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.[1] Live-action films featuring the character are typically the most successful.[2]
The Joker appears in Batman (1966), portrayed by Cesar Romero. During production of the series, Romero refused to shave his moustache, which remained visible underneath his facial makeup.[6] This version is based on his 1960s comic book portrayal as an elaborate prankster who wields harmless weapons and Vaudeville-esque humor in his crimes. Additionally, despite his numerous attempts to kill Batman and Robin, he is not homicidal like his comic book incarnation.[7]
The Joker's mythology is explored in Gotham via twin brothers Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, both portrayed by Cameron Monaghan.[10][11][12] Believing that the Joker should not precede Batman, showrunner Bruno Heller initially did not want to use the character,[13] but later decided to "scratch the surface" of his origin because "this is America — nobody wants to wait."[14] Appearing in the first season, Jerome is the mentally unhinged son of a nymphomaniac circus performer. Despite being killed at the start of the second season, he becomes a martyr for various Gothamites.[15] While Monaghan was not comfortable drawing from the previous live-action actors who had played the Joker, he took influence from Mark Hamill in his performance as well as various comic books featuring the character.[16] In the fourth and fifth seasons, Jeremiah was introduced, with the intention that he would represent different characteristics of the Joker. While it was never confirmed whether he would go on to become the Joker during the series,[17] the DC FanDome documentary The Joker: Put on a Happy Face included Jeremiah among the various iterations of the character adapted for film and television across his 80-year history.[18]
The Joker makes a cameo appearance in the Powerless episode "Wayne or Lose".[19]
The Joker makes cameo appearances in Titans, portrayed by Mustafa Bulut.[20]
The Joker appears in flashbacks depicted in the third season of Batwoman, portrayed by Nathan Dashwood.[21] Similarly to Jack Nicholson's portrayal, this version's real name is "Jack Napier".[22] Additionally, he was indirectly responsible for separating Kate Kane from her sister and mother, Beth and Gabrielle Kane, before Batman killed the Joker years prior. Before then, the latter exposed Marquis Jet (portrayed by Nick Creegan) to his joy buzzer, rendering him insane and leading to him attempting to continue the Joker's legacy in the present before he is defeated and has his sanity restored by Batwoman.
The Joker appears in The Batman (2004), voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.[27] This version sports dreadlocks, red eyes, and black fingerless gloves along with a purple and yellow straitjacket in his initial appearances. Additionally, he is more reliant on physical combat than his comical gadgets, using his feet as dexterously as his hands to increase his mobility.
The Joker appears in the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "What a Night, For a Dark Knight!", voiced again by Mark Hamill.[27]
The Joker appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Alan Tudyk.[31][27] This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. Throughout the series, he seeks revenge on Harley Quinn for leaving him to become an independent supervillain and join the Legion. However, his efforts culminate in him being exposed to acid that renders him "normal". While recuperating, he falls in love with a nurse named Bethany, who he pursues a relationship with despite eventually being turned back into the Joker. He would later be elected mayor of Gotham City and attempt to reform, only to return to supervillainy with support from his step-family.
The Joker appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2019), voiced by Jeremiah Watkins. This version is a teenager and inmate of the Arkham Reform School.
The Joker appears in Batwheels, voiced by Mick Wingert.[32][27] This version sports white makeup instead of bleached skin and is accompanied by his Jokermobile Prank (voiced by Griffin Burns).
The Joker appears in The New Batman Adventures, in which he was redesigned to have less prominent lips, a purple and green suit, darker hair, and white eyes with black sclera. Additionally, a 1950s-inspired incarnation of the Joker appears in the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight", voiced by Michael McKean.[27]
The Joker appears in Justice League. In the two-part episode "Injustice for All", he joins Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang. In the two-part episode "Wild Cards", he frees the Royal Flush Gang from Project Cadmus' custody and pits them against the Justice League. Furthermore, an alternate reality variant who had been lobotomized by the Justice Lords appears in the two-part episode "A Better World".
The Joker appears in the Static Shock episode "The Big Leagues".
The Joker appears in Batman (1989), portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the present and Hugo Blick in flashbacks.[36] This version, previously known as Jack Napier, is a self-described "fully functional homicidal artist" who previously served as mob boss Carl Grissom's right hand and killed Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne years prior. While fighting Bruce as Batman in the present, Napier suffers a facial scar from a ricocheting bullet before falling into a vat of Axis Chemicals chemical waste, which turns his skin white, hair green, and lips red. Following a botched plastic surgery operation, Napier is left with a permanent rictus grin. Driven insane by his reflection, he becomes the Joker, kills Grissom, takes over his syndicate, and goes on a crime spree to "outdo" Batman, who he feels is getting too much press, in addition to seeking revenge on him for his disfigurement.[37] Eventually, Bruce recognizes the Joker as his parents' killer and sends him falling to his death. The Newsweek review of the film stated that the best scenes are due to the surrealblack comedy portrayed by the Joker.[38] In 2003, American Film Institute ranked Nicholson's performance #45 on their list of 50 greatest film villains.[39]
A young Joker appears in flashbacks depicted in Batman Forever, portrayed by David U. Hodges.
