Joker's appearances in other media

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The Batman supervillain Joker has made several appearances in media other than DC Comics.

[edit] Live-action television

[edit] Batman (TV series)

The Joker played by Cesar Romero

With the success of the 1960s television series, the character was brought to the forefront along with the rest of the classic rogues gallery. During that period the Joker, as portrayed by Cesar Romero in 18 episodes, was a crazy, but less murderous character than his comics persona up to that point. The Joker of this series is characterized by a cackling laugh and comedy-themed crimes that were silly in nature, such as turning the city's water supply into jelly, beating Batman in a surfing competition, and bank robberies based on stand-up routines. The only reference to his early life is a remark by Batman that, in his youth, the Joker had once been a successful hypnotist. Romero refused to shave his mustache for the role, and it was partially visible beneath his white face makeup.

[edit] OnStar commercial

During the OnStar "Batman" ad campaign, the Joker appeared in one commercial, played by Curtis Armstrong. In the commercial, Joker attempts to escape from the Batmobile in his Jokermobile. He uses a remote system to activate a steel wall. Batman crashes into the wall and his airbag deploys. When the OnStar representative calls him, Batman instructs her to get the police to set up a blockade. Batman then arrives at the scene and apprehends the Joker.

[edit] Birds of Prey (television series)

Roger Stoneburner made a cameo appearance as the character in an episode of Birds of Prey in which Barbara Gordon is caught in the crossfire between Batman and the Joker. In the series, the Joker not only paralyzes Barbara, but hires a thug (who later turns out to be Clayface) to kill Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. Joker is said in another episode to be locked up in a prison far from New Gotham, but his old partner Harley Quinn intends to take over the city and avenge him. Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker in various animated shows throughout the 1990s, provided the Joker's voice in the scene, and he was the only one of the two actors to be credited.

[edit] Animation

The Joker appeared as a recurring adversary in the 1968-1969 Filmation series The Adventures of Batman. Two episodes of the 1972 series The New Scooby-Doo Movies featured a meeting with Batman; the Joker was one of the villains, voiced by Larry Storch. The Joker was featured in five episodes of Filmation's 1977 series The New Adventures of Batman, where he was voiced by Lennie Weinrib. His only Super Friends appearance was in the show's final incarnation, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, where he appeared in both the intro and the episode "The Wild Cards", which featured a version of the Royal Flush Gang. The leader of the group, Ace, turned out to be a disguised Joker (voiced by Frank Welker).

He was also parodied in the Tiny Toon Adventures short 'Bat's All Folks' as 'Jackster', whose voice was an imitation of that of Jack Nicholson. Alvin played 'The Jokester' in the Alvin and the Chipmunks episode "Batmunk". The Disgruntled Postman from The Justice Friends was a parody of the Joker.

[edit] Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series offers another version of the Joker's history, primarily in the episode "Beware the Creeper" and in the spin-off movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Here he is a former anonymous hit man for a Mafia gang known as the Valestra mob with ties to the Beaumont family. His boss is crime lord Sal Valestra, who is owed ransom money by Beaumont. The gangster never speaks in his original form, and later it is implied that he killed Carl Beaumont. Years later, as the Joker, he murders Valestra, who dies with a strained grin on his face. As in the 1989 movie, he is not wearing any disguise when he makes his fateful attempt to rob the chemical factory. In both this animated series and the comic-book series based on it, the Joker believes Batman intentionally pushed him into the chemicals. Unlike in the 1989 movie, however, no attempt is made to connect the Joker with the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, although, to homage the movie, Jack Napier is listed as one of his aliases, and is believed to be his real name by several officials. As in his comic-book persona, the Joker in this series is obsessed with Batman; he often says he is the only one who "deserves" to take out Batman, halting those who try or punishing those who he thinks beat him to it.

This version of the Joker combined past elements of his characterization from the comics, in which some episodes show him performing comical, less aggressive aspects, while others show him as a sociopath willing (and eager) to murder dozens of people. As in previous depictions, The Joker is shown as a mass murderer although due to children's television restrictions, the killings are never depicted onscreen but subtly alluded to; perhaps most notably in "Mad Love" in which Harley is examining a newspaper with text that reads "Joker still at large, Body count rises." Near the headline a picture shows at least 20 corpses, each with the signature Joker smile.

Much like the Joker of the comics, the Animated Series Joker cheats death multiple times. He has fallen into a smokestack, been attacked by a shark, fallen from a roller coaster, and is caught in an aircraft crash, among numerous other fates, yet still emerges unharmed.

