Joker in other media

The Joker, a supervillain in DC Comics and archenemy of the superhero Batman, has appeared in various media. WorldCat (a catalog of libraries in 170 countries) records over 250 productions featuring the Joker as a subject, including films, television series, books, and video games.Weiner, Robert G. and Robert Moses Peaslee (2015). ''The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime''. University Press of Mississippi. p. 19.
Partially available on Google Books
Live-action films featuring the character are typically the most successful.

The Joker has been portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 1966–1968 '' Batman'' television series and the 1966 '' Batman'' film; Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film '' Batman''; Heath Ledger in the 2008 film ''The Dark Knight''; Jared Leto in the 2016 film ''Suicide Squad'' and the 2021 director's cut ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''; Cameron Monaghan in the FOX series '' Gotham''; Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 solo origin story film '' Joker'', and Barry Keoghan in the 2022 film ''The Batman''. Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor while Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor, making the Joker one of the only three characters played by two actors to be awarded an Oscar for both portrayals (the others being Vito Corleone and Anita from ''West Side Story'')."An offer they couldn't refuse: Joker enters unique Godfather club at the Oscars".
/ref>"Joker Accomplishes Rare Feat at the Academy Awards With Joaquin Phoenix Win".
/ref>

Live-action

Television

''Adventures of Superman''

At the Daily Planet's news stand, the Joker's face could be seen on the cover of a Batman comic book in the '' Adventures of Superman'' episodes ''Mystery in Wax'' and ''Crime Wave''.

Batman and Robin are also on the cover of that comic.

''Batman'' (1966–1968 TV series)

Cesar Romero portrayed the Joker in the 1960s ''Batman'' television series. Romero refused to shave his distinctive moustache for the role, so it was partially visible beneath the white face makeup applied. This version of the Joker is based on the character in the 1960s comics, who is more of an elaborate prankster who uses harmless weapons and Vaudeville-type humor to commit his crimes. Even though he did try to kill both Batman and Robin in various episodes, he wasn't homicidal like his comic book counterpart."How The Joker Went From Cesar Romero to Jared Leto."
''Highsnobiety''. August 25, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015

Batman OnStar commercials (2000–2002)

The Joker was played by Curtis Armstrong in one of the six Batman OnStar commercials that ran from 2000 to 2002.

''Birds of Prey'' (2002–2003 TV series)

The Joker makes a cameo appearance in an episode of 2002–2003 series ''Birds of Prey'', portrayed by Roger Stoneburner and voiced by Mark Hamill (who has voiced the Joker in various DC projects). He and his men appear outside of Barbara Gordon's apartment where he shoots Barbara when she answers the door. Then he quotes "Knock knock, who's there? Batgirl, past tense!"

''Gotham'' (2014–2019)

The mythology of the Joker is explored throughout '' Gotham'', a television series focusing on the beginnings of the Batman lore. Believing that the Joker should not precede Batman, showrunner Bruno Heller initially did not want to use the character, but later decided to "scratch the surface" of his origin because "this is America — nobody wants to wait." Jerome Valeska, the mentally unhinged son of a nymphomaniac circus performer, was introduced as an homage to the Joker in the first season, portrayed by Cameron Monaghan. While Monaghan was not comfortable drawing from the previous live-action actors who had played the Joker, he did take influence from Mark Hamill in his performance, as well as various comic books featuring the supervillain. The character returned at the start of the second season but was promptly killed off, after which various citizens begin imitating his actions and a voice-over proclaims that his legacy will be "death and madness." This was done to create a deep-rooted mythology for the Joker's backstory in Gotham City. In the fourth season, Monaghan begins playing Jerome's twin brother, Jeremiah Valeska. The character was intended to represent different characteristics of the Joker absent from Jerome. The series finale leaves it ambiguous as to whether or not Jeremiah becomes the Joker later in the show's continuity. During the virtual DC FanDome event in 2020, a documentary titled ''The Joker: Put on a Happy Face'' was made to celebrate the character's 80th anniversary. This documentary includes Jeremiah Valeska from ''Gotham'' among the various iterations of the Joker adapted for film and television.

