Monster Character WiKi
The Joker
The Joker is a clown like villain, who appears in numerous comic books, video games, and movies that are produced by DC Comics. The Joker first made his appearance in 1940, and since then has been featured in hundreds of DC Comic works. However, the Jokers most notable performance was in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which the Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, was awarded Best Supporting Actor. Unlike most monsters and villains the Joker has no superpower, however he does carry around a variety of weapons including a deck of cards (hence his name Joker), marbles, matches/lighter, and pencils. The Joker has no certain or conclusive back story in all of the works he is featured in. The one thing that is certain in all of works the Joker appears in is his appearance. The Joker always has bleached skin, green hair, and scars around his mouth, which goes along seamlessly with is signature laugh that he deploys when he does something vile or perverse (as seen below).
The Joker is a swindling psychopathic thief that has no regard for the law or any individual. The Joker has a history of crime, and his victims range anywhere from children to adults. The Joker acts with a sense of insanity, intensity, and maniacal mannerisms that strikes fear in everyone he comes in contact with. The Joker has an interesting combo of being both brilliant and twisted. He is brilliant in a way because he causes mass chaos while having no superpower, and using everyday objects as weapons. He is also brilliant because he has the ability to persuade people to join him in defying the law and society at large. The Joker’s dark side can be seen through him naming his victims publicly, and killing them in cruel and unconventional ways. For example in The Dark Knight, The Joker Kidnaps Racheal and Harvey and places them in two different locations with gasoline and explosives all around them, then informs where they are located with only enough time to save one of them. This combo makes him a unique and timeless character.
What makes the Joker so intriguing to me is the transformation of the character, and the how he is treated in pop culture. When the Joker was first introduces in the 1940s, he was just a master thief. However, as time passed, the Joker turned into psychopathic killer. This transformation was slow, but added another dimension to the character, which made him very appealing to multiple audiences. As for the pop culture aspect, the Joker has been one of the most recognizable and iconic villains for more than 70 years now. Anytime there is a part for the Joker in a Batman movie, all of the top actors in Hollywood line up to play the role, this is why he truly is one of the greatest monsters/villain in all of history.