In 1940, the collaborative team of Batman creator Bob Kane, co-creator Bill Finger and writer Jerry Robinson conceived of a villain that would haunt the Caped Crusader for over half a century. A photograph of actor Conrad Veidt in the 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs and a joker playing card reportedly inspired the men to create the master criminal and introduce him in "Batman #1." The Joker was a mass-murdering misfit who possessed a chalk-white face, fluorescent green hair and a set of bright red lips that caressed his broad, evil smile. But following the 1954 creation of the Comics Code Authority, introduced in the United States to regulate comic books, the Joker character slowly lost his criminal credentials and essentially disappeared from the Batman comics in the mid-'60s.
The Reemergence of the Joker
In the mid-'70s, Batman writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams released "Batman #251," which returned the Joker to his glory of old as a crazed maniac who kills with no regard as he matches wits with Batman. The rebirth of the Joker continued in the comic books throughout the '70s and into the '80s and took the character through several incarnations, each deeper and more sinister. The "A Death in the Family" comic book series of the late '80s saw the Joker brutally kill Robin, Batman's long-time sidekick. Around the same time, "Batman: The Killing Joke" was released. The dark comic book, which also explored the origins of the villain, followed the character as he sought to drive Commissioner Gordon insane by displaying images of his helpless daughter, Barbara, whom the Joker had shot and paralyzed earlier in the book.
Origins of the Joker Character
The Joker was never given a back-story explaining why he looked or acted the way he did when he was introduced in 1940. In fact, no definitive back-story has ever been established but several have been created over the years. Here are two:
- In 1951's "Detective Comics #168" his appearance was explained simply by his falling into a vat of chemical waste which turns his face white, hair green, lips red and creates his permanent trademark grin.
- 1988's "Batman: The Killing Joke" depicted him as a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime to support his family. After his family dies in a freak accident and he falls into a vat of chemicals during a thwarted break-and-enter, he is driven insane by his recent circumstance and new freakish appearance.
The Joker On Screen
The Joker's first appearance on screen came when actor Cesar Romero portrayed the character on the 1960s Batman television show and in 1966's Batman: The Movie. Romero's Joker was simply a colorful prankster bent on killing Batman but only ever able to briefly disrupt the Caped Crusader.
In 1989, Jack Nicholson set the bar when he brought the killer character to life in Tim Burton's Batman. The comedic performance was so good that it garnered Nicholson an Oscar nomination and top billing in the film's credits and promotional materials, even ahead of the film's title character played by Michael Keaton. In the film, the origin of the Joker included his plunge into the vat of chemicals.
While the Joker character would disappear from the big screen for almost 20 years he remained a fixture on the brief but popular Batman: The Animated Series, which ran on television from 1992-1995. Mark Hamill (a.k.a. Luke Skywalker) provided some brilliant voice-over work as the deranged Clown Prince of Crime in the series and a number of animated Batman movies.
The Joker Returns
Christopher Nolan's 2005 film Batman Begins ended with Commissioner Gordon handing Batman the calling card of one of the psychopaths who recently escaped from Arkham Asylum. With the revelation of a joker playing card fans rejoiced and then wondered who could ever fill the big shoes Nicholson wore almost twenty years ago. Heath Ledger was announced in 2006 as the actor who would play the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. Nolan, his brother Jonathan and Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer reached back to 1940 and the Joker's first appearance in order to mold their incarnation of the character. So that they could project the character as "absolute," Nolan included no back-story for the Joker and instead focused the script on the rise of Batman's foe. This Joker was a major departure from Nicholson's. This Joker was darker, more diabolical, and just downright more evil, with a slight humorous edge. Through the film's dialogue we discover that Nolan's Joker character paints his face to intimidate, while the sadistic smile that stretches from the outer corners of his mouth is the result of unsightly scars for whose cause the villain gives conflicting explanations. " You want to know how I got these scars?" he'll ask before launching into one of his lurid accounts.
Ledger reportedly researched the Joker character intensely and immersed himself in preparation for the life-changing role. The role was life changing in that some believe it may have contributed to his untimely death shortly after filming wrapped in early 2008. But the performance is considered the pinnacle of Ledger's career and it can easily be said that anything less than an posthumous Oscar nomination would be a major disappointment. Ledger and the filmmakers have re-introduced the Joker as he should be and raised the bar that Nicholson set to a brand new level - one that will perhaps never be reached again.
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