The Joker is anything but traditional when it comes to villains.
While he may have been one of the earlier super hero antagonists to hit comic book stands
back in 1950 in Batman issue #1, the character has always played by the beat of his own drum,
right down to the weapons he’s used to terrorize Gotham and his finer half, Bruce Wayne.
So today, we’re taking a look at some of the tools of Joker’s trade with our list
of the top 10 Joker Gadgets.
10 Joy Buzzer Always good for an electrifying laugh, Joker’s
Joy Buzzer does more than just surprise his victim in a comical way – it can also kill
them via strong electrical currents.
It’s commonly agreed upon that the first appearance of the buzzer was in its ‘prototype’
form in the early 1940s story ‘The Cross Country Crimes’ in Batman issue 8, where
the Joker, who is on the run, set up decoy dummies of himself to trick authorities and
Batman – these decoys are rigged up to be giant electrical buzzers – if you touch
them, you’ll get electrocuted.
Although in this encounter, both Batman and Robin touch the decoy and manage to survive.
Later in Batman #73, the buzzer would return, but only as an actual joke buzzer the Joker
would use to distract a police officer with.
9 Extendable Boxing Glove Who doesn’t love a good extendable boxing
glove punch gag?
Well, apparently anyone the Joker has surprised with it and got whacked.
While it’s definitely one of his less sinister gadgets, it’s used frequently throughout
the DC extended universe – in the 2004 Batman cartoon, specifically in the episode The Apprentice.
And prior to that, it was one of the Joker’s weapons in the 1989 Batman film, where the
villain used it to destroy a TV after he’s disgruntled by all the press Batman is receiving.
The weapon even exists in the video game realm, specifically in DC universe online, and in
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe.
8 Harpoon Toy Gun Sometimes the element of fear is enough to
drive people to do what you want.
Or drive them absolutely mad.
One of the more endearing aspects of the Joker’s character is finding the humour in the macabre,
so naturally one of the guns that he wields is a fake one.
For the comedic effect.
It’s a common gag we’ve seen him use multiple times, from the earlier Batman films to the
Lego adaptations, and of course, the comics themselves.
But the real humour in this gag usually comes from the fact that it’s actually a real
gun after all.
Classic Joker.
7 Smith & Wesson Model 15-3 Speaking of guns, here’s an absolutely outlandish
one that appeared in 1989’s Batman film.
Jack Nicholson’s Joker carries this gun around in his waistband in the film, and after
a certain set of plans that we’ll be discussing in our next number go south, he whips it out
to shoot the Batwing down out of the air.
It’s got an excessively long telescoping barrel that shoots explosive ammunition, and
can be collapsed, which is why he can brandish it in his pants.
6 Parade Balloons Another weapon used in the 1989 Batman film,
these Parade Balloons were part of a plot to commit a mass homicide during the Gotham
City 200th anniversary parade.
True to the Joker’s principals when it comes to chaos and destruction, Jack Nicholson’s
take on the character filled these balloons with toxic gas, with the intent on pouring
the gas on the crowds below.
Luckily Batman saves the day in time with minimal causalities, and uses his Batwing
to fly the balloons away.
5 Chattering Teeth Predominantly appearing in the Arkham video
games, the Joker’s chattering teeth can be found throughout the series, and when destroyed,
their laugh box detonates.
For the most part, they’re not hostile, until you end up in your boss battle with
the Joker in Arkham Asylum, and he starts chucking them at you.
And they’re explosive.
Plus they chase you around.
To be fair, the way they operate is similar to a grenade, with a timed explosion, but
since they actively chase you, they can be deadly.
They also make an appearance in Injustice as part of one of Joker’s combos.
4 Razor Playing Cards A fan favourite, and the equivalent to Batman’s
batarangs, Joker’s Razor Playing Cards are one of his long range weapons.
Sometimes they’re thrown as such, but other times, these razor sharp cards are planted
for their victim to find and ‘accidentally’ cut themselves on, with the cards usually
coated in poison.
3 Pencil Back in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight,
Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker in one of the most iconic comic book to big screen performances
to date.
In one scene, the Joker interrupts a meeting between the heads of various crime organizations
and makes a slew of demands, and everyone underestimates him as a complete lunatic.
Which, in fact, is accurate, proven by this little trick he does with a pencil.
While pencils don’t really seem to be a common weapon of choice of the Clown Prince
of Crime’s, his inventiveness and resourcefulness is something the character has always harboured.
2 Acid Flower Another classic joke gag appropriated for
murder, Joker’s Acid Flower generally gives him a surprise advantage, and has been known
to contain many different kinds of acidic or poisonous properties.
We’ve seen it used in both campy and monstrous ways – it’s another one of the tools the
1989 Batman movie Joker uses to incapacitate Vicki Vale.
He once tried to spray Poison Ivy with laughing gas using the flower – which she was immune
to.
He’s tricked Superman in the New Batman Adventures with it, destroying the man of
steel’s lead suit so his kryptonite weapons would work on him.
And its even acted as a vessel for our number one weapon, having devastating effects.
And then sometimes, it just squirts water.
When it comes to the Joker, unpredictability is king, making this flower one of his finest
tricks in combat.
1 Joker Venom Perhaps the deadliest tool in the Joker’s
arsenal, Joker Vemon was introduced in the very same issue as Joker’s debut – Batman
#1 in the Spring of 1940, where it was fired out of a gas gun.
Sometimes appearing as a liquid, at other times appearing as a gas, it’s his most
versatile weapon, and is often smeared on other objects like blow darts, bladed weapons,
or even on the Joker’s lips.
It usually affects its victims by paralyzing them, leaving them with a wide horrific smile,
and generally they suffocate and laugh themselves to death.
One of the more iconic moments this occurred on a mass scale was in the Dark Knight Returns,
where a supposedly reformed Joker appears on a David Letterman-esque talk show and a
robotic doll enters the studio to douse the entire audience in the Venom.
There we have it friends!
Which of these gadgets is your favourite?
Are there more unconventional or whacky ones from the past that you think we should’ve
included on our list?
And do you think we should do a part two?
Let us know your thoughts in those comments below!
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In the meantime, thanks for watching!
I’ve been Kelly Paoli and this has been top 10 nerd.
Catch you all in the next one.