Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dc, joker

We Determine Our Villains: What to Expect From the Joker

Published Fri, 05 Apr 2019 18:00:36 -0500

Eleven years after his first appearance in Detective Comics, the Joker was finally awarded an origin story. A villain none other than the Red Hood diving into a vat of acid to escape the Caped Crusader sent the most notorious villain in comics on a long running legacy of crime. Although the history of crime is relatively agreed upon, the motive of the Joker is often debated.

The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, introduced a failing and empathetic stand-up comedian, only turning to crime once circumstance after circumstance diminished his ability to bring in money to support his pregnant wife. In Case Study, by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, the Joker is a bored gangster who commits petty crimes to fulfill the emptiness of his day-to-day life. Here, readers are introduced to a sane man who only pretends to be insane to land himself in Arkham rather than the electric chair. Even Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo attempted to portray the man himself as an immortal entity, born from the idea that he stumbled into the Lazarus pits before Ra's Al Ghul, later even bringing in the idea that there have been three Jokers in DC history.

The stories about him are endless and fans are lucky enough to see him portrayed on the big screen over and over again (albeit some portrayals are admittedly a little less striking than others). With each portrayal, we can often see the primary issues of society personified as our favorite DC villain.

Cesar Romero stands out as the lovable clown who joins forces with other Gotham criminals to annoy the Batman. More importantly, the Joker is depicted by a Cuban American during the heights of the Civil Rights movement. Specifically, anyone who wasn't the majority was seen as an enemy to the status quo. His comical and silly interpretation of the Joker showed the character as not necessarily threatening but different enough from Adam West's favorable Batman.

His next notable appearance was with Jack Nicolson's gangster depiction of a narcissist and a sadist. A first choice by Batman co-creator Bob Kane, Nicolson brought his Napier to the next level. Specifically, as drugs were on the rise and a boom of vanity for Baby Boomer's, this Joker focused on our self-obsession and made it our greatest threat.

Heath Ledger showed a Joker intent on guerrilla warfare and disinterested in money during the heart of the war in Iraq. A simple enemy with no motive other than hating the American status quo, he represented the perfect boogeyman as President Bush announced he would shift 4,500 U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Even Jared Leto's less popular Joker left a poor taste in fan's mouths as a more socially aware fanbase realized his mistreatment of Harley was abusive. The bombshell became especially more popular in a depiction mostly absent from her Clown Prince.

If we expect that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker will follow a similar trajectory, fans should expect an either politically-motivated or poverty-stricken Joker. Currently, the United States is divided socio-economically and although the recent trailer from DC comics doesn't show much, Joker fans should hope to see a Joker that emulates the issues they face and fear every day. Although he has been reimagined with every new depiction, fingers crossed that DC's next endeavor makes him reflect what we really fear most: the problems we face everyday.

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