''Powerless'' (2017)

The Joker makes a cameo in the '' Powerless'' episode "Wayne or Lose".

''Titans'' (2018)

Joker makes a cameo in the ''Titans'' episode "Dick Grayson." He is shown as one of the several villains murdered by Batman in a dark future that Trigon subjected Dick Grayson to. In the season 3 premiere episode "Barbara Gordon", Joker (portrayed by stuntman Mustafa Bulut) killed Jason, then got captured by the GCPD and sent back to Arkham. Later in the episode, it is revealed that Bruce killed the Joker. In the episode "Lazarus", his playing Joker cards are shown in Batman's trophy room in the Batcave. In the season 3 finale episode "Purple Rain", Beast Boy put in Joker's name in the security question which he got wrong.

''Arrowverse''

Joker was confirmed to be part of the Arrowverse in '' Batwoman'', portrayed by Nathan Dashwood. In the pilot episode, his hijacking of a bus led to the accident that separated Kate Kane from Beth and their mother Gabi despite Batman's attempt to save them. In the episode " I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury", it was revealed that his real name is Jack Napier and had been previously prosecuted by assistant district attorney Angus Stanton. In "A Narrow Escape", it is revealed that Bruce had killed Joker at some point as Luke Fox revealed to Kate that "The Joker Is Not In Arkham". In season two, it was discovered that Jack Napier worked on a painting using intestinal blood from one of his victims as it is discovered that it contained the map to Coryana where Jacob Kane suspects that Kate is being held prisoner in. While the painting that Jacob took off a defeated Wolf Spider was a fake, the real one is in the possession of Safiyah Sohail's former minion Ocean. In "Kane, Kate", a brainwashed Kate stolen all of Batman's trophies belongs to his enemies from the Batcave which includes the Joker's acid flower. In the season 2 finale episode "Power", Alice used Joker's acid flower on Roman Sionis' face and having his mask welded into his face claiming that Joker is better than him. In the third season episode "A Lesson from Professor Pyg", Jada Jet revealed to Ryan Wilder that her son (and Ryan's half-brother) Marquis Jet (portrayed by Nick Creegan) was attacked by Joker during his bus hijacking by placing his electric joy buzzer on his head, rendering him psychopathic. Marquis ultimately carries on the Joker's legacy over the course of the season and takes over as CEO of Wayne Enterprises after a hostile takeover. He sports purple hair and an orange suit and acquires Joker inspired items. The episode "Broken Toys" revealed that Joker had a toymaker minion named Kiki Roulette (portrayed by Judy Reyes) who built Joker's joy buzzer as she allies with Marquis. In the episode "We're All Mad Here", Joker was finally seen when Marquis recaps his encounter with Joker and Alice recalls the hijacked bus running Gabi's car off the bridge. Marquis quoted to Alice that fate brought them together.

Film

''Batman'' (1966)

Cesar Romero reprised his role in the 1966 film '' Batman'', in which the Joker is a member of the United Underworld, alongside fellow Gotham City villains the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), the Riddler ( Frank Gorshin), and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether).

''Batman'' (1989)

Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film ''Batman''. The ''Newsweek'' review of the film stated that the best scenes are due to the surreal black comedy portrayed in the Joker. In 2003, American Film Institute ranked Nicholson's performance #45 on their list of 50 greatest film villains. Hugo Blick and David U. Hodges play younger versions of the character in flashbacks in ''Batman'' and ''Batman Forever'', respectively.

In the film, Jack Napier is the right-hand man of mob boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) prior to his transformation into the Joker. During a confrontation with the vigilante Batman (Michael Keaton) in a chemical factory, Napier's face is wounded by a ricocheting bullet and he falls into a vat of chemical waste, turning his skin white, his hair green and his lips red. A botched attempt at plastic surgery leaves him with a permanent rictus grin. Driven insane by his reflection, the Joker kills Grissom and takes over his syndicate, launching a crime wave designed to "outdo" Batman, who he thinks is getting too much press. The Joker describes himself as "the world's first fully functional homicidal artist" who makes avant-garde "art" by killing people with cosmetics laced with Smylex, which leaves its victims with a grotesque grin similar to his own. Bruce Wayne later recognizes the Joker as the mugger who murdered his parents years before, leading him down the path of becoming a crime-fighter. The Joker nearly massacres Gotham City's bicentennial celebration and kidnaps reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) to draw Batman out to a climactic battle atop a Gothic cathedral. After telling Batman that they "made each other", the Joker attempts to escape via helicopter, but Batman ties a grappling hook around his leg and attaches it to a stone gargoyle, causing the Joker to fall to his death when the statue breaks loose of its moorings.

