Why are we all so obsessed with the Joker?
[gunshot]
Joker: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
We are tonight's entertainment.
Narrator: There are, of course,
several explanations for this.
For one, he is one of the oldest villains
in comic book history,
his first appearance dating all the way back in 1940,
with "Batman" issue No. 1.
But I think what really propelled the character to fame
was in its various incarnations throughout history.
From comics to television, movies, video games,
and animation, the Joker is probably one
of the most readapted villains in history.
And, understandably, the question
of who did it best is an ongoing debate.
But I think it's an unfair question,
considering that every incarnation of the character,
more specifically the four different types of Joker
we've seen throughout history,
are all entirely different characters.
But without even just one of them, the Joker would not
have evolved into the perfect villain we know today.
[evil laughing]
Joker: Come, my comic cohorts in crime!
Narrator: The Joker's initial appearance in comics
was very different from the Joker we know today.
His appearance in "Batman" No. 1
portrayed him as a smart and capable criminal
driven primarily by greed,
committing a series of murders to steal precious jewels.
Perhaps the most vital trait that was first established
was his penchant for theatricality,
announcing his crime via radio before they even happened.
This would in time become a trope that would be used again.
Smylex model: Love that Joker.
Narrator: And again.
Joker: Every day he doesn't, people will die.
Narrator: He was smart, cunning, and ruthless.
But despite it all, the Joker was still
just another criminal,
albeit with an unusual sense of humor.
Several critics have viewed this Joker
as a perfect example of the trickster archetype,
one of the many archetypes devised
by psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
In literature, these are characters
who show high levels of intelligence,
use their mind to play tricks,
or disobey any established rules.
Another great example of this archetype is Loki
from the Norse mythology and subsequently the Marvel comics,
who, like the Joker, treads a thin line
between malicious violence and harmless humor.
When the "silver age" of comics hit in the '50s,
DC began toning down the evil side of Joker
to market their books for children
and to avoid strict censorship.
The 1942 story "The Joker Walks the Last Mile"
became a turning point that transformed
the unusual, menacing serial killer into a joke.
And Cesar Romero's portrayal of the character
in the 1960s television series "Batman"
only solidified this image, depicting the character
as an intelligent yet mostly harmless prankster
with an unusual set of gadgets.
As the show's popularity waned, so did the Joker,
until in 1973, the character made a return
in an almost unrecognizable form.
Harley Quinn: Presenting that caliph of clowns,
that mogul of mountebanks, the one and only Joker!
[evil laughing]
Narrator: Under writer Dennis O'Neil,
the "Batman" comics began taking a darker and grittier turn,
and with it, the villains.
"Batman" No. 251 signified the return of the Joker
as a criminal and a serial killer.
It was at this time that Joker truly turned mad.
O'Neil and the writers who came after him began
focusing on Joker's insanity, and with it came
the creation of the landmark Arkham Asylum.
Joker was no longer scary because he was
a ruthless criminal, but because he was
an insane and unpredictable one.
Writer Steve Englehart's arc "The Laughing Fish"
was an iconic story that exemplified this insanity,
showing the Joker poisoning the water supply
to make the fish look like him
so he could copyright and profit off of them.
The same story was also adapted in the '90s'
"Batman: The Animated Series,"
expertly voiced by Mark Hamill,
whose Joker was heavily inspired by the Joker of the '70s.
It's a ridiculous premise, but nonetheless,
the portrayal of the Joker is absolutely terrifying.
Joker: I think I'll start using my toxin on cattle!
Joker Burgers! Ha, talk about a happy meal.
[laughing hysterically]
Narrator: The era signified a huge shift
in the characterization of the Joker,
but the transformation was far from complete.
All of this changed with just one work
that would revolutionize the idea of the Joker
for years to come:
Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke."
[laughing maniacally]
Published during the "dark age" of comics,
when stories became even darker and more mature
to target adult audiences, "The Killing Joke"
was a revolutionary work for the character
for a number of reasons.