In the episodes "Joker's Wild" and "Dreams in Darkness", the Joker's identity is revealed as "Jack Napier", although "Beware the Creeper" reconnects this as a alias.

In Batman: The Animated Series, the Joker made the most appearances of any villain in Batman's rogues' gallery. He is also the only character aside from the Penguin to not receive an origin episode, suggesting he has been a thorn in Batman's side for some time before the series' storyline picks up. The Animated Series version of the Joker also appears in the Static Shock episode "The Big Leagues".

The Joker in this series up to Justice League was voiced by Mark Hamill, a role that received praise from fans and critics.

[edit] The New Batman Adventures

The Joker in The New Batman Adventures

In the New Batman Adventures episode "Mad Love", the Joker tells Arkham psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel that he was abused by his alcoholic father,though Batman offers the possibility that the Joker's version of his childhood is a lie used for gaining sympathy. Later in life, he joins Sal Valestra's mafia and serves as a hitman. One night, during a break-in at the Ace Chemical Plant, Batman attempts to knock him out with a blow to the face. Stumbling, the man falls into a vat of green chemicals and, losing his mind in the face of death, emerges as the Joker.In one episode, a receptionist at a hotel where he is staying calls him "Mr. Kerr", a reference to Joker's alias "Joseph "Joe" Kerr".

The New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the Dark Knight" is about three teenagers telling often contradictory stories of Batman's exploits. One story features the Joker in a tale inspired by the Dick Sprang comics of the 1950s. This segment's Joker was voiced by Michael McKean.

The Joker was also featured in the Batman/Superman crossover World's Finest. Having lost everything thanks to Batman, he makes a deal with Lex Luthor, for $1 billion, to kill Superman with a large Kryptonite dragon statue he stole. After the deal goes sour, Joker goes on a rampage while flying through the skies of Metropolis in Luthor's Lexwing aircraft. He is last seen laughing maniacally as the aircraft falls into the sea and explodes, having been damaged by his own bombs which are accidentally set off. His body is not found, but later episodes of the show reveal that he cheated death once again, and escaped alive.

[edit] Justice League

In the Justice League episode "Injustice for All", the Joker becomes a member of the Injustice Gang after Copperhead is arrested, much to Lex Luthor's annoyance. In these episodes, his knowledge of Batman's methods prove useful in helping the Injustice Gang capture him. Indeed, when Luthor at first rebuffs the Joker, the Joker points out how he's needed by plucking a homing device off of Luthor and telling him "I know how the Bat thinks." Much to Joker's annoyance, Luthor elects to keep Batman alive so that they can further interrogate him. During the ensuing battle between the Justice League and Luthor's group, Joker is the last one to be captured during the episode, even deterring The Flash with explosives and escaping Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth by tossing an explosive doll at her. He returns to kill Batman with a gun, but the Caped Crusader escapes and easily defeats him.

He had cameos in two other episodes, "Only a Dream" in Doctor Destiny's dream sequence, and an alternate reality counter-part in the episode "A Better World" who had been lobotomized (along with other members of Batman's rogues gallery) by the Justice Lords version of Superman.

In the episode "Wild Cards", the Joker places a series of bombs all over Las Vegas, and challenges the Justice League to defuse all of them in less than 30 minutes — all while on national television. Joker then sends the Royal Flush Gang (Ace, Ten, Jack, Queen, and King) to stop the League. When all but one of the Royal Flush Gang are defeated and all of the bombs are disposed of, the Joker reveals his true plan: to use Ace's powers to drive people crazy just by looking at them on the millions of people watching the broadcast. When Batman arrives, however, he pulls the headband that controls Ace's powers from Joker's coat. Ace, angered by Joker's betrayal, uses her powers on him and renders him in a catatonic state.

While the ban on Batman villains did not allow him to appear in Justice League Unlimited, he was mentioned several times throughout the course of the series. It is revealed that Joker rescued the Royal Flush Gang from Project Cadmus, and it is also mentioned that he stole technology from the government as well.

[edit] Batman Beyond

In Batman Beyond, which is set 40 years in the future, the Joker has not been seen in several decades. There are now street gangs known as Jokerz, some of whom emulate his appearance and others who simply use some sort of clown motif. In the episode "Joyride", a skeleton wearing the Joker's suit is seen in a cave where the Jokerz go for initiations.