Nicholson was to reprise his role in ''Batman Unchained'', the fifth film planned for the series. The Joker was to return as a hallucination in Batman's mind caused by the Scarecrow's fear toxin, and Harley Quinn was to appear as his daughter trying to get revenge on Batman for his death. Due to the critical and commercial failure of ''Batman & Robin'', however, this film was cancelled.

''The Dark Knight'' (2008)

Heath Ledger played Joker in Christopher Nolan's 2008 film ''The Dark Knight''. Ledger's interpretation of the character – that of a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy" – was specifically influenced by the graphic novels '' Batman: The Killing Joke'' and '' Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth''. In the film, he wears the character's traditional color palette, while his facial appearance includes smeared clown makeup that covers facial scars of a Glasgow smile. This version of the Joker embodies themes of chaos, anarchy, and obsession; he expresses a desire to upset social order through crime and defines himself by his conflict with Batman (Christian Bale). The character explores techniques found in Ledger's previous performances, including his clown act in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film ''The Brothers Grimm''. It also references paintings by artist Francis Bacon, Anthony Burgess' novel ''A Clockwork Orange'', and various punk rock musicians.

In the film, the Joker is hired by Gotham City's mob bosses to kill Batman and announces that he will kill people every day until Batman takes off his mask in public and surrenders himself to police. During his reign of terror, he kills several people in Gotham, including Bruce Wayne's childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes ( Maggie Gyllenhaal) and scars Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) face, transforming him into the insane vigilante Two-Face. Batman ultimately defeats him, but the Joker gloats that he has won "the battle for Gotham's soul" by corrupting Dent, and tells Batman that "you and I are destined to do this forever" as he is taken to Arkham Asylum.

The Joker is considered to be Ledger's finest performance; he himself regarded it as his most enjoyable. When the film was released in July 2008, six months after the actor had died from an accidental prescription drug overdose, the performance caused a sensation and received universal acclaim; Ledger was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

DC Extended Universe (2016–2021)

Jared Leto portrays the Joker in the DC Extended Universe. Originally set to appear in Zack Snyder's '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the character was ultimately cut and only referenced in the film.

Jared Leto debuts as the Joker in 2016's ''Suicide Squad'', written and directed by David Ayer. Although many scenes featuring the Joker were omitted from the theatrical release, some of this unused footage did make it into the extended cut. Leto also appeared as the Joker in the music video "Purple Lamborghini", by Skrillex and Rick Ross, from the film's soundtrack. Mark Hamill, the voice of the Joker in various DC projects, said that he "loved" Leto's take on the character.

Despite not making an official appearance, the Joker's presence plays a pivotal part in the film ''Birds of Prey'', with the plot involving Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) trying to cope with life in Gotham City without his protection. The Joker appears in animated form in the film's prologue, which details Harley's life and separation from him, while a scene of Jared Leto from ''Suicide Squad'' is used in a flashback sequence. In addition, an uncredited Johnny Goth portrayed the character from the back in a similar flashback scene in which Harley and the Joker tattoo a man's face. This was done in this way since the director felt that the film didn't need Leto to return for the character to still have a presence.

Leto reprised the role in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'', released in 2021 on HBO Max. The Joker appears in a postapocalyptic premonition of Bruce Wayne in a role similar to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come from '' A Christmas Carol'', portraying him as a character who motivates Batman to prevent Darkseid's ( Ray Porter) invasion.

In 2018, a film featuring the Joker entered development. Jared Leto was attached as an executive producer in addition to reprising his role as the Joker, as well as being involved with hiring the film's production crew. By February 2019, the film had been canceled, and a Joker film unrelated to the DCEU was released later that year.

