THE JOKER


Life-story

Next to nothing is known about Batman's greatest enemy except that he was an enforcer/hitman for various crime bosses before becoming the "Clown Prince of Crime." The Joker first encountered Batman during a botched robbery at the Monarch Playing Card Factory. He escaped by leaping into a drainage vat of chemical waste, but later discovered the toxins bleached his skin chalk white, dyed his hair fluorescent green, and stretched his lips into a hideous, permanent red grin. It's not hard to understand why such a transformation snapped his already unstable mind. The Joker's methods are diabolically simple: break every law and moral stature known to man. But more importantly, he makes the crime funnier by playing a game of cat and mouse with Batman. The Joker views every crime, infliction of pain, and murder as the ultimate joke -- mocking Batman. The Joker's trademarks are his razor sharp playing cards and the laughing gas Smilex, a chemical that infects his victims with the same ghastly grin as his own. Extremely intelligent despite his lunacy, The Joker has access to information within Gotham City that should only be available to government officials and the police. His only real motive is bringing Batman as close to the edge as possible. The Joker strives to outdo Gotham's other villains as well, for if they have the honor of destroying The Dark Knight then he has no purpose. To The Joker, Gotham City is merely the stage upon which he performs.

Apperances


Penguin's Big Score Catwoman's killer caper
Twelve days of madness The Batman adventures Annual #1

Back to Charaters Index