The Joker's death before the events of Batman Beyond

The Joker appears in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, both in flashback sequences, in his Justice League attire, opposing the original Batman and in the "present" of Batman Beyond. It is revealed that the Joker kidnaps Tim Drake (the second Robin in the "Animated Series" continuity). Over the course of three weeks, he tortures Robin by electric shocks and through the use of a mysterious microchip, mutilates the boy into a mindless replica of himself known as "J.J." (Joker Junior). In the course of the ordeal, the Joker learns of Batman's secret identity from Tim. He then reveals Tim to Batman and Batgirl as his "son". In the ensuing showdown, the Joker incapacitates Batman and orders Tim to shoot him with a speargun. At the last second, however, Tim turns the gun on the Joker and kills his tormentor, Joker's final words being "That's not funny. That's not..." (in the edited version, Joker is pushed by Tim into a sparking area, slips on a puddle of water and lands in an electric chair, accidentally killing himself off-screen). Batman and Batgirl, in conjunction with Commissioner Gordon, bury the Joker's body beneath Arkham Asylum.

Forty years later, the Joker unexpectedly returns to Gotham. Quickly taking control of the Jokerz, he wreaks havoc on the city. It is eventually revealed that the Joker is actually the now-adult Tim Drake, whose body is possessed by the Joker's memories and physical appearance. The Joker had used stolen Project Cadmus technology to implant the same chip encoded with his DNA and personality during the time he held Tim captive, revealing why Tim was transformed into Joker Junior in the first place. The Joker's stored personality is eventually destroyed when Terry McGinnis uses the Joker's own electrocuting joy buzzer to overload and destroy the chip, destroying the greatest match that Batman had ever faced.

[edit] The Batman

The Joker as seen in The Batman, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

A very different interpretation of the Joker appears in the animated series The Batman, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. In his first few episodes, he sports a purple and yellow straitjacket, fingerless gloves, bare feet (which are white with green toenails), wild green hair, red eyes, harsher voice, athletic prowess, and martial arts skill that mark him as different from his predecessors. Later in the series, he regresses back the more traditional garb of a purple suit and spats, but still has wild hair and wears no shoes, save one episode. The Joker also moves and fights with a monkey-like style, using his feet as dexterously as his hands, and often hangs from the walls and ceilings (as the series progresses, these abilities do not appear as much). He employs the signature Joker venom in the form of a laughing gas. This version is also a skilled chemist responsible for the Joker venom and "Joker putty" which is responsible for Ethan Bennett turning into "Clayface".

This version of the Clown Prince of Crime more resembles the campy, comic relief character featured in the comics of the 1950s and '60s. While this interpretation is generally lighter in tone, however, it still exhibits hints of a darker side. One episode in particular closely resembled The Killing Joke: during "The Rubberface of Comedy", he tortures police detective Ethan Bennett to prove a point, quoting the comic: "All it takes is one bad day to make a normal man go insane". Joker also takes Bennett to an abandoned amusement park, like in the book. The episode also implies the building hatred and jealousy that the Joker feels towards Batman as the police focus more on capturing Batman than him ("You mean to tell me you consider this vigilante more dangerous than ME? The Clown Prince of Crime?") In the episode "Strange Minds" viewers learn that this version of the Joker fell into a chemical vat sometime earlier and get to see what he looked like prior to his accident; in the form of what's left of his sanity. Also like the 89 movie and the animated series, he is not wearing a disguise when the accident happens. There's also a hint that the man who became the Joker was a worker in the chemical plant.Hugo Strange was also seen talking to a young version of the Joker, and noted that the man who would become the Joker was often left alone by his parents, while dreaming of making people laugh.

[edit] The Batman vs. Dracula

In the film The Batman vs. Dracula, which takes place during the events of The Batman, the Joker escapes from Arkham having learned of the location of buried treasure and runs into the Penguin on the way, whom he disposes of with electric joy buzzers. Towards the end of the ensuing battle, the Joker plummets into the river where he is electrocuted and apparently killed by his own buzzers. However, he is later revealed to have survived, having apparently been accidentally rescued by a fisherman. He heads towards Gotham Cemetery, where the treasure is hidden, and encounters the Penguin again, unaware he has now been made a servant of Count Dracula. Despite Penguin's warnings, Joker ventures into his master's crypt, running into the count himself. His blood promptly drained, and the Joker turns into a vampire.

