History ComicBook / TheJoker

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[[caption-width-right:300:The Joker by Creator/AlexRoss]]

->''"If the police expect to play against the '''Joker''', they had best be prepared to be dealt from the bottom of the deck."''
-->-- '''Batman #1''', his first appearance, written by Creator/BillFinger.

The Clown Prince of Crime. The Harlequin of Hate. The Ace of Knaves. The Jester of Genocide. The Mountebank of Mirth.

''[[TropeCodifier The]]'' MonsterClown. '''''[[TropeCodifier The]]''''' ArchEnemy.

The Joker is a comic book supervillain owned by Creator/DCComics, who primarily appears as a member of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s RoguesGallery. He first appeared in ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNumberOne Batman #1]]'' (25 April, 1940). He was created by Creator/BobKane, Creator/BillFinger and Jerry Robinson. Credit for the Joker's creation is disputed; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the Joker's design, but acknowledged Finger's writing contribution. Comics scholars lean to Robinson and Finger as Joker's true creators owing to Kane's well documented history of swiping and hiring ghost-artists for his work. Originally he was to die at the end of his second appearance, but the comic's editor wouldn't allow it feeling it was a waste of a perfectly good villain.

Originally portrayed as a cunning criminal with a constant grin and an occasional sadistic streak, he became a goofy prankster in the UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, before in the 1970s becoming the terrifying mixture of whimsy and malice that he's known as today. As Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker has been part of many of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Jason Todd (the second Robin and Batman's ward) and the paralysis of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon.

The most famous origin stories for the Joker are ''The Man Behind the Red Hood'' by Bill Finger and ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' by Creator/AlanMoore. In the former, the Joker was an infamous thief known as "the Red Hood" who, while robbing a chemical plant, was accidentally knocked into a vat of toxins by Batman, giving him white skin, green hair, and a permanent smile. The origin put forth in ''The Killing Joke'' is fairly similar, with the main change being that the Joker was actually a [[FromNobodyToNightmare harmless failed comedian]] that was blackmailed into donning the Red Hood and committing the robbery the same day his pregnant wife died; the trauma of this "one bad day" drove him completely mad.

Despite the popularity of these origins, DC's official stance is that ''no'' version of the Joker's origin is true. He is the TropeNamer for MultipleChoicePast, after all, and the Joker has openly and brazenly lied about his origins to others many times. But as far as most are concerned, he doesn't ''need'' an origin, feeling that it only accentuates his status as the perfect {{foil}} to Batman. Where Batman is a dead-serious vigilante driven by heartbreak, the Joker is a zany and unpredictable killer. [[OrderVersusChaos Where Batman represents order, the Joker represents chaos.]] And where Batman has a patrician ancestry dating back multiple generations[[note]]with some versions stating that he is related to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Wayne 'Mad Anthony' Wayne]], an American brigadier general during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution[[/note]], the Joker has no past whatsoever -- he simply ''is''. All that is definitively agreed upon by most writers and fans is that, in some way, Batman played a prominent role in the Joker's creation.

The Joker enjoys spreading death and chaos wherever he can, but he has a particular interest in tormenting Batman above most others. The exact reason why can vary DependingOnTheWriter -- as revenge for the chemical incident, for philosophical and moral reasons to prove a point, because the Joker considers Batman his perfect StraightMan, because the Joker is infatuated with him and wants his attention, or just because he gets more joy from troubling Batman than he does others. Whatever the case, the Joker is considered Batman's ArchEnemy, and virtually every major Batman adaptation depicts him as the Dark Knight's most persistent foe.

The Joker relies on cunning and intelligence to pull off his schemes; he is a masterful manipulator and a brilliant chemist, using the latter to create poisons and chemical weapons including his trademark Joker Venom, which kills its victims and leaves the corpse with a wide smile like the Joker's.[[note]]DependingOnTheWriter, it may also bleach their skin white, turn their lips bright red, and/or sends them into uncontrollable laughter as they succumb.[[/note]] His only superpower is an acquired immunity to poisons due to a combination of his chemical accident and prolonged exposure to his Joker Venom. The Joker may also have a unique mental condition that causes him to invent a new personality for himself every so often, making him even more unpredictable.

Despite his lack of powers, the Joker is considered one of the most dangerous and feared villains in DC Comics, because he is just ''so'' depraved, insane, and chaotic, that he is capable of things [[EvenEvilHasStandards even other supervillains wouldn't do]]. The Joker's unpredictable nature means most other supervillains refuse to work with him because they feel they can't trust him and he'll betray them or pursue his own agenda, and inevitably he proves them right. While the Joker has joined groups like the Injustice Gang and Injustice League, it never lasts, either the Joker turns on them or they turn on him when they tire of his antics. ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' introduced ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, the Joker's former psychiatrist who fell in love with him and is now his on-and-off sidekick and girlfriend. Because of her blind devotion and love for him, Quinn is about the one long-term relationship Joker can sustain because she sticks by him in spite of how horribly he treats her. This has loosened in later years as she realizes the Joker is a domestic abuser who doesn't return her affections, but to what extent she abandons him and if Joker is able to sway her back to him varies DependingOnTheWriter.

For all of this, the Joker is one of the most iconic villains in fiction, comparable to the likes of [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] and [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Iago]], and [[PracticallyJoker many other villains take cues from him]]. He is widely considered one of the greatest villains in comics and is without question the most famous and prolific, appearing in virtually every piece of Batman media and most DC Comics general media, not to mention a wide assortment of merchandise. Through it all the Joker's popularity has never waned and he continues to be reimaged by writers over and over across pop culture media.

The Joker has served as Batman's classical adversary not just in the comics, but also in multiple media incarnations:

[[AC:Live-Action:]]

* ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' and ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' (1966), played by Creator/CesarRomero
* ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' (1989), played by Creator/JackNicholson
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' (2008), played by Creator/HeathLedger (Ledger was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal)
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' (2016), played by Creator/JaredLeto
** ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}'' (2020), played by FakeShemp Johnny Goth
** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' (2021), played by Jared Leto again
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' (2019), played by Creator/CameronMonaghan (although due to Warner Bros WritingAroundTrademarks, the name "Joker" is never used).
* ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' (2019), played by Creator/JoaquinPhoenix (Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor, making the Joker one of only two characters to win an Oscar for two different actors -- the other is Vito Corleone from ''Film/TheGodfather'')

[[AC:Voice Acting:]]

* Creator/MarkHamill deserves his own list. Through voice acting, he has played the character more than any other actor.
** The ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse''
*** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''
*** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''
*** ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''
*** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''
*** ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock''
*** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke'' [[note]]He had been apprehensive about returning to the Joker for every new project, but always said he would return for ''The Killing Joke''[[/note]]
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'' in ''Asylum'', ''City'', ''Knight'', and ''VR''.
** ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline''
** ''VideoGame/LegoDCSuperVillains''
* Creator/RichardEpcar, who voices the character in video games by Creator/NetherrealmStudios, also deserves his own list.
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse''
*** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''
** ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''
*** ''VideoGame/Injustice2''
** ''VideoGame/InfiniteCrisis'' [[note]]His only turn as the character that was not developed by Netherrealm[[/note]]
* Creator/TroyBaker is yet a third person with his own list.
** The young version of the ''Arkham'' Joker seen ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOriginsBlackgate'', as well as the tie-in film ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham''
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnlimitedMonsterMayhem'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnlimitedMechsVsMutants''
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanVsTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheLongHalloween''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' by Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson
** ''WesternAnimation/TheBatmanVsDracula''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' by Creator/JeffBennett
** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndBatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' by Creator/JohnDiMaggio
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' by Creator/BrentSpiner
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' by Creator/MichaelEmerson
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'' by Creator/ZachGalifianakis
* ''[[WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019 Harley Quinn]]'' by Creator/AlanTudyk

Read in his own voice [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker here]].
----
!!The Joker Provides Examples Of:

[[folder:# to F]]
* AbusiveParents: One common tactic for the Joker to garner sympathy is claiming he was ill-treated by his parents. Given his propensity to [[MultipleChoicePast spew out different and sometimes contradictory backstories]], nobody knows if they're true.
** In the animated series, he claims to have been beaten as a child when interviewed by Harley Quinn. It is unknown if this is true. According to Batman, he's simply making it up.
-->'''Harley Quinn:''' Joker told me things, secret things he never told anyone...\\
'''Batman:''' What did he tell you, Harley? Was it the line about the abusive father, or the one about the alcoholic mom? Of course, the runaway orphan story is particularly moving, too. He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one. What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh, yes... 'There was only one time I ever saw dad really happy. He took me to the ice show when I was seven...'\\
'''Harley:''' ''(crying)'' Circus... He told me it was the circus.\\
'''Batman:''' He's got a million of them, Harley.
** In one issue of ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'', he claims to have been driven insane by an abusive grandmother, who also bleached his skin to its present pallor.
*** In the same continuity, he ''is one'' to a baby gorilla he adopts, trains up as a gun-wielding henchman, and ultimately gets killed off for laughs.
*** In the comic book adaptation of Injustice, it's implied Harley fears Joker would be one, and gives their daughter to her sister, lest he kill the child. It's left ambiguous whether the Joker's even aware of the ruse.
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: In many continuities, he's immune to his trademark Joker Venom/Smilex. In a crossover comic with ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'', he also proves to be immune to ComicBook/RedSkull's "Dust of Death", as their trademark poisons are too similar to each other.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He's undeniably insane and AxCrazy, but has no official diagnosis. If anything, he can just be diagnosed with "Being the Joker". However, it’s possible he’s perfectly sane and just TheSociopath, and is using his manipulation abilities to continue his reign of terror.
** Averted in one story, wherein one of Arkham's doctors realizes Joker's faking insanity just to piss off Batman as revenge for his disfigurement. Another doctor finds the report and excitedly reveals it to the current head doctor, only to learn that [[spoiler: the Joker left it for everyone to read, since the paper's written by Harley Quinn, and therefore worthless as evidence.]]
* AmbiguousStartOfDarkness: Related to his MultipleChoicePast; the only thing consistent is that he was a low-level crook who got dunked in chemicals to become the Joker. C While some origins (most notably ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'') have him being forced into crime, others have him as already a sinister criminal beforehand. ''Film/Batman1989'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' choose the EvilAllAlong interpretation.
* AppropriatedAppellation:
** In ''Batman: The Man Who Laughs'', it's established that the name "The Joker" was given to him by the media, and he liked it so much that he decided to call himself that.
** The same happens in ''Film/Joker2019'', where Murray tells the audience to "look at this joker" when talking about Arthur. Arthur took it to heart.
* ArchEnemy: A classic example to the Batman, and not just in the comics - they are pretty much the iconic gold standard when it comes to this trope. The two of them are the page image for a reason.
* AttentionWhore: A big part of his motivation in various continuities. He even admits as such at one point, while [[NotMeThisTime denying he's not behind one particular crime]].
-->'''Joker''': Do you really think I would stir up so much trouble and not make sure you knew it was me?
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' takes this even further by revealing that [[spoiler:being forgotten is the only thing the Joker truly fears]].
* AxCrazy: One of his main characteristics is his willingness to psycho on anyone, including his own henchmen.
* BadBoss: Willing to casually kill his own henchmen for any reason, be it part of a plan, for amusement, or simply on a whim.
** Just to demonstrate how much disregard he has for his henchmen, a reoccurring motivation for offing his own lackeys is failing to laugh at one of his jokes. Or laughing too late. Or laughing for too long. Or laughing at the ''wrong'' joke. He's... unpredictable.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Defied by The Joker in at least one story (''ComicBook/EmperorJoker''). Evil Jimmy Olson kills Superman, who has been turned into a dog, by crushing him underneath a fire hydrant. The Joker is simply annoyed, because he doesn't know how to make something as pointless as beating a dumb animal funny. Jimmy Olson is then beaten to death by two giant robots who appear out of nowhere.
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: He sometimes believes his MultipleChoicePast, DependingOnTheWriter of course. One issue of the ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'' had the Joker actually in tears as he told the psychiatrist of his abusive childhood, only for the psychiatrist to coldly point out that it's the ''seventh'' story he's told now.
* BerserkButton:
** The Joker loves it when people laugh with him, whether [[ActuallyPrettyFunny genuine]] or [[LaughWithMe not]], but if someone laughs ''at'' or pulls a prank against him, [[YouAreAlreadyDead they're most likely already dead]].
** Joker loves attention and [[IJustWantToBeSpecial being above the normals]], so never imply that he's [[BoringInsult not interesting or unique.]] Terry exploits this flaw in ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' just to drive him to a VillainousBreakdown.
** The Batman Who Laughs. Since the character's first appearance in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'', the mere mention of him is enough to put The Joker in an uncharacteristically un-jolly mood and is a good way to get on his bad side. In fact, the dislike of this twisted version of his archnemesis is so great, that when Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom started cooperating with him against Joker's protests, he quit the legion (after non-lethally jokerizing every other member of it) in disgust.
** If you're going to hurt Batman, do it right. One of the supplementary stories for ''Joker War'' had him beyond furious with Bane - to the point of promising him he'd kill him in a way he would never see coming - for showing so little imagination in killing Alfred in ''City of Bane'' without even letting Batman listen to it to torture him. By his reckoning, if you have a great gag to break the Bat, '''use it''' to break the Bat - don't blow it by having Robin be the only one to witness it.
* BlackComedy: This is one of Joker’s specialties. To normal people, killing would be a terrible thing, but to Joker, it’s hilarious, especially if he does it in a way that amuses him.
* BondVillainStupidity: In a "Detective Comics" story written by Creator/PaulDini, the Joker (while impersonating a stage magician he had previously murdered) shot Zatanna in the throat so she couldn't recite a spell to save herself, then locked her in a tank of water while strapping Batman in an electric chair. He didn't [[StatingTheSimpleSolution shoot her in the head]] because he wanted Batman to watch helplessly as she died. This didn't go so well because first, he's BATMAN! and second, Zatanna was able to write a healing incantation on the lid of the tank [[BloodMagic using her own blood, which made the spell even more powerful]].
* BoringInsult: While the Joker has used it a few times on others, he mostly does it to hear the sound of his own voice as the people he usually slings this insult at don't really care whether or not they're boring. On the other hand, this is Joker's BerserkButton when others use it against him. Most notably, he [[VillainousBreakdown reacts poorly]] when Terry deliberately exploits this flaw with glee and even rubs it in his face in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''. After all, the natural enemy of a comedian is TheHeckler.
* BreakoutVillain: The TropeCodifier for comics. DC's initial intention was to kill him off in his second appearance. Fortunately, editor Whitney Ellsworth convinced DC to spare him, [[JokerImmunity a panel was hastily added to show that he'd survived]], and the Joker rapidly became not only Batman's ArchEnemy, but arguably ''the'' most iconic example of an ArchEnemy in ''all of fiction''.
* BreakTheComedian: A sure way to determined if things have gotten real, even for the Joker, is if he isn't laughing or joking. A famous example involved the Joker being frightened during the events of Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' run, when he was horrified by Arcane's actions.
* ClearMyName: ''The Brave and the Bold'' has him framed for several murders and he must use Batman's help.
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler:As revealed in ''ComicBook/DarkseidWar'' and ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', the Joker has been used by three people, though ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' clarified it as this: The Criminal (the original "Golden Age" Joker from the character's debut in ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNumberOne Batman #1]]''), The Clown (the "Silver Age" Joker, strongly implied to be the one who [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily killed Jason Todd]]), and The Comedian (the current "Modern Age" Joker, [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke who kidnapped and tormented Jim Gordon]]).]]
* CombatPragmatist : While his fighting prowess varies from remarkably proficient to extremely weak DependingOnTheWriter, the Joker is a consistently dirty fighter, striking enemies when and where they are most vulnerable. Besides his myriad of [[GadgeteerGenius gag gadgets]], he often carries concealed weapons, gases and acids on his person, and won't hesitate to [[ImprovisedWeapon brandish a wrench or smash a chair over your head]] in a pinch. He is usually adept with [[KnifeNut knives]] and, unlike Batman, rarely has any reservations about firearms. He has no qualms kicking an opponent when they're down, and will employ deception, feigning surrender or defeat to get Batman to lower his guard.
* ComicBookFantasyCasting:
** Originally Creator/ConradVeidt from ''Film/TheManWhoLaughs''.
** Later portrayals base themselves on his actors, with Creator/CesarRomero a popular candidate, and after Creator/JackNicholson came in, artists such as Alex Ross base him on him, such as the actor's distinct widow's peak and slicked back hair.
* ConfusionFu: This is often his last line of defense when Batman corners him, especially in the animated television shows. Effectiveness varies.
* CopKiller: Sometimes police officers are among the Joker's victims:
** During ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' he and Scarecrow killed several members of a SWAT team, and one of his last actions in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' was to kill Commissioner Gordon's second wife, Lt. Sarah Essen.
** The version of Batgirl seen in ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' was from a universe one where the Joker killed Commissioner Gordon instead of [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke crippling her]].
** Part of the reason Gordon takes over the post of Commissioner in both ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'' is due to the Joker killing Gillian Loeb. Additionally, the first game in the latter series, ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Asylum]]'', he sees several of Arkham's guards killed by him and his men.
** He's holding a dead cop's corpse in his intro in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and using it as a puppet. He also talks to the body of one of the Regime enforcers who captured him once he breaks out and heads to Gotham.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Most stories posit he was chased by Batman through a factory with NoOSHACompliance, which caused him to be exposed to acid, discoloring his skin and hair and driving him insane when he sees his reflection. Often he claims Batman is responsible for turning him into The Joker.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: In voiced roles, he usually has a high-pitched voice to contrast Batman's BadassBaritone.
* CrossoverVillainInChief: In DC's CrisisCrossover events that involve a lot of villains, like ''ComicBook/SalvationRun'' and ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil'', The Joker usually fills this role along with ComicBook/LexLuthor.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Insanity aside, sometimes the Joker's plans and methods are so out there they just seem ''stupid''. Despite appearances, he's usually very cunning, and ''always'' very dangerous. In fact, part and parcel of what makes the Joker's plans devastating is that he knows how to hide the ''punchline'' for lack of a better word. The plans are so innocuous, so disheveled and so utterly random that they usually have no sane MO, which makes it hard to see the bigger picture of the plan unless Batman pieces it together quickly.
* CriticalPsychoanalysisFailure: Happens frequently, though this may be an indication of the competence of the staff at Arkham. One such time was with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, who bought his story hook, line and sinker and declared him sane, then broke him out of Arkham and started dating him (of course, her exact analysis was that he was utilizing ObfuscatingInsanity and it's implied that she was actually ''right'', so perhaps she was the only good doctor at Arkham after all...)
* DeadlyPrank: He generally considers murdering someone for a joke to be morally no different than putting a whoopie cushion on their chair.
* DependingOnTheArtist: His depiction varies a lot between eras and between different artists in the same period. Major differences are whether he can form facial expressions other than a grin, and whether he is average-sized or freakishly [[LeanAndMean tall and thin]].
* DependingOnTheWriter: There are many huge variations, the most common and glaring being:
** Whether he was driven insane or was already insane and became completely bonkers.
** Where he is on the spectrum between "wacky prankster" and "utterly depraved and sadistic sociopath and murderer".
** Whether he is a senseless, performative terrorist wreaking havoc for kicks or a deceptively cunning and competent criminal mastermind. Or ''both''. Usually both.
** He's no Batman, but sometimes he is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, KnifeNut or marksman, and other times a flimsy wimp who goes down in one punch. In some of the grittier settings, his raw strength, numbness to pain and viciousness are enough to level the playing field with Batman.
** Whether he actually loves Harley Quinn varies. In [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the animated series,]] (where Harley first appeared) the writers have outright said he's a sociopath incapable of loving anyone, and just sees her as a useful mook. Some other works imply he really does love her on some level (although he's usually still an abusive asshole.)
** He can either be FauxAffablyEvil, LaughablyEvil, just a MonsterClown, or some combination of the three.
* DepravedBisexual: The Joker is completely and utterly insane and sadistic. ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' showed the not-yet Joker's pregnant wife saying that he was "good in the sack." There's also the few and far-between AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther moments he has with Harley. Plus all that FoeRomanceSubtext he has toward Batman. Harley and Ivy both think that the Joker [[VillainousCrush only has eyes for Batman]]. Joker has often professed affection toward Batman (complete with moments of desperate attention-needing) and in "Cacophony" Joker explicitly states that he wants Batman sexually. Although, being the Joker, he [[ILoveTheDead wants him sexually only after he's dead]].
* DepravedHomosexual: Not above invoking this deliberately to get under Batman's skin. Whether [[FoeRomanticSubtext he means]] all his flirting and feel-copping varies slightly DependingOnTheWriter and heavily depending on one's own interpretation.
** At least one such incident implied he would be interested in Batman... but only after he was dead. Again this may only have been a tactic to get under Batman's skin or truthful admission. The readers will never know for certain.
* DiplomaticImpunity: In ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'', Ayatollah Khomeini appoints him the UN ambassador to Iran, giving him diplomatic immunity. This was later retconned to the fictional [[{{Qurac}} Syraq]] due to reasons of taste.
* DirtyCoward: Zigzagged. How brave, how coward, and how much or how little he gives a fuck about his life varies depending of the version, the issue/chapter/episode, and sometimes, even the scene.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Has been known to try to kill people for minor slights, such as welshing on a bet on a sporting event for trivial stakes.
* DomesticAbuse: This characterizes his relationship with his "henchwench" ComicBook/HarleyQuinn to a T. Joker frequently yells at her, puts her down, humiliates her, and exposes her to all manner of violence ranging from "merely" slapping or punching her to outright trying to murder her. Such is her MadLove that she ignored his abuse for most of her existence in comic history, with the two only separating in the late 2010s.
* TheDreaded: Easily one of the most feared villains in the entire DC universe. Other villains are afraid of him; it's been said that when criminals want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories.
* DrivenToMadness: Doing this to others has become part of his MO. What triggered his own insanity and belief in nihilism remains unknown.
** His plot in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' is to put Jim Gordon through the wringer ''hard'' in the hopes of driving him mad. He'll also try to drive Batman over the edge (particularly, drive him to break his "no killing" rule), [[ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily sometimes]] by cutting off all of Batsy's human connections.
** ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' reworks it into Driving Gotham To Senseless Violence with wanton acts of destruction or terrorism, just to prove everyone's as bad as him deep down.
** Ironically, a 1952 story has the Joker get himself falsely committed to an insane asylum, to question a patient who knew the location of a cache of money. The end of the story has him LaughingMad due to a prank Batman used to disguise his identity.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Just take a gander at his earliest appearances:
** He didn't have his signature laugh. This seems to have been a way to "goofy up" the character to make him less terrifying in the days of the Comics Code Authority. Later on, he'd learn to giggle while ''remaining'' terrifying.
** He actually committed crimes for ''money''[[note]] Well, jewels, anyway. For all we know he was [[Film/TheDarkKnight just throwing them away]][[/note]], and wasn't really interested in causing chaos or terror for a joke's sake.
** Building off of that, his plans weren't really "insane" until the Silver Age (at which point it's not even fair to say this was exclusive to him), nor was there any question of the character's mental stability.
** His obsession with Batman wasn't there, much less the idea that he would pass up chances to kill the Bat or learn his identity. This aspect was probably introduced to explain the BondVillainStupidity he (and every Batman villain) had become infamous for in the Silver Age.
** His clown-like complexion was actually makeup in his early appearances. He even removed his makeup to disguise himself as a cop, which was referenced in ''Film/TheDarkKnight.'' It's later revealed that the look is permanent after falling in a vat of chemicals.
* ElectricJoybuzzer: One of his signature weapons, a lethal variation, most memorably used in ''Film/Batman1989''. He ended up HoistByHisOwnPetard when trying to use it on ComicBook/{{Static}}.
-->'''Static:''' That was ''fun''. Let ''me'' try! ''(BZZZZT!)''\\
''(Batman approves.)''
* EnemyMine:
** ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' #111 and #191 have him team up with Batman to clear his name after being framed for several murders. The first instance turned out to simply be a framing the guilty part occasion but the second instance was actually genuine on Joker's part (except the person Joker seemingly murdered turned out to be faking their death).
** He also does this with Batman whenever [[EvilerThanThou The Batman Who Laughs]] is involved (specifically in the Dark Knights: Metal series).
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Oddly enough, this trope does occasionally apply to him. Let's just say this right off... if you manage to offend ''The Joker's'' sensibilites or moral compass (this being a man who has spent 80 years using the MoralEventHorizon as a jumprope) you truly have gone beyond the pale.
** He abruptly [[ComicBook/BatmanAndCaptainAmerica ends a partnership]] with Comicbook/RedSkull when his Nazi affiliation comes out. Red Skull [[EvilCannotComprehendGood simply wonders why he is so surprised when he thinks that the Joker would make a great Nazi]]. The Joker is ''NOT'' happy about this, proclaiming "I may be a criminal lunatic, but I'm an ''American'' criminal lunatic!" It even provides the trope's image. And yes, folks, even an equal-opportunity murderer like ''the Joker'' despises the Nazis![[note]]The Joker had originally thought that Red Skull was just dressing up as a Nazi as a sort of theme, which he approved of because it sounded like great trolling.[[/note]]
** The exception is mentioned again in the ''Last Laugh'' arc where the Joker immediately refused to join the American Neo-Nazi Aryan Alliance group in the Slab after he was offered membership.
---> '''Joker:''' I'm evil and all that, but you guys are just plain mean.
*** Later on he is disgusted when his minions vandalize the Moai on Eastern Island.
** Will not harm dumb animals and doesn't condone it. There's no humor to be had in that. Higher primates apparently do not qualify but a lot more effort went into that one.
** While in Arkham with villain [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Warren White, AKA the Great White Shark]], Joker calls him [[PhraseCatcher the worst person he ever met]]. He states that while he may kill people, even he doesn't steal their kids' college funds.
** Sees nothing funny about someone [[StealingTheHandicappedSpot parking in a handicap spot when they're not handicapped]]. However, he ''does'' think it's hilarious to hurt them in ways that will make certain they'll always be able to park there.
** A girl named Janey Bennett, whose class was studying criminal behavior, became pen pals with the Joker while he was in Arkham. When Janey revealed that her father, the mayor of Motor City, was abusing her (exactly how isn't specified, though it was implied to have been really bad) the Joker broke out and, convinced that the authorities would be of no help, tried to force the mayor into admitting to his crimes and giving him Janey (so that he could find a better home for her) by threatening to contaminate the city's blood supply, going through with it (because the ends justify the means) when the mayor refused to give in to his demands. He originally intended to give her to Batman as well so he could protect her but at the end decided to give her to her mom.
---> '''Joker:''' I mean, stealing a city blind is something I can admire... but being mean to one's own daughter... that just makes my blood boil.