''Joker'' (2019)

In 2016, Todd Phillips began working on a stand-alone Joker film, with intent for it to launch a line of films unconnected to the DCEU called DC Black. Development of the film was confirmed in August 2017; Phillips was attached to direct and cowrite with Scott Silver, while Martin Scorsese was set to produce. The film, '' Joker'', was released in October 2019.

In ''Joker'', Joaquin Phoenix portrays Arthur Fleck, a party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian who suffers from a mental illness that causes pathological laughter. He lives with his delusional abusive adoptive mother Penny (Frances Conroy) in Gotham City in 1981 and idolizes talk show host Murray Franklin ( Robert De Niro). After losing his job for dropping a gun in a children's hospital, Arthur kills three Wayne Enterprises employees on a train in self-defense, sparking city-wide protests. He slowly descends into insanity, killing his mother and the colleague (Glenn Fleshler) who gave him the gun. When he is invited on Franklin's show after being mocked on it, Arthur rants about society abandoning him and murders Franklin on live television. He is arrested but is rescued by protesters in clown masks and celebrated by them as a hero. His actions inspire a protester to kill the Waynes, making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence. Phoenix was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, making him the second actor to receive an Academy Award for playing the character, following Heath Ledger. In June 2022, Philips confirmed a sequel is in development with Phoenix reprising his role. It was also reported that '' Joker: Folie à Deux'' will be a musical.

''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021)

A Joker inspired by Jack Nicholson's 1989 ''Batman'' film appearance appears in '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021).

''The Batman'' (2022)

Barry Keoghan portrays the Joker in ''The Batman'' (2022), making a cameo appearance in the theatrical cut, where he befriends Edward Nashton (Paul Dano) from across his cell at Arkham State Hospital. In an extended deleted scene, the Batman ( Robert Pattinson) reluctantly approaches the Joker to profile Nashton following his first two murders.

Joker's physical appearance in the film was designed with the involvement of makeup artist Mike Marino, who similarly assisted in developing the fatsuit and prosthetics used for the film's iteration of Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot / Penguin (Colin Farrell). This incarnation of the character, seen only out of focus or in extreme close-ups, has a permanent smile as a result of an unknown biological condition and physically appears to have peeling skin and a burned scalp with patches of hair. Matt Reeves described this adaptation of the Joker as deformed from an early age, like Joseph Merrick, the Phantom of the Opera, or Gwynplaine in ''The Man Who Laughs'' (1928), and adept at using other people's horror to his advantage. The scene establishes that the Joker has a prior history with Batman, possibly as one of his first captures.

Animation

Television

Filmation

The Joker appears as a recurring villain in ''The Adventures of Batman'', voiced by Larry Storch. He also appears in ''The New Adventures of Batman'', voiced by Lennie Weinrib.

Hanna-Barbera

Storch reprised his role as the Joker in two episodes of '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'', in which he teams up with the Penguin and runs afoul of Batman, Robin and the Mystery Inc. gang.

The Joker appears in '' The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' episode "The Wild Cards", voiced by Frank Welker. He assists Darkseid by disguising himself as Ace, the leader of the Royal Flush Gang. Operating out of a giant house of cards, he recruits four thieves to be the rest of the Royal Flush Gang and leads them in capturing the heroes so that Darkseid's invasion force can attack Earth unimpeded. When Batman frees the captured heroes and they stop the invasion force, an enraged Darkseid hurls Joker through a portal that opens high in the sky. Wonder Woman catches him and he is arrested.

DC Animated Universe

The Joker appears in television series set in the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Mark Hamill, who is often credited as the iconic voice of the character because of his wide range of "joyful, gleeful, maniacal, ..malevolent and evil laughs."Chrisman, Eric (July 17, 2015)
"Mark Hamill Would Still Love To Be In The Killing Joke".
Caped Crusades. Retrieved October 19, 2015.Kubin, Jacquie (April 1997)

''Animation World Magazine''. Retrieved October 19, 2015. The character first appeared in '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995). The show is notable for introducing his sidekick and lover, Harley Quinn (voiced by Arleen Sorkin), to such popularity that she became a character in the comics. The Joker was also featured in the spin-off film '' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' (1993).