Vampire Joker robs a blood bank to sustain himself. He encounters the Batman yet again and the two fight. Joker is captured in the end and taken to the Batcave, where Batman experiments on ways to treat his undead state and tries to make him reveal Dracula's hiding place. Joker is unable to give him any information, for he is under Dracula's control. Batman eventually develops an antidote and cures Joker, who seems to have lost his memory of being a vampire. Nonetheless, Joker inadvertably reveals the location of Dracula's crypt and is sent back to Arkham.

Vampire Joker has pale-blue eyes, lighter hair color, fangs, and an overall more demonic appearance. His jumping abilities and strength have also been enhanced, and he can also scale walls. Other than his constant craving for blood, Vampire Joker seems to have retained most of his willpower. He is also apparently the only vampire slave with the ability to speak, whereas the other vampires merely snarl and growl.

[edit] Justice League: The New Frontier

In the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier, the Joker makes a small cameo appearance during U.S. President John F. Kennedy's speech at the end of the film.

[edit] Live-action film

[edit] Batman (1966)

Cesar Romero reprised his role of the Joker in the 1966 film Batman alongside several other villains from the television show.

[edit] Batman (1989)

The Joker as seen in Batman, played by Jack Nicholson

The 1989 Batman film, directed by Tim Burton, offered a somewhat different origin for the Joker, portrayed by Jack Nicholson, while making him part of Batman's origin. Newsweek's review of the film stated that the best scenes in the movie are due to the surreal black comedy portrayed in this character.^[1] Unlike the comics, the film gives The Joker a real name: Jack Napier. Nicholson's Joker ranks #45 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 film villains of all time.

Napier, portrayed as the narcissistic right-hand man of Boss Carl Grissom, is having an affair with Grissom's girlfriend, Alicia Hunt. This prompts the jealous crime lord to have Napier killed by corrupt Lt. Max Eckhardt. Napier kills Eckhardt, and a subsequent bullet fired by Napier to kill Batman ricochets off Batman's armor and goes through his cheeks. Napier tumbles off a catwalk due to the shot, and despite an attempt by Batman to save him, he falls into a vat of chemicals. Napier survives both the chemical bath and being flushed into the harbor via the sewers, but the accident leaves him deformed. His hair is stained green, his skin is bleached a chalky white, his lips are dyed red, and a botched attempt at reconstructive surgery leaves him with a permanent rictus grin. He goes completely insane, and dubs himself the Joker^[2]. He kills Grissom, takes over the gangster's empire, and begins a violent, chaotic crime spree. His crimes center on uses of 'Smylex', a potent neurotoxin that causes its victims to die laughing, their faces eventually freezing in a grin identical to his own. The Joker also tries to woo Gotham Globe reporter Vicki Vale, and in the process, attempts to kill Bruce Wayne, who is dating her (although Bruce plays dead after using a tray as a bulletproof vest). When Wayne learns about the Joker, he recalls that his parents were murdered by Jack Napier, realizing that the Joker is indirectly responsible for the origin of Batman. In the climax of the film, the Joker meets his demise during an attempted helicopter escape from Gotham Cathedral. Batman uses a grappling hook to tie Joker's ankle to a large, heavy gargoyle. The gargoyle comes loose of the structure, sending him falling to his death.

In the flashback scene showing Jack Napier's murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Napier was played by Hugo E. Blick.

In the original script of Batman, Joker was also originally supposed to be responsible for the origin of Robin, at which he kills Dick Grayson's parents during a high speed chase with Batman. Although this sub-plot was removed, the Batman DVD shows a storyboard animatic sequence of the scene, voiced by the actors of the animated series.

While the third film in the series does not make direct mention of the Joker, the murders of the Waynes are shown during a flashback sequence. This new flashback portrayed Ramsey Ellis as the young Wayne, Michael Scranton as Thomas Wayne, Eileen Seeley as Martha Wayne, and David U. Hodges as the shooter.

[edit] The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight

A Joker playing card is shown at the end of Batman Begins, where it had been used as a calling card by a criminal who was not explicitly named. Screenwriter David S. Goyer explained in Premiere magazine that he planned to use the Joker as the main villain for the sequel, The Dark Knight. Warner Bros. officially announced on July 31, 2006 that Heath Ledger would portray the Joker.^[3] Director Christopher Nolan has said that this portrayal will be inspired by the character's first two appearances in the comics, as well as The Killing Joke, an Alan Moore-penned graphic novel that has been called "the definitive Joker story" ^[4], which notably garnered praise from Tim Burton, director of the first Batman movie. According to Nolan, there will not be an origin story for the character in the movie, because he "just is the Joker". It will rather be, according to the prologue in the film, the "Rise of the Joker."