First, it established the idea
that the Joker has no specific origin.
Contrary to popular belief, "The Killing Joke"
does not tell a definitive origin story for the Joker,
but only a possible one inspired by a story that was
already told years ago in "Detective Comics" No. 168.
What is definitive is Joker's view on his past.
Joker: Sometimes I remember it one way,
sometimes another.
If I'm going to have a past,
I prefer it to be multiple choice.
Narrator: This turned the Joker from an evil man
to an idea, an embodiment of his belief.
And with it, the Joker became more vocal
about what he believes in, such as his frightening
observation that all it takes for someone
to become like him is just...
Joker: One bad day.
That's how far the world is from where I am,
just one bad day.
Narrator: The second revolutionary aspect
was in the novel's interpretation
of Joker's relationship with Batman.
Moore saw Batman and Joker as a mirror image of each other,
both creations of a random and tragic event
that led to an alternate identity
and opposing views of the world.
This meant that their fights were no longer just physical,
but really a philosophical one.
"The Killing Joke" opened the floodgate to other stories
that began exploring the Joker as a philosopher.
It was also what heavily inspired Jack Nicholson's iconic
portrayal of the character in Tim Burton's "Batman."
Joker: As you can see, I'm a lot happier.
Narrator: His Joker was really a combination
of all the Jokers before him.
The campiness of the '60s, the insanity of the '70s,
and the philosophical implication of the modern era.
This is perhaps why Nicholson's portrayal was so iconic,
as it provided the most comprehensive look at the character
that has drastically evolved over the years.
Until 2008, when director Christopher Nolan
and Heath Ledger proved that Joker's transformation
was far from over.
[sirens blaring]
Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was
quite unlike anything we've seen.
There were characteristics that clearly made him the Joker,
like his pension for theatricality,
the multiple origin stories, and a macabre sense of humor.
Joker: I don't wanna kill you.
Narrator: But if Nicholson's Joker was more
of a performance artist, Ledger's was that of a terrorist
who exploited the modern fear of political
and philosophical extremism in the post-9/11 America.
He was an anarchist who not only refused to follow
the established order, but actively seeked to destroy it,
introducing chaos to the political landscape
of Gotham as its...
Joker: I'm an agent of chaos.
Narrator: Nolan also provided a specific philosophy
to ground the character: nihilism.
A philosophical belief that denies
all meaningful values in life.
One critic compared the Joker to what Friedrich Nietzsche
ironically called Übermensch, or Superman,
a being that independently decides on what's right or wrong
and asserts their own belief into the world.
Joker: It's not about money; it's about sending a message.
Narrator: Others also noticed that this interpretation
of the Batman and the Joker's relationship mirrored
the Nietzschean philosophy of the master and slave morality,
Joker being the master morality that creates
and defines its own rules without the approval of others
and considers what benefits them to be good,
while Batman serving as the slave morality
that is bound by existing laws
and distinguishes right from wrong,
the two in constant battle for what each finds just.
Ledger's Joker was scary, because, like "The Killing Joke,"
it embodied an idea of chaos and anarchy that couldn't be...
Alfred Pennyworth: Bought, bullied, reasoned,
or negotiated with.
Narrator: An entity that Batman can't just win physically.
Joker's transformation is an ongoing one.
The most recent adaptation, by Joaquin Phoenix,
seems to be more political,
representing him as a Marxist figure.
And in recent comics, Scott Snyder portrayed
the Joker as an almost demonic figure,
an evil as old as the city of Gotham itself.
And perhaps this is why we're
all so obsessed with the Joker.
It's a character that constantly changes
and evolves to reflect our various fears.
To borrow the mind of Nietzsche,
it's not the abyss you're staring into that scares you,
but the abyss staring back,
with a big, clown-like smile.
Joker: See, madness, as you know, is like gravity.
All it takes is a little push.
[Joker laughing maniacally]