- We've seen four entirely different iterations of the Joker throughout history: trickster, madman, philosopher and terrorist.
- It was the Killing Joke that really changed everything and provided a philosophical outlook at the character.
- Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker envisioned him as a terrorist and solidified him as one of the most perfect villains of all time.
Following is a transcript of the video.
Why are we all so obsessed with the Joker? There are, of course, several explanations for this. For one, he is one of the oldest villains in comic book history, his first appearance dating all the way back in 1940, with "Batman" issue No. 1. But I think what really propelled the character to fame was in its various incarnations throughout history.
From comics to television, movies, video games, and animation, the Joker is probably one of the most readapted villains in history. And, understandably, the question of who did it best is an ongoing debate. But I think it's an unfair question, considering that every incarnation of the character, more specifically the four different types of Joker we've seen throughout history, are all entirely different characters. But without even just one of them, the Joker would not have evolved into the perfect villain we know today.
The Joker's initial appearance in comics was very different from the Joker we know today. His appearance in "Batman" No. 1 portrayed him as a smart and capable criminal driven primarily by greed, committing a series of murders to steal precious jewels. Perhaps the most vital trait that was first established was his penchant for theatricality, announcing his crime via radio before they even happened. This would in time become a trope that would be used again and again. He was smart, cunning, and ruthless. But despite it all, the Joker was still just another criminal, albeit with an unusual sense of humor.
Several critics have viewed this Joker as a perfect example of the trickster archetype, one of the many archetypes devised by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. In literature, these are characters who show high levels of intelligence, use their mind to play tricks, or disobey any established rules. Another great example of this archetype is Loki from the Norse mythology and subsequently the Marvel comics, who, like the Joker, treads a thin line between malicious violence and harmless humor. When the "silver age" of comics hit in the '50s, DC began toning down the evil side of Joker to market their books for children and to avoid strict censorship. The 1942 story "The Joker Walks the Last Mile" became a turning point that transformed the unusual, menacing serial killer into a joke. And Cesar Romero's portrayal of the character in the 1960s television series "Batman" only solidified this image, depicting the character as an intelligent yet mostly harmless prankster with an unusual set of gadgets. As the show's popularity waned, so did the Joker, until in 1973, the character made a return in an almost unrecognizable form.
Under writer Dennis O'Neil, the "Batman" comics began taking a darker and grittier turn, and with it, the villains. "Batman" No. 251 signified the return of the Joker as a criminal and a serial killer. It was at this time that Joker truly turned mad. O'Neil and the writers who came after him began focusing on Joker's insanity, and with it came the creation of the landmark Arkham Asylum. Joker was no longer scary because he was a ruthless criminal, but because he was an insane and unpredictable one. Writer Steve Englehart's arc "The Laughing Fish" was an iconic story that exemplified this insanity, showing the Joker poisoning the water supply to make the fish look like him so he could copyright and profit off of them. The same story was also adapted in the '90s' "Batman: The Animated Series," expertly voiced by Mark Hamill, whose Joker was heavily inspired by the Joker of the '70s. It's a ridiculous premise, but nonetheless, the portrayal of the Joker is absolutely terrifying. The era signified a huge shift in the characterization of the Joker, but the transformation was far from complete.
All of this changed with just one work that would revolutionize the idea of the Joker for years to come: Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke." Published during the "dark age" of comics, when stories became even darker and more mature to target adult audiences, "The Killing Joke" was a revolutionary work for the character for a number of reasons. First, it established the idea that the Joker has no specific origin. Contrary to popular belief, "The Killing Joke" does not tell a definitive origin story for the Joker, but only a possible one inspired by a story that was already told years ago in "Detective Comics" No. 168. What is definitive is Joker's view on his past. This turned the Joker from an evil man to an idea, an embodiment of his belief. And with it, the Joker became more vocal about what he believes in, such as his frightening observation that all it takes for someone to become like him is just one bad day.
The second revolutionary aspect was in the novel's interpretation of Joker's relationship with Batman. Moore saw Batman and Joker as a mirror image of each other, both creations of a random and tragic event that led to an alternate identity and opposing views of the world. This meant that their fights were no longer just physical, but really a philosophical one. "The Killing Joke" opened the floodgate to other stories that began exploring the Joker as a philosopher. It was also what heavily inspired Jack Nicholson's iconic portrayal of the character in Tim Burton's "Batman." His Joker was really a combination of all the Jokers before him. The campiness of the '60s, the insanity of the '70s, and the philosophical implication of the modern era. This is perhaps why Nicholson's portrayal was so iconic, as it provided the most comprehensive look at the character that has drastically evolved over the years.
Until 2008, when director Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger proved that Joker's transformation was far from over. Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was quite unlike anything we've seen. There were characteristics that clearly made him the Joker, like his pension for theatricality, the multiple origin stories, and a macabre sense of humor. But if Nicholson's Joker was more of a performance artist, Ledger's was that of a terrorist who exploited the modern fear of political and philosophical extremism in the post-9/11 America. He was an anarchist who not only refused to follow the established order, but actively seeked to destroy it, introducing chaos to the political landscape of Gotham as its agent of chaos. Nolan also provided a specific philosophy to ground the character: nihilism. A philosophical belief that denies all meaningful values in life. One critic compared the Joker to what Friedrich Nietzsche ironically called Übermensch, or Superman, a being that independently decides on what's right or wrong and asserts their own belief into the world. Others also noticed that this interpretation of the Batman and the Joker's relationship mirrored the Nietzschean philosophy of the master and slave morality, Joker being the master morality that creates and defines its own rules without the approval of others and considers what benefits them to be good, while Batman serving as the slave morality that is bound by existing laws and distinguishes right from wrong, the two in constant battle for what each finds just. Ledger's Joker was scary, because, like "The Killing Joke," it embodied an idea of chaos and anarchy that couldn't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. An entity that Batman can't just win physically.
Joker's transformation is an ongoing one. The most recent adaptation, by Joaquin Phoenix, seems to be more political, representing him as a Marxist figure. And in recent comics, Scott Snyder portrayed the Joker as an almost demonic figure, an evil as old as the city of Gotham itself. And perhaps this is why we're all so obsessed with the Joker. It's a character that constantly changes and evolves to reflect our various fears. To borrow the mind of Nietzsche, it's not the abyss you're staring into that scares you, but the abyss staring back, with a big, clown-like smile. Joker: See, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push. [Joker laughing maniacally]