing robberies. He has his fateful first meeting with Batman, which results in his disfigurement. It is suggested that the Joker is sane, and researches his crimes to ''look like'' the work of a sick mind in order to avoid the death penalty. In ''[[Batman Confidential]]'' #7–12, the character Jack is a career criminal who is bored with his work. He encounters (and becomes obsessed with) Batman during a heist, embarking on a crime spree to attract the Caped Crusader's attention. After Jack injures Batman's girlfriend, Batman scars Jack's face with a [[Glasgow smile|permanent grin]] and betrays him to a group of mobsters, who torture him in a chemical plant. Jack escapes but falls into an empty vat as gunfire punctures chemical tanks above him. The flood of chemicals (used in [[anti-psychotic]] medication) alters his appearance and completes his transformation.<ref name="ComicBatmanConfidential"/> In ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]'' #31, the superhero [[Atom (Ray Palmer)|Atom]] enters the Joker's mind and sees the criminal's former self - a violent sociopath who [[zoosadism|tortures animals]], murders his own parents, and kills for fun while committing robberies.<ref name="BraveandBold31Review"/> Snyder's "[[Batman: Zero Year|Zero Year]]" (2013) suggests that the pre-disfigured Joker was a criminal mastermind leading a gang of Red Hoods.<ref name="IGNEndgame"/><ref name="OriginZeroYear"/>

===Alternative versions===
A number of [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate universe]]s in DC Comics publications have allowed writers to introduce variations on the Joker, in which the character's origins, behavior, and morality differ from the mainstream setting.<ref name="Multiverse"/> ''The Dark Knight Returns'' depicts the final battle between an aged Batman and Joker; others portray the aftermath of the Joker's death at the hands of a number of characters, including Superman.<ref name="JokerBioGeek3"/><ref name="OtherInjustice"/> Still others describe distant futures in which the Joker is a [[computer virus]] or a hero trying to defeat the era's tyrannical Batman.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=38}} In some stories, the Joker is someone else entirely: In ''[[Superman: Speeding Bullets]]'' (1993), [[Lex Luthor]] becomes the Joker in a world where Superman is Batman;<ref name="OtherSpeeding"/> ''[[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]]'' (2011) portrays Batman's mother, [[Martha Wayne]], becoming the Joker after being driven mad by her son's murder;<ref name="OtherFlashpoint"/> and in ''[[Dark Nights: Metal]]'' (2017), Batman is infected by a toxin after killing the Joker, which turns him into the supervillain, [[The Batman Who Laughs]], a combination of Batman's and the Joker's personalities.<ref name="THRTBWL"/>