Joker

JOKER

Real Name: Unrevealed

Class: Human

Occupation: Supervillain

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gotham City, Earth-3839

First Appearance: Batman / Captain America #1 (December, 1996)

Powers: Joker was criminally insane, unpredictable and demonstrated ruthless brutality when he fought. Joker used a number of deadly devices based on a practical joke theme, and used the Jokermobile, a car modified with a weapon system, as transportation. His Joker Venom killed in minutes and left the victim with a rictus resembling his own.

History: (Batman / Captain America #1) - <January, 1945> The Red Skull contacted Joker on behalf of Germany, asking him to engage in espionage missions against the Gotham Project, a top-secret research group dedicated to creating a functioning atom bomb, in exchange for making him wealthier than his wildest dreams. Joker agreed to do as he suggested, but made it clear he took orders from no man. After Batman and Robin foiled his second espionage attempt Joker ended up in a highspeed chase in the streets of Gotham with their Batmobile pursuing the Jokermobile. Joker drove to the docks and then launched himself in the air using the Jokermobile’s spring-loaded seat, and opened a parachute so he’d land safely far away from the Dynamic Duo. Batman started investigating the Jokermobile for clues when he heard a ticking, and he and Robin jumped in the harbor just before the Jokermobile self-detonated. Joker sent a group of his goons to kidnap Robert Oppenheimer, one of the Gotham Project’s top researchers, but they were foiled by Batman and Robin, who were aided by the legendary Captain America and Bucky, who’d been called stateside from the frontlines of WWII to deal with Joker and the Red Skull. Red Skull gave Joker his latest intel, and Joker killed a group of soldiers who were transporting Fat Boy, a functioning prototype atom bomb produced by the Gotham Project, with Joker venom. Red Skull met Joker at a secret airforce base, and told Joker he couldn’t allow him to use the bomb to blackmail Gotham City as he’d planned because the Skull was going to detonate it over Washington, D.C. Joker didn’t realize he was working with Nazis, and tried to kill Red Skull with his Joker venom, but the Skull was immune, and his men captured Joker. Skull loaded Joker and the bomb into his plane and set course for Washington. Batman, Cap, Rob and Bucky pursued Red Skull’s plane in the Batplane, and Batman and Cap boarded their enemies flight. Joker attacked Red Skull again when he entered the bomb bay and Batman took control of the plane, flying it out over the Atlantic Ocean. Joker, the Skull and the bomb tumbled out of the Atlantic, and the resulting atomic explosion seemingly killed the villains.

(Superman & Batman Generations #1) - <1949> Joker somehow survived the nuclear blast and was a prisoner of the Third Reich for six months. After the Russians took Germany he was sent to a Russian gulag and spent four years doing hard labor. Lex Luthor heard about Joker’s situation and decided he’d be the perfect wild card for his latest scheme against Superman. He flew in a squad of men who entered the gulag guns blazing and airlifted Joker out. Joker was grateful and agreed to help Lex with his plan, stealing green kryptonite and gold kryptonite from a Gotham metallurgy lab. Joker and Lex, who knew Superman’s secret identity, kidnapped Superman’s pregnant wife Lois Lane to lure Superman into a trap. Batman and Robin alerted Superman, and Batman burst into Luthor’s hideout, disguised as Superman. Joker opened a lead-lined box of green kryptonite and Batman feigned weakness before grabbing the Joker’s wrist and breaking it. Lex shot Batman in the back, and Superman melted the bullets with his heat-vision, but Batman pretended to be fatally wounded. Lex took off Batman’s Superman mask, and then Robin burst in, also disguised as Superman. He said he’d forfeit his own life if the villains let Lois go, and Lex said he didn’t want superman dead, he wanted him powerless when Lex took over the world. He revealed a safe containing the gold-k that would permanently strip Superman of his powers when the real Superman sealed it shut with his heat-vision. Superman, Batman and Robin all came after the villains, but Lex had an escape rocketship at the ready and said his farewell would remind Superman and batman of their last encounter. Batman used a batarang to jam the rocketship’s launch rail, and after freeing Lois they fled from the hideout, knowing Lex had set it to blow. They left the destroyed hideout and Lois got a checkup at the doctor’s. Lex had exposed her to the gold-k, ensuring that her unborn child would never have Kryptonian powers. Lois and Clark were troubled by the idea of their powerless future son knowing Superman was his father, and decided to never let him know the truth.

Comments: Created by Bill Finger & Bob Kane.