** The Joker absolutely ''loathes'' [[ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal The Batman Who Laughs]], to the point where [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness he drops his usual joking demeanor and is deathly serious whenever directly referring to him]], even willing to [[EnemyMine work together with Batman]] to face him when it comes down to it. When Lex Luthor goes behind his back to make a deal with The Batman Who Laughs (going against the [[OnOneCondition only condition]] Joker has for joining his plan), Joker responds by Joker-gassing the Legion of Doom, putting Lex into a series of deathtraps, trashing Lex's PowerArmor, and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quitting the Legion]]. In the process, he tells Luthor how he had planned on ruining the Legion utterly [[NearVillainVictory on the verge of victory]], and as nightmarish as his plan sounded, he claims it is ''nothing'' compared to what the Batman Who Laughs is going to do.
*** Again, when he rescues Lex from The Batman Who Laugh's infected minions in ''Hell Arisen'', the mere mention of his alternate universe rival prompts him to have a very uncharacteristic FreakOut.
----> '''The Joker:''' I told you. I '''told''' you not to deal with him. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness You should have shot that thing in the head the second you had it in a cage]]! It is '''wrong'''. It is a '''wrong thing'''.
** While he still gloated about it and found Commissioner Gordon kneecapping him funny after remember that he'd crippled Barbara, the actual act of killing Sarah Essen in the penultimate issue of ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' is one of the few times the Joker wasn't happy with something ''he himself'' did, considering he's seen walking away while scowling afterward, leaves the babies he originally planned to murder unharmed and immediately turns himself in to the police.
** ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'' sees the Joker disgusted with a corrupted Jimmy Olsen tormenting the Superfamily and Batman when they're turned into animals.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Completely averted with Harley. He physically and emotionally abuses her and tried to kill her on numerous occasions. They eventually break up in the New 52 continuity.
** Played more straight in his relationship with Punchline. Only time will tell if it lasts.
** There’s also a comic storyline when Hush informed that a dirty cop Office Halmet killed his [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke wife Jeannie.]] The Joker wanted nothing more than to kill said cop in revenge. Then there’s Batman: Three Jokers [[spoiler: where, despite it being being heavily implied he was abusive, the “Comedian” Joker is seen setting up fake tea parties with dolls, clearly trying to substitute them for his wife and child showing that he does miss them and desire to be a family with them.]]
* EvilAllAlong: Some versions, such as the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse and ''Film/Batman1989'', go with the interpretation that the Joker was evil, if not outright AxCrazy, even before his fateful transformation, with the chemicals just making him worse.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The Joker is Nihilism Incarnate: he believes that life is pointless and insane, and the only thing anyone can do is give into the madness. Life is a joke, and once he got the joke he never stopped laughing at it. One of the reasons he's obsessed with Batman is because Batman is TheAntiNihilist: Batman also thinks, to some degree at least, that life is meaningless. But rather than embrace the madness, Batman fights against it, trying to bring order to chaos through his heroic actions. So Batman got the joke too, but he's not laughing, and the Joker doesn't understand why.
* EvilGenius: Though rarely the focus of his character, Joker is usually an extremely gifted chemist, constantly creating new and better versions of his signature laughing gas. He's also (unsurprisingly) a skilled planner on par with Batman himself, in addition to being extremely charismatic and manipulative when he wants to be.
* EvilMentor: The Joker has corrupted many other people into becoming villains themselves, with Harley Quinn just being the most famous example.
* EvilIsPetty: Joker truly sees no difference between throwing cream pies, robbing a museum, and brutal, torturous mass-murder. To him, it's all just part of the joke.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Creator/JackNicholson in ''Film/Batman1989'' and Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' both give the Joker a deep, sinister voice, contrasting his usual higher-pitched depictions in other works.
* FacialHorror: His iconic [[WesternAnimation/TheBatman "perma-clown"]] appearance (the green hair, chalk-white skin, and most of the time, red lips) is the result of being submerged in a tank of chemicals. However, there was times this has gotten worse.
** While ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is one of the few times the Joker's clown-like appearance is the result of make-up, he does sport a GlasgowGrin.
** While ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' still has the permanent clown look, it's combined with the GlasgowGrin.
** While ''ComicBook/BatmanEndgame'' would see the skin of his face restored with a chemical called Dionesium[[note]]found in ComicBook/RasAlGhul's Lazarus pits and the meteor that made ComicBook/VandalSavage immortal[[/note]], at the start of ''The ComicBook/New52'', the Joker had the Dollmaker skin his face and then, after he recovered it, spent ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'' wearing it like a [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface]]-esque mask. And even in ''Endgame'', [[spoiler:his restored face ends up badly burned as the result of the finale battle between him and Batman, though it still ends up restored again.]]
** ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' sees [[spoiler:neither Valeska escape this. After his death in season 2, Jerome (the proto-Joker) ends up resurrected in season 3, but because Dwight thinks his attempt to revive him failed, Dwight ends up cutting off Jerome's face ala ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'' and Jerome ends up stapling it on when he catches up with Dwight and while he later has it properly reattached, there's still scars from what happened. Jeremiah, Jerome's twin and the show's true Joker, ends up with the "perma-clown" appearance due to Jerome having the Scarecrow brew something up to spray in Jeremiah's face, but season 5 sees his fateful fall at Ace Chemicals badly scar his face and sear off most of his hair with only stringy patches left]].
** Averted entirely in ''Film/Joker2019'', where his clown appearance is entirely makeup, and the worst it gets is painting his iconic smile on his face with his own blood from a car crash. Not even a GlasgowGrin or anything, the blood is from his hand and his face only has a few normal cuts on it.
* FameThroughInfamy: He's practically built a career on crimes designed more to spread his infamy than anything else. Perhaps his true illness is that he is an AttentionWhore through and through...
* FauxAffablyEvil: Often addresses others in a polite and friendly way before he unleashes merry hell on them.
* {{Flanderization}}: Over the years, his actions have become almost exclusively focused on causing as much carnage and chaos as possible or harassing Batman and his allies rather than performing any non-lethal mischief or practical crime.
* FoeRomanceSubtext: Sometimes will mess with Batman's mind by calling him by pet names or using innuendo. Or outright groping him. According to later writers, Joker regards their hero/villain dynamic as a very special relationship, and resents anyone or thing that gets in the way of it (like all those family members Bruce enjoys hanging out with), which is disturbingly like a jealous lover.
* {{Foil}}: To Batman in several ways. If the origin offered in ''Killing Joke'' is to be believed, both Batman and Joker had one bad day that put them on very different paths.
** While Batman is a rather serious character who refuses to kill anyone, The Joker is a rather comical character who revels in death.
** Joker's gadgets tend to be rather goofier but much more lethal, such as the Joker Venom that he often uses to kill his victims.
** While Batman gets along well with his allies, sidekicks Robin and Batgirl, his mentor Alfred and LoveInterest Catwoman, Joker frequently abuses his sidekick Harley Quinn and has tried to kill her before, not to mention all the times he has been a BadBoss by killing his henchmen for any reason you can think of, sometimes [[ForTheEvulz for no reason at all]].
** While Batman's backstory is well known, even by the citizens of Gotham who know of the tragedy of the rich Waynes' in Crime Alley including in real life, no one knows anything about the Joker's backstory, but most versions he tells are consistent in two things: he was [[FromNobodyToNightmare a nobody]], and possibly someone poor.
** Batman wears dark clothing that mostly consists of black and grey, and Joker wears bright clothing that mostly consists of green and purple.
** In most adaptations, his voice is high-pitched in contrast to Batman's BadassBaritone.
* ForTheEvulz: The usual motives of the Joker. Many of his crimes always involve sowing chaos and the ''schadenfreude'' of other people's misery.
* FreudianExcuse: Even he isn't sure of his own history and will crop up [[MultipleChoicePast multiple reasons]] for his insanity. The most accepted version is that he was a thug named the Red Hood who gets disfigured falling into a vat while trying to escape Batman. His backstory still remains a mystery.
** Why he went by the name the Red Hood has changed over the years: ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' claims he was a failed comedian driven to crime to support his pregnant wife. The trauma of his disfigurement from jumping in the acid and his wife's earlier accidental death drove him insane. However, even ''this'' backstory is questionable, as the Joker himself calls it "multiple choice".
** In ''VideoGame/Injustice2'', an intro with Atrocitus has the Red Lantern wondering what drove the Joker to nihilism.
** Exploited the animated series. He claims to have been abused as a child when interviewed by Harley, but according to Batman, it's just another ruse to escape Arkham, and manipulate people into giving him what he wants, which is how he managed to convince Harley into becoming his henchwoman.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Best displayed in ''The Killing Joke'': Joker's "[[StartOfDarkness one bad day]]" is just an excuse, as he [[MultipleChoicePast neither knows nor cares if it actually happened that way]], and Batman confronts him on how his attempt to similarly break Commissioner Gordon failed.
-->'''Batman''': Despite all your sick, vicious little games, he's as sane as he ever was! So maybe ordinary people don't always crack. Maybe there isn't any need to crawl under a rock with all the other slimey things when trouble hits. Maybe it was just you, all the time!
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Often plays this role among villain team-ups. It's implied that the only reason the other DC villains ever invite him to things is because they're terrified of what he'll do to them if he's not. Alexander Luthor Jr.'s death at the end of ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' is brought about because, as Lex Luthor puts it:
-->'''Luthor:''' You made one big mistake. You didn't let the Joker play.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: The key thing about his MultipleChoicePast is that nobody really knows who he was before he put on the Red Hood and fell into a vat of acid. As such, Joker was literally a nobody... who turned into the DC Universe's scariest villain, and who at times has upstaged even ''Brainiac or'' '''Darkseid'''.