In the trailer released in May, it is shown that the Joker is somehow involved with the mob, and is shown advising them that by killing Batman they may regain their status in Gotham. It is suggested in an earlier teaser trailer that the Joker may have motives that are unknown to the mob, as Alfred Pennyworth claims that "... in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn't fully understand. Some men aren't looking for anything logical - they can't be bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." The Joker is also heard saying "This city deserves a better class of criminal - and I'm gonna give it to them."

According to co-star Christian Bale, Ledger's portrayal deviates notably from previous interpretations. “It’s a much more anarchic, punk rock, almost junkie version of it... He’s that kind of psycho kid that just will do anything and has absolutely no conscience and morals – I think they’ve done a real nice job with his look. It’s certainly a whole lot more dangerous; there’s a bit of Clockwork Orange there, a bit of Sid Vicious, a whole lot of great, anarchic personalities blended within The Joker.”^[5]

In a New York Times article, Ledger stated that his Joker is a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”. Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as being based around his personality, in which "he doesn't care about himself at all." She avoided his design being vagrant, but nonetheless it is "scruffier, grungier and therefore when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy."^[6] Unlike other incarnations, where his appearance is a result of chemical bleaching, the Joker's facial scarring is more in the style of a Glasgow smile and accentuates it through white and red make-up. During the course of the film it worsens, resembling an infection.^[6]

The Melbourne Herald Sun and The Mercury quotes Michael Caine, who portrays Alfred Pennyworth, as saying that Ledger topped Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. "He's gone in a completely different direction to Jack. Jack was like a clown figure, benign but wicked, maybe a killer old uncle. He could be funny and make you laugh... Heath is like a really scary psychopath. I did one scene with him and he was ready to go and had to come up in a lift and raid our place... I didn't see him for rehearsal and when he came out of the lift he was so incredible I forgot my lines. He frightened the life out of me. ... I'd never met him before. He's a lovely guy and his Joker is going to be a hell of a revelation in this picture."

[edit] Video games

Joker appears in the video game Batman: Vengeance. As the main villain of the game, Joker orchestrates a murderous plot to burn Gotham City to the ground with his own Joker toxin and promethium, a wonder drug that is highly flammable when broken down. Joker funded the research to make sure plenty would be made for his schemes. The Joker begins his plans by making a false kidnapping to set up his fake demise, which will allow him to reside in the shadows and make his plans without the police looking for him.

Joker and Harley indirectly gets the game's other villains involved to further his plot, although they believe they are serving only their own needs. His ultimate plot is to pump his Joker toxin and promethium through the sprinkling system of the city and burn it down while he escapes on a blimp he stole and used to store the substance to pump through the pipes. His plans ultimately fail and he decides to attempt suicide by jumping off the blimp rather than be sent back to Arkham Asylum. Batman both saves and defeats Joker and sends him back to Arkham.

In addition to the above game, Joker has appeared in most of the Batman video games. He has appeared in the various video game adaptations of 1989's Batman. He is the final boss in the Batman: Return of the Joker game and has appeared as a boss character in Batman: Dark Tomorrow, Batman: The Caped Crusader, Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the SNES, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega Genesis and the Sega CD and Batman: Chaos in Gotham. In Batman: Vengeance and the Sega CD game Mark Hamill reprised the role of the Joker.

[edit] Other appearances

There are a few theme park attractions themed to the Joker. The Joker's Jinx, a twisting steel roller coaster in Six Flags America, follows the Joker's dominantly purple and green color scheme, and his mad laughter is played during the ride queue. The current version of the motion simulator ride Batman Adventure - The Ride at Warner Bros. Movie World revolves around the Dark Knight attempting to foil the Joker's plan of spreading his deadly Joker Gas throughout Gotham from an airship.

Published in 1990, The Further Adventures of The Joker (edited by Martin H. Greenberg) assembled 20 short stories about the Clown Prince of Crime. The content of its material ranged from macabre to campy. All of the stories featured in the book are considered non-canon in relation to mainstream DC Comics continuity.

Joker appeared among other evil imaginary characters in the South Park episode "Imaginationland Episode II".

[edit] References