The Joker was meant to appear in Batman Unchained, with Jack Nicholson reprising the role,[40][41] as part of a Scarecrow-induced hallucination. Additionally, Harley Quinn was to appear as his daughter who seeks revenge on Batman for killing him.[42] Due to the critical and commercial failure of Batman & Robin, however, Batman Unchained was cancelled.
The Joker first appears in Suicide Squad.[48] While most of his scenes were cut and omitted from the theatrical release, most of them were later included in the extended cut.[49][50]Mark Hamill, the voice of the Joker in various DC projects, said that he "loved" Leto's take on the character.[51][52]
The Joker makes a non-speaking appearance in Birds of Prey via a prologue, in which his history with and separation from Harley Quinn is detailed; a flashback derived from archive footage; and Johnny Goth, who makes an uncredited appearance from behind in a separate flashback.[53]
In 2018, a film featuring the Joker entered development, with Leto attached as an executive producer in addition to reprising his role as the title character and hiring the production crew.[56] By February 2019, the film had been canceled and a separate Joker film unrelated to the DCEU (see below) was released later that year.[57]
The Joker appears in a self-titled film,[58] portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix. This version, also known as Arthur Fleck, is a party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian who suffers from a mental illness that causes pathological laughter, lives with his delusional, abusive, adoptive mother Penny in 1981 Gotham City, and idolizes talk show host Murray Franklin. After losing his job for bringing a gun to a children's hospital, Arthur kills three Wayne Enterprises employees in self-defense, sparking city-wide protests, and gradually descends into insanity. He later kills Penny and the colleague who gave him the gun before renaming himself Joker and appearing in Franklin's show, during which he rants about society abandoning him and murders Franklin on live television. He is promptly arrested, but is rescued by protesters in clown masks and celebrated by them as a hero.[59][60] Prior to its release, in 2016, Todd Phillips began work on a standalone Joker film with the intent of launching a line of films unconnected to the DCEU called "DC Black".[61][62][63] Development began in August 2017, with Philips attached to direct and cowrite with Scott Silver while Martin Scorsese was set to produce.[64] For his performance and similarly to Heath Ledger before him, Phoenix was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor.
The Joker appears in Joker: Folie à Deux, portrayed again by Phoenix.[65][66] Two years after the first film, Arthur is incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital while awaiting trial. During this time, he meets and falls in love with another patient named Harleen "Lee" Quinzel. However, various circumstances lead to him renouncing his Joker identity and confessing to his crimes before Lee leaves him and an inmate (portrayed by Connor Storrie) kills him and carves a Glasgow smile onto his face.
The Joker makes a cameo appearance in The Batman (2022), portrayed by Barry Keoghan.[69][70] This version is a patient at Arkham State Hospital[71][70] who displays a permanent twisted smile, peeling skin, and a burned scalp with patches of hair. Director Matt Reeves described this iteration of the Joker as deformed from an early age like Joseph Merrick, the Phantom of the Opera, and Gwynplaine from The Man Who Laughs (1928) and adept at using other people's horror to his advantage. Makeup artist Mike Marino contributed to the characterization.
Animation
The DCAU incarnation of the Joker appears in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,[72] voiced again by Mark Hamill.[27] In flashbacks, it is revealed he previously worked as an enforcer for the Valestra mob before becoming a supervillain.
The DCAU incarnation of the Joker appears in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), voiced again by Mark Hamill. For this portrayal, his design resembles a combination of his appearances in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. In flashbacks, he and Harley Quinn kidnapped and tortured Robin for three weeks. All throughout, they rendered Tim Drake insane, secretly implanted stolen Project Cadmus technology into the boy with the Joker's consciousness and DNA as a miniature version of the Joker, and learned Batman's secret identity. Batman and Batgirl eventually rescued Drake who killed the Joker during the ensuing struggle. Forty years later, the Cadmus technology is activated, allowing the Joker to possess Drake's body and resurface to terrorize Neo-Gotham. However, he is defeated by Batman II who fries the technology with the Joker's own joy buzzer and frees his host.
The Batman (2004) incarnation of the Joker appears in The Batman vs. Dracula (2005), voiced again by Kevin Michael Richardson.[27] After accidentally awakening Dracula, he is converted into a vampire. Despite retaining his original personality and free will, his bloodthirst leads to him raiding a blood bank until he is captured, eventually cured, and sent to Arkham Asylum by Batman.
In 2016, comic book writer and Batman: The Killing Joke's screenwriter Brian Azzarello expressed interest in adapting his graphic novel Joker into an animated film.[75]
The Joker appears as a playable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013), voiced again by Richard Epcar.[27] Additionally, an alternate universe variant of the Joker who tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane and their unborn child and destroying Metropolis, for which he was killed by Superman, appears as well.