* FrozenFace: Most depictions have his face as such, with his massive rictus grin being something he can't really stop doing.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:G to L]]
* GadgeteerGenius: While he seems to be a chemist first and foremost, the Joker has no trouble coming up with a range of tools and weapons of his own design and is easily as smart as Batman in this area. Other stories show that he has a solid enough understanding of such varied fields as engineering, computers and even robotics that he can at least hijack the sophisticated inventions of others and use them for his own ends with no difficulty whatsoever, and he is generally implied (though rarely outright stated) to have had a scientific background prior to becoming the Clown Prince of Crime.
* GlasgowGrin: Heath Ledger's portrayal features very noticeable scarring from such wounds and tells two conflicting stories of how he got them. Sometimes, DependingOnTheArtist, the Joker has one in the comics, usually in out-of-continuity stories.
* {{Gonk}}: DependingOnTheArtist, he varies from "disfigured, but still fairly handsome" to "barely passes for human", the latter cases usually feature him with a [[SinisterSchnoz really long and narrow nose]] and a huge, exaggerated mouth with a permanent SlasherSmile.
* GuestFighter: After making appearances in [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse the previous crossover]] and being a major player in [[Creator/NetherRealmStudios [=NetherRealm's=]]] other [[VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs big]] [[VideoGame/Injustice2 series]], Joker shows up in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' all on his own, [[BloodierAndGorier freed from the restrictions of a Teen rating and able to showcase the true depths of his depraved bloodlust]].
* HandshakeOfDoom: Often kills unsuspecting victims by offering a handshake. When the other person grabs his hand, their palm is pricked by a device that resembles a joy buzzer, which injects deadly venom into their blood stream.
* HatedByAll: Apart from Harley (and even then, only when their on-off relationship is "on"), Gaggy and Punchline, '''''no one''''' likes or supports the Joker. In ''any way, whatsoever.'' Damn near every other member of Batman's RoguesGallery ''hates'' his guts, mostly because not only is he completely sociopathic and unpredictable, but also ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards they are all scared]] [[TheDreaded shitless by him]]''. The only reason why he's even allowed in teams such as the Legion of Doom is because of that fear: if they exclude him from the lineup, then chances are that dead bodies will be lining the streets in their name. Trickster spells it out in "Underworld Unleashed."
--> '''Trickster:''' Great going, Neron, bring in the one guy no one wants to be in the same room with. When super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories.
** Creator/NetherRealmStudios ''[[UpToEleven especially]]'' seems to love making Joker out to be evil incarnate. In ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and its sequel, he loses all his cred (and life) once he nukes Metropolis; Harley ditches him entirely, Batman just completely gives up on indulging him any more, even {{Guest Fighter}}s like Hellboy consider him worthless, and non-Batvillains such as Grodd and Brainiac and ''even Darkseid'' loathe him for either Metropolis, or just in general principle. ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' shows that even the [=MK=] cast see him as a scourge upon the realms, and also express distaste toward him for either his nuking, [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVSDCUniverse a previous outing,]] or because [[NotSoHarmlessVillain he's seen as a buffoon who cannot be taken seriously]] (this is usually the case for other villain characters).
** About the only person who can tolerate him for long is Lex Luthor, only because they both have the same level of hatred for their respective enemies. Even ''then'', Luthor prefers to keep his distance from the Joker, if only because a bored Joker screws with everything ForTheEvulz.
* HateSink: Posthumously, his ''Injustice''-verse incarnation is the primary target for audience scorn and gets saddled with this role by everyone in the game, its sequel, and the [[ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs tie-in]] [[ComicBook/Injustice2 comics]] — the version from the ''Injustice''-verse itself, at least. This is because he tricked Superman into killing his own wife Lois Lane and nuking Metropolis, then pulling a StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred on the poor guy who that set him on the path to becoming a tyrant, all for [[ForTheEvulz the sake of doing it]] and go after a much more vulnerable target compared to Batman. His role as TheCorrupter to Harley is explained to make her redemption feel more plausible, as even she has come to despise him for his actions. In particular, while Superman does terrible things, he is portrayed as a TragicVillain due to the losses he suffered before becoming a bad guy, and as such, [[SympatheticMurderer his killing of the Joker is always played for maximum pathos.]] Even villains as despicable as Brainiac, Darkseid and Gorilla Grodd [[EvenEvilHasStandards openly despise him.]] This even continues into his GuestFighter appearance in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''[[note]]Even though that Joker is implied to be either the one from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' or from the non-Regime Earth in the first ''Injustice'' game, rather than the one that actually nuked Metropolis[[/note]], where even the likes of [[{{Jerkass}} Kano]], [[EvilSorceror Shang Tsung]] and [[EvilOverlord Shao Kahn]] can't stand him.
* HumanHeadOnTheWall: There's a rather famous [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joker_copy_4176.jpg piece of comic book artwork]] drawn by Brian Bolland featuring The Joker lounging in a chair in front of a trophy wall mounted with the decapitated heads of various Creator/{{DC|Comics}} heroes and villains, all of them painted white and their faces distorted into a smile like the Joker himself. It's even been [[ArtImitatesArt parodied a bunch of times]] with other comic supervillains sitting in Joker's place.
* IconicOutfit:
** The purple suit and matching pants with either an orange and/or green shirt with a bowtie or tie, remains the definitive Joker look one that many artists and costume designers have given spin on. He is sometimes known for wearing a cool hat but other times goes hatless. Heath Ledger's custom-designed purple long-coat, trousers, blue shirt and green WaistcoatOfStyle with a tie has likewise become iconic and famous for its contemporary and downright stylish update on the classic look.
** The original Red Hood outfit which is a black suit, white shirt, bowtie with an opera cap and a bizarre red dome is also quite famous.
** The Hawaiian tourist outfit he wore in the notorious scene in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke''.
** The white suit he wears in Miller's ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' as well as the white nurse maid outfit with red wig in ''The Dark Knight'' is also quite notable.
** The Future Joker look from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' which went with a mime look (black body suit, slicked-back hair) is also quite distinct and unique.
* ImAHumanitarian: There have been a few times when the Joker engaged in cannibalism, such as an issue of ''ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsJLA''[[note]]albeit an issue guest-written by [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational J.M. DeMatteis]] as set-up for a series about Hal Jordan's time as the Spectre[[/note]] after ''ComicBook/DayOfJudgment'', where upon the reveal that the Martian Manhunter took the League and the now Hal Jordan hosted-Spectre into the Joker's head, the Joker lamented eating a man's tongue raw. Additionally, an infamous bit in ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'' has the Joker eat all of China while he had Mr. Mxyzptlk's powers.
* InsaneNoMore: Is cured by Batman forcing unknown pills down his throat in the non-canon ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight'', causing him go back to his real name, Jack Napier, make a HeelFaceTurn and accuse Batman of being part of the problem (he's also ''considerably'' better than the usual Joker, being closer to the earlier trickster personality).
* IveComeTooFar: At the end of ''The Killing Joke'', Batman tries to reason with the Joker, insisting that they've got to stop before one of them kills the other and offering to help rehabilitate him. Joker briefly considers the offer before solemnly [[RedemptionRejection turning it down]].
-->'''Joker''': No. I'm sorry, but... no. It's too late for that. Far too late.
* ItAmusedMe: His raison d'etre. Why kill people in horrific ways, ruin their lives, and generally make the entire universe a worse place than he left it? Because it's funny.
* JekyllAndHyde: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the case of ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight'', where taking pills cures Joker of his insanity and brings back his original Jack Napier persona. However, if he fails to take the pills, the Joker resurfaces, which is exactly what happens in ''ComicBook/BatmanCurseOfTheWhiteKnight'', and he's much worse than before.
* {{Jerkass}}: Though that is a total understatement, Joker still more or less counts as one. When he isn't killing or torturing people for his own amusement, he's taunting them and trying get under other people's skin.
* JokerImmunity: The trope namer. He was originally conceived as a one-off villain but proved too interesting a character to be killed off so quickly, and a last-minute edit had him survive instead. He's so famous for this that most works that kill him off, the audience doesn't buy it, and it serves as an effective twist the rare times when he ''is'' KilledOffForReal. But even those rare occasions may continue to feature him in flashbacks or hallucinations as a PosthumousCharacter.
* KnifeNut: In many appearances, knives are his WeaponOfChoice, either to disfigure his victims or kill his foes. Often both.
-->'''The Joker:''' Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too... ''quick''. You can't savor all the little emotions. You see, in their last moments, people show you who you really are.
* LargeHam: Holy ''shit'', yes. He has an enormous sense of showmanship and is seen cracking BlackComedy jokes every minute, and it's a nigh-guarantee that whoever is portraying him will be [[ChewingTheScenery munching the scenery to the very structure]]. Most especially the case if it happens to be Creator/MarkHamill.
* LaserGuidedBroadcast: In comic books as well in most of the media, when The Joker takes the control of TV and makes one of his menaces to threat and/or destroy Gotham City, good part of his message goes directly to Batman by tempting him to stop his plans, where usually destroy the city is just a secondary plan, getting/trapping/killing Batman as his real main plan.
* LegacyCharacter: The idea of multiple Jokers is used in ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. [[spoiler: There are two Jokers - Jerome Valeska, and his twin brother Jeremiah Valeska. The former is a deranged mass murderer who spread madness through Gotham. The latter is the actual Joker who becomes Batman's ArchEnemy, and is even more dangerous than his predecessor.]]
* LethalJokeCharacter: In-Universe. Those unfamiliar with him tend to write him off as just some fool dressed as a clown, only to realize very quickly why they should keep their guard up around him. He's still one of the most dangerous characters in the DC Universe, despite existing in a world filled with super-humans and gods.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:M to R]]

