While most people might think that theJokeris a purely evil character, I honestly believe he isn’t only a complex character, but also someone who deeply wants to be a hero. Lots of comic-book villains are complex characters with deep motivations and reasons for their worldviews. There are also many comic characters who are simply evil and want to cause death for the sake of it. But what if the Joker isn’t like that at all?
The Jokerhas caused an unbelievable amount of pain and suffering in the DC Universe, killing thousands and wounding Batman’s friends, leaving them with life-long injuries and trauma. It’s very easy to see whymost readers write the Joker off as unspeakably and irredeemably evil. I don’t blame them for making this assumption, but as someone who has read a lot of Joker appearances over the years - like the Bizarro Joker from Jason Aaron and John Timms' “I, Bizarro"Action Comicsarc - I can’t get past a few details that seem to point to something more to his character.
While there’s no denying the sheer number and viciousness of the Joker’s crimes,there’s more to him than the evil he’s inflicted on the world. There have been a few instances throughout his history in comics that point to a man who truly wants to be a hero but is incapable of doing so due to the insanity he suffers from.
When the Joker Is Sane, He Tries to Do the Right Thing
JLA#15 by Grant Morrrison, Gary Frank, Howard Porter, Greg Land, John Dell, Bob McLeod, Pat Garrahy, and Ken Lopez
One of the first examples of the Joker regaining his sanity and expressing regret for his actions was inJLA#15. During this story,Martian Manhunter rearranges the Joker’s mind, granting him temporary sanity. Martian Manhunter isn’t able to hold this for long, as the Joker’s mind struggles to return to madness, but for his brief few moments of lucidity,he immediately expresses regret and guilt for the many lives he has taken. While I could see some fans writing this off as just one interpretation, this idea that the Joker would be a good person if he wasn’t insane shows up a few times.
The Joker expresses extreme guilt for the crimes he has committed, even asking to be put to death for them.
The Joker’s regret appears again inJLA#84 by Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, and Tom Nguyen. During this story, Martian Manhunter uses his powers to subdue all of Batman’s criminals, and once more, the Joker expresses extreme guilt for the crimes he has committed, even asking to be put to death for them. Butwhat if the Joker was able to get over his guiltfor his actions? Would he be a good person then? Well, from the many Joker stories that I’ve read over the years, the answer is yes - which may be surprising for a few comic book fans.
The Joker Has Never Remained Evil After Becoming Sane
Superman: Distant Firesby Howard Chaykin, Gil Kane, Kevin Nowlan, and Matt Hollingsworth
During the events ofSuperman: Distant Fires, the world ends due to a nuclear apocalypse. For whatever reason,the nuclear radiation cures the Joker of his insanity. He then settles down in the last colony of survivors and begins using his incredible skills as a chemist to help the survivors live a better life. In this destroyed world, he could’ve only looked out for himself or continued trying to hurt people, but instead,he uses his skills to help people, even welcoming Superman into this community with open arms.
Joker Finally Earned Redemption by Killing Batman’s Descendant (& Becoming Gotham’s New Dark Knight)
The Joker is a constant thorn in The Dark Knight’s side, with an alternate DC Universe showing what would happen if Joker became the one true Batman.
InAction Comics#1062 by Jason Aaron and John Timms, Bizarro unleashes magic on the world to make everyone into their inverse, Bizarro selves,resulting in the Joker becoming saneand teaming up with Superman. Not only is the Joker rendered sane, buthe also becomes the most empathetic person on Earth, and his words are full of such care and tender genuine emotion that he is able to persuade anyone into standing down. I know this might just seem like the “opposite” of how the Joker usually is, but there are even examples of the Joker wanting to save the world while he’s insane.
Even with Ultimate Power, the Joker Wanted to Save the Universe
Superman: Emperor Jokerby Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness, Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, and More
In the fantasticEmperor Jokerstoryline, the Joker confesses to Harley Quinn that the reason he wants to use his new god-like powers to destroy the universe is because he views it as resetting it.He’s ending all the chaos and misery once and for all, destroying the broken system that allowed people like him to come into creation. While this is a twisted way of saving the universe, the Joker is still completely “insane” in this story, meaning that even with his madness in tact, he still wants to do something good in his own way.
How did the Joker become the way he is in DC’s central continuity? For the most recent in-continuity Joker origin story, check out the collected editionBatman Vol. 3: TheJoker Year Oneby Chip Zdarsky, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Andrea Sorrentino, and more, available now from DC Comics.
InYear of the Villain: The Joker#1 by John Carpenter, Anthony Burch, Philip Tan, Jonathan Glapion, Danny Miki, Marc Deering, Jay David Ramos, and Gabriela Downie, the Joker reunites a son with his estranged mother. While he does this by basically threatening to kill her,the Joker’s actions still result in this family being brought back together, and the victim even ponders if this was the Joker’s original intention. While it’s certainly an odd way to do a heroic act, it was still something the Joker did out of kindness to help another person.
The Joker Wants to Be a Hero Even in Alternate Universes
Batman: White Knightby Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, and Todd Klein
In terms of alternate universes, in theWhite Knightuniverse, the Joker is once again cured of his insanity when he’s attacked by Batman, who forces a ton of different medications down his throat, resulting in the Joker becoming sane and regaining the persona of Jack Napier. I think it’s important to note two things. In this universe, writer/artist Murphy makes it very clear that Jack Napier and the Joker are two different personalities. It’s also important to note that this “plot twist” still supports the idea that the Joker has a hero inside of him. When the Joker is sane, he becomes Jack Napier, who is a truly good person who tries to do the right thing.
DC recently launched another alternate universe with radical new takes on its most iconic superheroes. Another almostunrecognizable version of the Jokerwas teased inAbsolute Batman#1 by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, available now from DC Comics.
InBatman: Going Saneby J.M. DeMatteis, Joe Staton, Steve Mitchell, Digital Chamelon, and Willie Schubert, the Joker seemingly kills Batman. Instead of celebrating and going on a rampage across Gotham City, the Joker immediately settles down and starts a simple life with a random civilian he meets. I think all of these examples perfectly show that, deep down, there is some good in the Joker. He doesn’t want to always be a violent serial killer; there are parts of him that want to save and help people. While there are tons of evidence of the Joker being a malicious force in the world, I can’t deny the amount of evidence that shows that theJokertruly wants to be a hero as well.
Superman: Distant Fires, Emperor Joker, Year of the Villain: The Joker #1, Batman: White Knight,andAction Comics#1062are all available now from DC Comics!
The Joker
The Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor. Initially introduced as a remorseless serial killer, the character evolved over time, often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal maniac. His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comic book history, defined by their mutual obsession. Over the decades, the Joker has become an enduring icon of chaos and madness, embodying the antithesis of Batman’s order and justice.
