Powers you didnít know Joker Had Hey guys!
Welcome back to Top 10 Nerd, Iím Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
We all know the Joker; the silly clown-like villain whoís also a homicidal maniac.
While he generally isnít the superpower type and tends to rely more on various poisons
and gadgets, he has shown a number of powers over the years, some that endured and some
that lasted only a short time.
Not enough people know about them, so Iíve compiled a list of my faves.
Now SMILE!
Itís time for the Top 10 Powers you didnít know Joker had!
Number 10: Pain resistance.
Weíve seen Joker get beaten down time and time again, and yet the guy keeps coming back.
His complete disregard for pain leads many to believe that he has some sort of resistance,
and potentially feels no pain at all.
Take, for example, that time he let Dollmaker remove his face just to make a point.
Itís POSSIBLE that heís just so insane that it was worth it for his strange reasons, but
I think itís more likely that he just doesnít feel it.
And after all the crap heís put his body throughÖ I canít really blame it for going
ìscrew it, Iím turning ALL the nerves off, youíre a jerk.î
Number 9: Knowledge of the 4th wall.
This might not exactly be a superpower per se, in that he doesnít really use it to help
him, but it certainly shows a high level of awareness.
Knowing that there are people watching him does explain some of his antics, and shows
him to be totally aware of his situation.
We see this from time to time in the Animated Series, where he often speaks directly to
the camera, or to the invisible viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-AgWNDAM0Q (5:42)
Number 8: Immunity to Poison.
Years of dedicated abuse of his body has caused Joker to be immune to all kinds of poisons
and toxins.
This helps him to be unaffected by his own gas but also allows him to resist the effects
of other chemicals like Scarecrowís fear gas.
This is, of course, incredibly useful for a guy whose main MO is chemical weapons, and
also helps him to avoid capture or death by poison.
Heís basically Wesley from Princess Bride, but instead of Iocaine powder, itísÖ well,
everything.
Number 7: Immortality.
Thatís right, for a short time Joker was immortal!
In a Judge Dredd crossover, Joker invaded the universe of Judge Dredd, and managed to
bargain with the Dark Judges, Death, Fear, Fire, and Mortis.
In exchange for helping them to escape their prison in exchange for immortality.
He did it, and he became the immortal Judge Joker, only to get kinda bored of it and go
back home to his mortal life.
At first it sounds sorta silly, but when you really think about it, do you really think
Joker would be happy with an easy life without Batman?
Neither do I. Number 6: Superhuman timing.
This one is far from confirmed, but it goes a long way to explain Jokerís success, despite
his seeming lack of concern in most cases.
For the record, this was first brought to my attention by reddit user Codoro, so I canít
take credit for the idea.
But itís pretty cool.
You know the most important thing to a comedian?
Timing.
And it seems that rather fittingly, the Joker has amazing timing.
He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and no matter how close to
defeat he may be, he always seems to come out on topÖ Except when that damn Bat is
around.
This explains both his incredible success as a villain, and his hate for Batman; he
throws off his timing, and nobody likes a heckler!
Number 5: Super Intellect.
Hereís one thatís probably better known than some of the others.
As insane as Joker comes off, itís hard to deny that the dude is one smart cookie.
His laughing gas is one-of-a-kind, and the fact that he created it shows incredible prowess
in chemistry.
Heís also shown himself to be highly knowledgeable in human psychology, having thoroughly manipulated
countless people either to use them to his advantage, or just to mess with him.
His plans are also often incredibly cunning, sometimes pulling the wool over the eyes of
Batman himself.
Granted, sometimes his plans work because theyíre just so insane and unexpected, but
the there is clearly a good deal of intelligence trying desperately to claw its way past the
more insane thoughts.
Number 4: Tactical Genius.
Not only is the Joker a scientific and psychological genius, but heís proven himself to be quite
the tactician.
Whether heís setting up a trap for his favourite caped crusader, or escaping Arkham Asylum
for the umpteenth time, he definitely knows how to make a plan.
If Jokerís behind bars, chances are itís all part of his plan, because he has an easier
time getting out of Arkham than I do finding my way out of the mall.
Number 3: Super Sanity.
This idea was popularized when Grant Morrison described it in his graphic novel ìArkham
Asylum: A serious House on Serious Earthî in 1989.
Itís a bit complex, but essentially says that the Joker has no real filter on what
he perceives.
While normal peopleís perception is altered by their own sets of beliefs, the Joker just
goes with the flow, in a way reinventing himself every day.
It isnít that heís a madman who just wants to watch the world burn; he just takes in
information and does what comes naturally.
It just so happens that what comes naturally is, ya know, killing.
And a lot of it.
This is an explanation that isnít accepted by everyone, but itís certainly interesting
to think about.
Number 2: Mister Mxyzptlkís powers (Mix-is-spittle-ick).
Man, I so did not want to include this point because I did NOT want to say that name, but
it had to be on here because itís pretty cool.
In the Emperor Joker story arc, Joker managed to get his hands on the vast majority of Mr.
Mís powers.
And if you thought Joker was terrifying normally, youíre in for an unpleasant surprise.
He rebuilt Earth in his own image, as he wanted it to be, and spent much of his time just
torturing Batman.
Even with 5th dimensional powers, all Joker really cares about is Bats.
Itís kinda cute.
Kind of.
Number 1: Making Batman not be sulky for a moment.
Iíve referenced this in past videos but I think itís worth another mention because
it was a pretty cool scene.
In The Killing Joke, Joker and Batman have a surprisingly chill discussion, where Joker
tells Batman a joke.
Itís full of subtext, talking about two inmates escaping an asylum, but the most shocking
part of the scene comes just after the punchline.
After a ripe pause, we see Batman not just wipe his grumpy face off, but even laugh.
Not a chuckle, not a grunt, a full on belly laugh.
And I gotta tell yaÖ it was unsettling.
But also extremely cool, seeing the pair laugh together like old friends.
Considering the dark knightís constant brooding, this might be Jokerís most powerful ability
of them all; even if the joke itself wasnít that funny.
Thatís it for today!
Hope you guys enjoyed, if you did please smack that thumbs up button and subscribe to Top
10 Nerd for more videos!
Can you think of any other powers the Joker might have?
Share your ideas in the comment section down below!
I look forward to reading them!
Until next time, Iím Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Top 10 nerd.
Later nerds!