The Joker appears as an alternate skin in Infinite Crisis (2014), voiced again by Richard Epcar.[97][98]
The Joker appears as a playable character in Arena of Valor (2016).
The Joker, initially referred to as "John Doe", appears in Batman: The Telltale Series (2016),[99][100] voiced by Anthony Ingruber.[27] This version is a patient at Arkham Asylum who provides Bruce Wayne with information regarding the Children of Arkham's attacks on Gotham City.
The Joker appears as a playable character in Injustice 2 (2017),[101] voiced again by Richard Epcar.[27]
The Joker appears as a playable character in SINoALICE (2017), voiced again by Wataru Takagi.[102]
John Doe / the Joker appears in Batman: The Enemy Within (2017), voiced again by Anthony Ingruber.[103] After being discharged from Arkham, he and his former psychiatrist Harley Quinn joined a criminal cabal called the "Pact".
The Joker appears as an alternate skin in Fortnite (2017).[104]
The Joker appears as a downloadable playable character in Mortal Kombat 11 (2019),[105] voiced again by Richard Epcar.[106]
The Joker appears as a playable character in MultiVersus, voiced again by Mark Hamill.[107]
The Joker appears as a playable character in Lego Dimensions (2015), voiced again by Christopher Corey Smith. This version is a member of Lord Vortech's army. Additionally, The Lego Batman Movie incarnation appears in the associated DLC, voiced by Dave Wittenberg.
The Joker appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains (2018), voiced again by Mark Hamill.[109][110][27] This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. Additionally, the DCAU incarnation of the Joker appears as a playable character via and the final boss of the Batman: The Animated Series DLC pack.
Mark Hamill reprises his role as the Joker in the main trilogy of the Batman: Arkham franchise while Troy Baker voices a younger version in the prequelsArkham Origins, Origins Blackgate, and Arkham Shadow.[112][113][114][27] This depiction of the Joker has received widespread acclaim as critics have lauded the voice acting and the exploration of his rivalry with Batman.[115][116][117][118] The Joker won the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards' "Character of the Year" award for his role in Arkham City.[119]
First appearing as the final boss of Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), the Joker takes over Arkham Island to work on the "Titan formula", a more potent version of Bane's Venom drug, to create an army of genetically-enhanced henchmen before using it on himself, only to be defeated by Batman. Additionally, the Joker appears as a playable character via the Challenge Maps.[120][121]
In Batman: Arkham City (2011), the Joker is transferred to the eponymous city prison, where he becomes embroiled in a gang war with Two-Face and the Penguin. After discovering he is slowly dying due to the Titan formula, he infects Batman and several Gotham City citizens with his infected blood to force him to help find a cure. Despite Batman's best efforts, the Joker ultimately succumbs to the disease.
A young Joker appears in Batman: Arkham Origins (2013), in which he kidnaps and poses as Black Mask to hire eight assassins to kill Batman and later has his first encounter with the latter in addition to Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Additionally, the Joker appears as a playable character via the game's multiplayer mode.
In Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), the Joker manifests as a split personality within Batman and four civilians, Henry Adams, Johnny Charisma, Christina Bell, and Albert King, due to residual traces of the Joker's blood within their bodily systems, with Batman additionally seeing hallucinations of the Joker due to exposure to the Scarecrow's new fear toxin while the civilians all take on aspects of the Joker's personality and appearance. Upon realizing Batman will become the best host for the Joker's return, Adams kills the other infected and himself. Eventually, Batman overcomes the Joker personality and locks him within his mind.
The Joker makes a cameo appearance in Batman: Arkham VR (2016) via a nightmare sequence.
The DCAU incarnation of the Joker appears in flashbacks in the tie-in comic Justice League Beyond. Following his death during the flashbacks in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Batman and Commissioner Jim Gordon see his body buried underneath Arkham Asylum.
The Injustice incarnation of the Joker appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us tie-in comic. Prior to tricking Superman into killing Lois Lane and her unborn child and destroying Metropolis, the Joker and Harley Quinn murdered Jimmy Olsen, stole a nuclear warhead, connected it to a dead man's switch and Lane's pulse, and exposed Superman to Kryptonite-laced fear toxin they stole from the Scarecrow. Years after Superman killed the Joker and formed the Regime, a group inspired by the latter called the Joker Underground emerge to oppose Superman. While Batwoman and Harley provide assistance to the group, Superman slaughters them. Nonetheless, more people are inspired by the Joker while an alternate universe variant arrives to co-opt the Joker Underground later in the series.
An alternate reality variant of the Joker appears in Smallville: Alien #3. This version is the Batman of Earth-13.[132]
This article is missing information about actors and their portrayal years. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(March 2023)
^Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN9781605490441. Retrieved March 22, 2024. Ted Knight was the narrator, plus he played Alfred the Butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the villains. Jane Webb did Batgirl and Catwoman and the other female characters. And I did some of the minor voice work here and there as well, for the first time.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqar"Joker Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 27, 2015. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^"Red Hood Voice - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 10, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery", Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 93.