The Joker returned in the follow-up series ''The New Batman Adventures'' (1997–1999) with a stylistic redesign. He was redesigned to have less prominent lips, a purple and green suit, darker hair, and white eyes with black sclera, resembling a skull. In the '' Superman: The Animated Series'' episode "World's Finest", a bankrupt Joker travels to Metropolis and makes a deal with Lex Luthor to kill Superman in exchange for a billion dollars only to be foiled by Batman and Superman, seemingly getting killed in an explosion. In the ''Justice League'' episodes "Injustice For All" and "Wild Cards", the Joker joins Luthor's Injustice League, despite the latter's protests owing to their failed partnership in "World's Finest" and pits the Justice League against the Royal Flush Gang as part of an elaborate ruse, respectively. In "A Better World", a lobotomized Joker is briefly seen in an alternate universe ruled by the Justice Lords. The Joker was later featured in the ''Static Shock'' episode "The Big Leagues", in which he starts a crime spree with a gang of Bang Babies but is foiled by Static, Batman and Robin.

The Joker made his final chronological appearance in the direct-to-video feature film '' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' (2000), in which he mysteriously returns to Gotham City 40 years in the future. Flashbacks reveal that he and Harley Quinn kidnapped and tortured Robin (Tim Drake) for three weeks, turning him into an insane, miniature version of himself dubbed 'Joker Junior', learning Batman's secret identity in the process. He is ultimately killed in a battle with Batman and Batgirl; originally, he died after being shot by Tim, but in the edited version created amid controversy surrounding the Columbine High School massacre, he is pushed into cables and electrocuted offscreen. However, Joker secretly implanted a microchip in Drake's neck that possessed a copy of the Joker's consciousness and DNA, allowing him to take over his body and be revived. However, he is eventually defeated and killed again by the new Batman, Terry McGinnis,. In the film, Joker was redesigned once again, the flashback depicts him in his original attire but his face is redesigned as a mix of both his appearance in ''Batman: The Animated Series'' and ''The New Batman Adventures'' bringing back his red lips which are rendered in a darker tone and his yellow sclera with red eyes are brought back. His future version is the same but wears a purple jumpsuit and his hair is slicked back. The redesign depicted in the flashback was later used for his earlier chronological appearances in ''Static Shock'' and ''Justice League''.

''The Batman'' (2004–2008)

The Joker appears in ''The Batman'', voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This version's trademark green hair is long and dreadlocked, although he maintains his recognizable white skin and red lips. He also sports red eyes, a more pointed chin, and crooked yellow teeth. He initially wore a purple and yellow straitjacket with blue pants, before later adopting his signature purple suit and spats on his feet, alongside long black fingerless gloves. This incarnation of the Joker relies slightly less on his comical gadgets and weaponry and is shown to be adept at parkour, also making use of a Kung Fu-like martial arts style during combat, using his feet as dexterously as his hands to climb and hang from walls and ceilings. Most notably, this Joker was responsible for creating the first Clayface, accidentally infecting Detective Ethan Bennett with the fumes from his Joker putty, and as a result, he became the target of Ethan's revenge.

The Joker also appears in the direct-to-video spin-off film '' The Batman vs. Dracula'' (2005). At the start, he launches a riot at Arkham Asylum, allowing both himself and the Penguin to escape, but during a subsequent confrontation with Batman, he accidentally falls into a river while wearing his electrified joy buzzer and is presumed dead. However, he ultimately survives and attempts to steal the treasure that he believes Penguin found; but what he presumes to be a chest is actually Dracula's casket, and upon accidentally awakening him, Joker is attacked and turned into a vampire. Unlike Dracula's other victims, Joker retains his personality and free will and raids a blood bank, where he is captured by Batman and used as a test subject for a cure for his infliction. After being cured, Joker is sent back to Arkham Asylum.

''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' (2008–2011)

The Joker appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Jeff Bennett. This version's appearance, personality and antagonism with Batman are similar to the Silver Age version drawn by Dick Sprang

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