* MadArtist: The Joker is a performer who commits his crimes as much for the theatrics as any sadism or profit. He once referred to Batman as the StraightMan in their act, and in the 1989 movie described himself as a "homicidal artist" who made art until someone died. He even tried making a SnuffFilm titled "The Death Of Batman", acting like a PrimaDonnaDirector in the process.
* MasterOfDisguise: A talent he possesses even in his earliest stories. Joker is an expert with make-up, costumes and impersonations and has posed as everything from police officers to doctors to even Batman himself. He can go to extremely elaborate lengths to pull off his deceptions too, fabricating entire backstories and staying in-character for months at a time to see his plans through.
* MirthlessLaughter: The Joker's constantly laughing, either at the pain and misery of others, the pain and misery he inflicts on others, or even his own pain. However, as describe by many and offered by the reader based on his scenes and what he does, there is NEVER any joy in his laughter. Never any real happiness. Just cruelty and mockery of pain and sorrow. [[MultipleChoicePast If he does indeed]] have a tragic backstory that caused his madness, then this makes sense as he has chosen to laugh instead of cry. His statement about how the universe should end "so there won't be anymore people like me" during the Emperor Joker storyline lends weight to him being a SadClown.
* MisanthropeSupreme: While it's not evident given Joker's LaughingMad demeanor and his penchant for [[BlackHumor macabre jokes]] usually at the life and limb expense of someone else, Joker is actually absolutely full of hatred and spite towards basically everyone and the entire world. Several stories have gone into this and it's implied that the Joker finds it so easy to kill everyone around him, not because he feels nothing for them, but in fact because he loathes everyone aside from his [[FoeRomanceSubtext twisted relationship]] with Batman.
** The first issue of Batman with Joker's debut has him described as having "burning, hate-filled eyes" and the moniker, "the harliquin of hate".
** The Man Who Laughs had Bruce dosed with a light version of the Joker Venom and he felt his perspective shift into a paranoid vengeance were he felt everyone deserved to be punished for his parent's death just for existing.
** Death of the Family had Batman describe how Joker's irises are always narrow when looking at anyone but Batman and that it is usually an indication of negative feelings toward something with Bruce mentioning that his eye are the eyes of someone who hates everything he sees.
* MomentOfLucidity: There've been a few times when outside forces have sent him into a fit of temporary sanity over the years.
** In the ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'' storyline "Rock of Ages", Martian Manhunter has to put in incredible effort to reorganize Joker's mind long enough for him to give up the cataclysmic Philosopher's Stone. The briefly sane Joker immediately says MyGodWhatHaveIDone verbatim as he hands it back, before quickly losing his mind and going back to the laughing madman.
** The famous example from the end of ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', where Batman tries to convince him to allow Batman to rehabilitate him before their vendetta kills them. Joker considers it for a long, somber moment before quietly reflecting that they're both too far gone.
** ''Batman: Cacophony'' ends with Joker being pumped full of an inhuman amount of antipsychotic drugs to keep him under control while in recovery from a near-fatal stabbing. Batman takes the opportunity to have a relatively-sane conversation with him, though it's somewhat [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] by Joker still being a homicidal sociopath even while heavily sedated.
* MonsterClown: One of the classic examples.
* MultipleChoicePast: Practically the poster child and possible trope namer. Even he isn't sure of his own history. The most accepted version introduced in ''Detective Comic'' #168 (1951) has him as a thug named the Red Hood who jumps into a vat of chemicals to escape Batman, disfiguring him and inspiring him to adopt the name Joker. Why he went by the name the Red Hood has changed over the years: ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' claims he was a failed comedian pressured into becoming a criminal to support his pregnant wife. The trauma of his disfigurement from jumping in the acid and his wife's earlier accidental death drove him insane. However, even ''this'' backstory is questionable, as the Joker himself calls it "multiple choice".
** He even gives multiple reasons on how he came BackFromTheDead in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' [[SureLetsGoWithThat and will go along]] with whatever his opponent thinks is true, despite being DeadAllAlong in story mode and only appearing as a hallucination to his ex-moll.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Whenever he is made temporarily sane, most notably by a Lazarus pit after Ra's Al Ghul killed him after a VillainTeamUp and in ''[[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsJLA JLA]]'' #15 during the Rock of Ages storyline, Joker usually expresses deep remorse for his crimes. Unfortunately [[StatusQuoIsGod it never lasts]].
* TheNicknamer: He's prone to giving nicknames to allies and enemies alike. Sometimes affectionate, sometimes snarky, but always undesired. Calling Batman "''Batsy''" or "''Bats''" and Robin "''boy '''blunder'''''" are probably his most iconic.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Some of the Joker's victims fall into this.
** ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' sees him kill David Endochrine and Ruth Weisenheimer, who were clearly based on Creator/DavidLetterman and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
** During ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', once he realizes that Azrael isn't Batman, his plan's gone to hell, and one too many criticisms from Creator/GeneSiskel and Creator/RogerEbert stand-ins, he kills the stand-ins.
** In one of the issues for the ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' tie-in comic, ''The Batman Strikes'', he terrorizes a stand-in for Creator/ConanOBrien. Interestingly enough, the real O'Brien voiced Endochrine in the animated version of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. In the series proper, Harley's debut had the two of them terrorize a stand-in for Dr. Phil for the climax.
* NoNameGiven: The Joker is the only Batman villain who doesn't have an official real identity. However, there are three occasions where names have been used. The Jack Nicholson version used the name "Jack Napier", which was briefly mentioned in the Animated Series episode "Dreams In Darkness" since the series was partially based on the movie, albeit the doctors list it as one of his aliases. The ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' version played by Creator/CameronMonaghan gives him the name Jeremiah Valeska. The Joaquin Phoenix version used the name "Arthur Fleck", though the movie raises the question that he doesn't know who his father is, so 'Fleck' might not even be his surname. The Telltale series plays with this by 'naming' him 'John Doe' - which is just a stand-in name police/hospitals use when they don't know someone's identity. While he still has no official name to this day, it's general fan consensus that it's either Jack Napier or just Jack.
* NotAMask: Sometimes he pretends to wear makeup, but it ain't makeup. Jack Nicholson's version wore flesh-tone makeup over his pale skin several times after his transformation. Though, this is DependingOnTheWriter, as Heath Ledger's depiction ''does'' wear makeup. It's unclear if this is the case for Caesar Romero's depiction, as Romero's mustache is visible at times (he refused to shave for the part).
* NotMeThisTime: Though he certainly wouldn't mind committing them, he's been framed for murders he didn't commit several times, such as by James Gordon Jr.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: ZigZaggedTrope / DependingOnTheWriter. Some stories claims The Joker is actually sane, but pretends to be otherwise to avoid the death penalty. Others says he is genuinely crazy. It must be noted that Joker, like other Batman villains, was only identified as insane from the 70s onwards by various writers.[[note]]This was part of the trend of HollywoodMentalDisorders in the air and which DC editors and writers infused into the stories to keep it contemporary. It must be noted that from a legal perspective, Joker would not qualify as insane. Insanity has a separate clinical and legal definition, and a legal definition of insanity stops short at whether the person knowingly inflicts cruelty and accepts that he's breaking laws, both of which fits Joker perfectly[[/note]]
* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: Despite the Joker's infamous reputation and violent instability he never has any issues finding new henchmen for his schemes nor does he ever has any issues finding the resources needed to pull off his often convoluted plans and he's often able to do it all without attracting the attention of Batman or the authorities until he's ready for them.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: A general rule of thumb: If the Joker isn't smiling, something '''very''' bad is about to happen.
** If you want to know how truly terrifying The Batman Who Laughs is, look no further than the way Joker acts whenever discussing him. He doesn't laugh, he doesn't smile. He becomes calm and serious and simply tells whomever he's talking to that the TBWL is "a wrong thing that shouldn't exist". Someone HAS to be scary if the very thought of him makes Joker act like a calm rational sane person.
** In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', the clown has a massive VillainousBreakdown when Terry [[BoringInsult mocks him]] for his failed attempts to break Batman.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Pretty much sums up his feelings towards Batman. He often flies into a rage whenever someone else attempts to kill Batman when in his company, and whenever Batman (seemingly) dies he has a tendency to completely snap and turn ''sane''. This actually goes the ''other'' direction as well: the Joker feels that Batman is the only one allowed to defeat ''him'', and it's shown he's ''terrified'' of someone else doing him in in some continuities.
* OutsideContextProblem: A recurring theme of Joker's "first appearance" stories in various adaptations is that nobody in Gotham is prepared for a guy who's only in it ForTheEvulz. Also, the Joker himself likes to find these, and exploit them.
** On the rare occasion Joker gets bored and leaves Gotham, expect everyone to think of him as just a silly clown, until the bodies start piling up.
* PhraseCatcher: Back in his prankster phase during the Silver Age, whenever one of Joker's capers got foiled, someone would inevitably trot out the line "The joke's on you, Joker!" For obvious reasons, his current MonsterClown incarnation doesn't get this ''nearly'' as often.
* PimpDuds: He sometimes accessorizes his purple suit with a very wide-brimmed hat, which makes the ensemble look like a stereotypical pimp costume. Creator/JaredLeto's turn in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' runs with this in his dynamic with Harley Quinn.
* PreInsanityReveal: The Joker, [[MultipleChoicePast depending on the version]], may have been an ordinary comedian before he went crazy and became a super-villain.
* PurpleIsPowerful: Purple is one of Joker's three colors (along with white and green) and he is powerful.
* PsychopathicManchild: For starters, when Batman is telling Joker to stay away from the Gordons after he apparently hurt Gordon's wife (it was actually his son, Gordon Jr. who did the deed), Joker commented that he didn't do anything to "the old bitch", and starts commenting to Batman that he misses the old Batman, and commented that he "doesn't want to go to bed yet" and that he "wants to play."
* RedemptionRejection: In ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', Batman defeats the Joker once again and then desperately pleads with him to accept help recovering from his madness before they eventually kill each other. In one of his rare, completely serious moments, the Joker sincerely apologizes and tells Batman that it's far too late for that.
* TheResenter: Joker has often shown resentment towards people in many ways in different stories. The best example is him being resentful of anyone who garners more attention from Batman than him and anyone he sees as "stealing his act", i.e. being a laughing mad, jokey maniac cramping his style (The Creeper in Batman TAS). Regardless, many of his crimes and attitudes often carry an undercurrent or resentment be it towards to Bat-family because he resents sharing Batman with anyone or normal people for living their mundane lives free of care. Given how much spite seems to fuel his rampages, Joker's probably got a mountain of resentment inside of him.
* RestorationOfSanity: On occasion, Joker's sanity will suddenly return to him, usually in stories where Batman retires or is believed to have died. His reactions tend to vary - sometimes we don't see how he reacts to what he did, but other times he actually shows genuine regret for his actions. Of course, these never tend to stick.
* TheReveal: When Batman sat in Metron's chair in ''ComicBook/DarkseidWar'', one of the questions he asked was who the Joker was and the answer freaked him out. In ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', it's revealed why: [[spoiler: The Joker is a LegacyCharacter: the Joker responsible for ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'' and ''ComicBook/BatmanEndgame'' is not the same man who [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke crippled Barbara Gordon]]--and neither of them are [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks the original Joker]].]]
* RiddleForTheAges: Being the TropeNamer for MultipleChoicePast, it's unknown who he was before falling into an acid tank and whether he was nuts even before being dunked. [[BelievingTheirOwnLies He even believes his origins]], DependingOnTheWriter of course.
** One issue of the ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'' had him talking about having AbusiveParents, only for a psychiatrist to tell him it's the ''seventh'' story he's told now.
** Batman lampshades on this to Harley in the animated series, thinking it's another lie to gain sympathy.
** ''The Killing Joke'' claims he was a failed comedian driven to crime to support his pregnant wife. The trauma of his disfigurement and his wife's earlier accidental death drove him mad. However, even ''this'' could be a lie, as he himself calls it "multiple choice".
** It's even discussed in ''Injustice 2'', as Atrocitus wonders what drove the Joker to nihilism. Despite only appearing as a hallucination to Harley in story mode, he spews out multiple theories for his UnexplainedRecovery and will say SureLetsGoWithThat in non-canon fights. Was he resurrected by someone, or is he from another universe? Did he escape from either the Source Wall or the Phantom Zone, or is he just an apparition?
** Shadow of the Bat #38, ''Tears of a Clown'': He celebrates his anniversary of the day he was a still sane, but hapless comedian, and was thrown out of an exclusive StandUpComedy club for an unfunny act the patrons mercilessly [[TheHeckler heckled]]. It was the last straw as he agreed to provide to his family by pulling a job for the Red Hood gang. So he kidnaps all the patrons and reenacts his act with control collars that will kill them when they laugh. Oddly enough, the patrons are hardcore StandUpComedy fans, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday so they can't remember the number of times they've booed someone]]. However, even this origin story could be a lie.
-->'''Joker:''' They throw me out, and I had a wife and an unborn child… or it was two cows and a goat? Sometimes it's so confusing…
* RuleOfFunny: One of his primary themes (alongside insanity), as explained in ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'':
--> "Kid. I'm the Joker. I don't just ''rand''omly ''kill'' people. I kill people when it's ''funny''. What would con''ceiv''ably be funny about killing ''you?''"

