Almost everyone, both readers and characters, want to know the origin of The Joker, and DC has finally given readers enough information to figure out who he truly was. While The Joker is one of the most mysterious characters around, he is still just a man and does have a past. While DC has tried to avoid giving direct answers to his identity for a while, they have offered a few hints to his true identity and have even gone further and explained exactly how the Joker became the mysterious maniac that he is today.
The origin of the Joker is something that fans and characters have been trying to figure out for decades. The mysterious Clown Prince of Crime simply appeared in Gotham City one day and started causing absolute chaos, with a seeming fixation on the caped crusader. For decades, people have been trying to figure out who the Joker is and where he came from, hoping that this information would provide some answers for his madness. While DC has tried to avoid answering this question, over the decades, enough information has built up to tell readers all they need to know about Joker.
One of the first elements of the Joker's origin was actually revealed way back in Detective Comics #168 by Bill Finger and Lew Sayre Schwartz. In this story, Batman reveals the tale of the one criminal to escape him, the Red Hood, while lecturing at a college. It was here that the college was surprisingly attacked by Red Hood himself. Eventually, not only did Batman capture him, but he unmasked him as the college janitor. Since it was impossible for this to be the same Red Hood from so long ago, Batman forced the janitor to reveal who he stole the costume from, which was none other than the Joker.
After 84 Years, DC Finally Confirms Joker's One True Origin Story
A new Joker-centric storyline kicks off that finally digs into the villain’s past and reveals which of his potential origin stories is the real one.
The Joker's First Identity Was As A Chemical Engineer
Detective Comics #168 by Bill Finger, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Win Mortimer, and George Roussos
This shocking reveal was the first key bit of information as to who the Joker was. It's revealed that Joker was a chemical engineer for the Monarch Playing Card Company. He was unhappy with his life and eventually decided to retire, after stealing one million dollars from the company. This led to Joker creating the identity of the Red Hood, a mask that obscured his every feature, making it impossible to identify him. While trying to escape Batman, the Joker dived into a vat of chemicals, which bleached his skin and dyed his hair green, transforming the disgruntled engineer into the Harlequin of Hate.
The Red Hood was a patsy identity, always someone innocent or hapless that the actual criminals could blame and call the leader of the gang if they were caught.
This backstory would be touched on and famously expanded in The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. This story would seek to try and explore the Joker's backstory further, explaining that Joker was a failed comedian with a pregnant wife. Having no money to his growing family, Jack was forced by a group of criminals to take on the identity of the Red Hood and help rob his former employer, Ace Chemicals. The Red Hood was a patsy identity, always someone innocent or hapless that the actual criminals could blame and call the leader of the gang if they were caught.
Batman Has Always Known Joker's True Identity
Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh
The Killing Joke, for a long time, was the strongest look that readers had at the Joker's backstory, and it's the one that is widely regarded as canon. The Killing Joke does go out of its way to show the Joker is an unreliable narrator. He outright states in the story that he doesn't always his backstory properly, and he prefers it to be multiple-choice. Despite this, the story has mostly been canonized in comics like Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. In this story, Batman reveals he always knew Joker's identity, and it perfectly matches up with The Killing Jokes backstory.
The Killing Joke was originally written as an Elseworld story, but it was so popular that DC brought it into the main canon and changed everything.
Another interesting bit of the Joker's origin, in a comic by the same writer, was in Batman: Flashpoint Beyond #5 by Geoff Johns and Tim Sheridan. In this story, Martha Wayne reveals the true full name of the Joker as Jack Oswald White, a failed comedian who never got involved with the Red Hood gang and became the Joker. While his life isn't easy, he's happy with his family. This finally gives readers the full name of the Joker, which is backed up by both The Killing Joke and Detective Comics #168 from decades prior.
The 10 Best Joker Origin Stories From The Comics
Every time the Joker tells his own origin story, it's a new story. But what are the most interesting backstories that DC comics has explored?
The Joker's True Name Is Officially Jack Oswald White
Batman: Flashpoint Beyond #5 by Geoff Johns, Tim Sheridan, Jeremy Adams, Xermanico, Mikel Janin, Romulo Fajardo Jr, Jordie Bellaire, and Rob Leigh
While this explains exactly who the Joker is, DC has gone even further and officially explained how the Joker came to be. There are tons of alternate universes, and yet they almost all have a Joker in it. No matter the difference in the universe, he seems to always come into being. This was explained in Batman #132 by Chip Zdarsky and Mike Hawthorne. This issue revealed the existence of Darwin Halliday, a man who never became the Joker. Darwin is someone who was destined to become the Joker, but because there is no Batman in his universe, he never did.
Darwin Halliday's obsession with the Joker and his relationship to Joker's madness can be seen in Chip Zdarsky's Bat-Man Of Gotham storyline on sale now from DC Comics!
This resulted in Darwin desperately trying to become the Joker by using a machine to view alternate universes. Darwin was hoping that by witnessing the moment of madness that broke other Jokers, he too would be driven insane. Instead, it's revealed that Darwin's attempt to view these moments is the moment that drives the Jokers insane. Because of this detail, DC has finally revealed everything there is to know about the Joker. Readers now know exactly how he became the Joker, which is from the Red Hood incident, they know his true name as Jack Oswald White, and they know he was driven mad because of Darwin Halliday's interference.
The Killing Joke, Batman: Flashpoint Beyond, Detective Comics #168, and Batman #132 are all on sale now from DC Comics!
- NAME
- Arthur Fleck
- Alias
- Red Hood, Clown Prince of Crime, Ace of Knaves
- Created By
- Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson
- POWERS
- Criminal Mastermind, Expert Chemist, Weaponized Props, Psychological Manipulation, Combat Skills, Unpredictability, High Pain Tolerance, Charisma, Escape Artist
- RELATIONSHIPS
- Batman (archenemy), Harley Quinn (former psychiatrist, on-and-off girlfriend), Penguin (frequent collaborator), Two-Face (frequent collaborator)
- HISTORY
- The Joker's history has been depicted with various origin stories, the most common being his transformation into the Joker after falling into a vat of chemical waste that bleaches his skin white, turns his hair green, and lips bright red. This disfigurement drives him insane, leading him to become Batman's greatest nemesis.
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.
