Little is known about the early life of the Joker, save that he was a psychopathic serial killer. In one of his earliest recorded accounts, the Joker spent an evening in a hotel room with a reputable attorney named Donna Gugina. After a night of love-making, he brutally attacked her, crushing her larynx and strangling her to death. All the while however, he professed his undying love for her.[1]
The Return[]
Well into his fifties, the Joker spent ten years at Arkham Asylumin a near catatonic stupor. When news hit the wire that his arch-nemesis the Batman had come out of retirement, the Joker's conscious mind resurfaced and he decided that it was time for him to come out of retirement as well.[2] Having manipulated his psychiatrist into declaring him 'cured'- the doctor proclaiming that he was merely a victim of Batman's own psychosis- the Joker murdered the guests at a talk show where his psychiatrist had intended to publicly reveal his 'recovery' before taking hostages at a local carnival. Tracking the Joker there, Batman engaged his foe in the hall of mirrors before the fight progressed into a sewer, where Batman broke the Joker's neck just enough to paralyze him. However, in a last act of revenge against his enemy, the Joker was able to twist his neck just far enough to kill himself, committing suicide and framing his enemy for his own murder.[3]
Powers and Abilities[]
Abilities[]
- Escapology
- Firearms
- Genius Level Intellect
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)
- Intimidation
Weaknesses[]
- Mental Illness
Notes[]
- Writer Keith Champagne has stated that the Superman of Earth-31 featured in Countdown: Arena is the Superman that appeared in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.[4] Originally, this reality was not provided with an official nomenclature, and it was accepted that the events from Batman: Year One, Dark Knight Returns and All-Star Batman all took place within separate continuities. It was retroactivelyestablished that all of Frank Miller's Batman works, including Year One, take place in the same continuity.[5]
Trivia[]
- The Joker's dragon tattoo seen in one of the covers for All Star Batman and Robin: The Boy Wonder, is present in his DC Extended Universe counterpart.
Appearances in Other Media[]
- In the animated adaption of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Joker was voiced by Michael Emerson.
- This Joker appears as an available Joker skin in Batman & The Flash: Hero Run.