[[/folder]]

[[folder:S to Z]]

* SecretIdentityApathy: In most continuities, he simply doesn't care about Batman's SecretIdentity, understanding that Batman is the [[SecretIdentityIdentity true face]] and not the man behind the mask. It's shown sometimes that the Joker will actually be ''upset'' if someone outs Batman's identity to him, usually because it spoils their dynamic in some way. When Scarecrow pulls off Bruce's mask in ''[[WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019 Harley Quinn]]'', it practically triggers a VillainousBreakdown.
-->'''Joker''': Half the fun of our relationship was the mystery! Now I know Batman is just some [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob boring, rich asshole]] with [[WellDoneSonGuy parental issues]]!
* SelfMadeOrphan: In ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' #31, Atom reads his mind and sees The Joker burning his parents alive after they catch him killing animals.
* SlasherSmile: He wears one almost by default. Reportedly, it was inspired by [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/The-Man-Who-Laughs-%281928%29-Gwynplaine.png this photo]] of Creator/ConradVeidt in character as Gwynplaine (a man with a disfigured face, causing him to have a perpetual grin) in ''Film/TheManWhoLaughs'' by Creator/VictorHugo.
** It's come to be his primary disfigurement over the original skin bleaching.
* TheSociopath: [[ManipulativeBastard A skilled and gleeful manipulator]], [[AxCrazy a vicious butcher who brutally tortures and murders others simply because he thinks it’s funny]], extraordinarily impulsive given that he’s prone to turning his murderous urges on his own men on a whim [[HairTriggerTemper or because one upset him in some way, shape or form]], and has [[LackOfEmpathy not even the vaguest notion of empathy,]] neither for his men or his victims.
* TheSpook: His backstory is an eternal RiddleForTheAges. He'll give contradictory and vague statements on his origins just to gain sympathy and escape from Arkham. That he has no real name speaks volumes, attributing to his MultipleChoicePast. DC Comics refuses to take an official stance on this.
* StartOfDarkness: ''Detective Comics'' #168 posits he was a laboratory worker who becomes the Red Hood in order to steal a million dollars from his employers and retire. In ''The Killing Joke'' he quits his job to become a comedian, but fails and is coerced by mobsters to commit a robbery, becoming the Red Hood. His disfigurement and (in ''The Killing Joke'') his wife's death earlier in the story destroy what little was left of his sanity and he becomes The Joker. [[MultipleChoicePast Maybe]].
* StealingTheHandicappedSpot: He doesn't do this. Rather, he ''hates'' it when other people do it and finds it hilarious to horrifically cripple them so they can legitimately park in handicapped spots.
* StrawNihilist: Provides the trope image and is the poster child for this. He claims that everything in life is just "one big joke" and death is the ultimate punchline. Joker also believes that "a bad day" is more than enough for anyone to turn out like him. This is shown notably in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', and ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. The Red Lantern Atrocitus even wonders what drove Joker to nihilism during an intro banter with the clown in ''VideoGame/Injustice2''.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: His fighting skills fluctuate wildly. Sometimes, Joker is an excellent fighter who can actually defeat Batman in a straight-up fight, whereas most writers prefer to present him as so weak that he can be knocked out cold with one punch.
* StupidEvil: Depending on the writer, The Joker can sometimes fall under this, where his cruelty and sadism tend to lead to his own death at the hands of all the people he's wronged.
* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: His motivation in stories like ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker''.
* TooKinkyToTorture: The Joker has shown a proclivity for this over the years. At one point, the Joker berated a man who'd captured him for only hitting him in the face and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' similarly sees the Joker berate Batman during the the latter's beating of him. He also enjoyed his and Bruce's final fight in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns''. ''ComicBook/SalvationRun'' had established the Joker's been in constant pain since he took his fateful dive into the vat of chemicals that altered his appearance and not only had gotten used to it, but grew to enjoy it. This quote from ''The Dark Knight'' sums it up perfectly:
--> '''Stephens''': I can tell the difference between punks who need a little lesson in manners, and the freaks like you who would just enjoy it.
* TombstoneTeeth: He is often drawn with too many too-long teeth as part of his trademark rictus grin, highlighting his nature as a psychotic and sadistic killer.
* {{Troll}}: Most incarnations of the Joker dress themselves as being a lethal one of these. The best example is his DC Animated Universe version, who tailored each of his schemes as a joke or a prank, and sometimes even lectured his underlings on the importance of proper buildup and delivery when telling a joke. Batman in particular is the Joker's preferred victim, and many a Joker has refused to kill or unmask a Batman dead to rights, simply because it would spoil the fun of trolling him. But when others upstage or taunt him, he really goes nuts, as it's one of his {{Berserk Button}}s.
** In ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'', Terry [=McGinnis=] exploits this by delivering an epic BoringInsult so the clown will have a VillainousBreakdown.
** King Barlowe proved to be a big one in his ThanatosGambit in the episode "Joker's Millions" of ''The New Batman Adventures''. In a [[SpitefulWill spiteful]] VideoWill, he gives the clown his millions, revealing in his tape that most of it was fake. Expecting the clown to splurge on it, he won't have enough to pay off the IRS, allowing Barlowe to get the "last laugh" after his death, without the Joker coming after him.
* UnreliableNarrator: Even he isn't sure of his own history, so anything he claims is suspect at best.
* VillainHasAPoint: Given his devotion to RuleOfFunny, he's quite knowledgeable on what makes successful comedy, as seen with the featured image on DontExplainTheJoke.
* VillainSong: There's no other villain who has belted out as many memorable music moments, not even the Music Meister. Three of them incidentally were sung by Creator/MarkHamill behind the mic:
** Creator/AlanMoore's "I go Loony" from ComicBook/TheKillingJoke, an in-panel song-and-dance tune that was eventually made into an actual song belted out in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke''.
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has "Where's the Fun in That?" from the episode "Emperor Joker".
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' ended with him covering The Platters' "Only You (and You Alone)", ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' had him cover Music/HankWilliams' "Cold, Cold, Heart" and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' had him provide an original composition, "Can't Stop Laughing".
* VillainousAromanticAsexual:
** He is shown to be more interested in his schemes and mayhem rather than sex. Indeed, usually the closest thing he shows to romantic interest in someone is his FoeRomanceSubtext with Batman.
** He has had sex with Harley, but it is implied that it's more for her rather than his own enjoyment. He has actively ignored her when he simply wants to work on his schemes, [[IgnoreTheFanservice even when she's in the translucent red night dress]].
* VillainousFriendship: No matter how bad things turned out last time, Comicbook/LexLuthor and Joker will ''always'' work together again. PlayedWith, as it isn’t just because of friendship. As Luthor himself notes in the ending of ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', you always "let the Joker play," lest he come after you for revenge later on for leaving him out.
* VillainousHarlequin: He was this during the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. He is also this in ''Series/Batman1966'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''.
* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler:In ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'', The Joker pulls this off by teaming up with Batman to defeat the Batman Who Laughs, Batman knowing that a jokerized Batman would have the upper hand teams up with the Joker. It is so unexpected that the Batman Who Laughs, who is still [[CrazyPrepared prepared for anything Batman would conceivably think of]], is [[RefugeInAudacity unable to counter it let alone even consider it a possibility]].]]
* VillainProtagonist: He was the star of his own nine issue self-titled series from 1975 to 1976. In order to adhere to the Comics Code Authority, TheBadGuyWins was never in effect - while he usually managed to get one over on other villains, each issue would end the Joker being apprehended for his crimes. He also got [[Film/Joker2019 his own movie]] in which Batman didn't even ''exist'' yet, delving deep into what someone would have to go through to become the Joker.
* WeaponOfChoice: The acid-spitting flower, Smilex/Joker Venom... and simple crowbars, established by how he killed Jason Todd.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He has neon green hair caused by the chemicals he fell into.

[[/folder]]
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!!Appearances in Media
[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''
* ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''
* ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures / The Batman & Robin Adventures / Batman: Gotham Adventures / Batman Adventures''
* ''ComicBook/JokersAsylum''
* ''ComicBook/TheJokerDevilsAdvocate''
* ''ComicBook/VillainsUnited''
* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''
* ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed''
* ''Creator/TangentComics''
* ''ComicBook/PlanetaryBatman''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanDigitalJustice''
* ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder''
* ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' (graphic novel)
* ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanNosferatu''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanVampire''
* ''ComicBook/IJoker''
* ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''
* ''ComicBook/GoingSane''
* ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke''
* ''ComicBook/MadLove''
* ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''
* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand''
* ''ComicBook/JokersLastLaugh''
* ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker''
* ''ComicBook/SalvationRun''
* ''ComicBook/LastRites''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanRIP''
* ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''
* ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanNoel''
* ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''
* ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumLivingHell''
* ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumMadness''
* ''Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman''
* ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey''
* ''ComicBook/SupermanDistantFires''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanLegendsOfTheDarkKnight''
* ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}''
* ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily''
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' as part of an InterContinuityCrossover.
* ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight''
* ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal''
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague2018''

[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/BatmanTheMovie''
* ''Film/Batman1989''
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight''
* ''Film/SuicideSquad2016''
* ''Film/Joker2019''

[[AC:Live-Action Television]]
* ''Series/Batman1966''
* ''Series/BirdsOfPrey2002''
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}''

[[AC:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/BatmanLive''
* ''Theatre/BatmanTheMusical''

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BatmanVengeance''
* ''VideoGame/LegoAdaptationGame: Lego Batman''
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse''
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum''
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins''
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight''
* ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline''
* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''
** ''VideoGame/Injustice2''
* ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}} Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''
* ''VideoGame/InfiniteCrisis''
* ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries''

[[AC:Web Originals]]
* ''WebVideo/TheJokerBlogs''
* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': Season 6, put against [[Literature/{{It}} Pennywise]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfBatman''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfBatman''
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman''
* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock''
* ''WesternAnimation/KryptoTheSuperdog''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood''
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends''
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''
* ''Westernanimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie''
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanVsTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''
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