9 Things You Never Knew About The Joker
Smile everybody: Batman's arch nemesis The Joker is about to make a dramatic comeback in Suicide Squad, a villain-packed blockbuster about the worst scum DC Comics has to offer.
Jared Leto sports the rictus grin and shock of green hair, but there's much more to the Clown Prince of Crime than his iconic look - as these nine quick-fire facts demonstrate.
1. He's based on monochrome movie star Conrad Veidt
Batman comic book trio Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson are all credited with creating The Joker, but it was Finger who brought a crucial element into play: German screen actor Conrad Veidt.
When he produced an image of Veidt's pale-skinned, disfigured character Gwynplaine from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs, lightning bulbs ignited and The Joker was swiftly born.
2. The Joker was once Bruce Wayne's mother
Geoff Johns's critically-acclaimed comic Flashpoint introduced an alternate reality in which everything in the DC universe got turned on its head.
There's a serious curveball for the Wayne family as young Bruce is shot dead by a mugger in Crime Alley and his father Thomas eventually takes on the Batman mantle. Martha, so traumatised by her son's death, suffers a mental break and becomes The Joker, presumably making the family Christmas dinner a tad awkward. joker action figure
3. He once had a sidekick called Gaggy
Harley Quinn? Forget it. The Joker's first ever sidekick was a pint-sized psychotic clown called Gaggy Gagsworth. The character debuted back in 1966's Batman #186 comic, but was swiftly apprehended by Batman and Robin during a bungled heist.
Gaggy was later resurrected for the Gotham City Sirens series, posing as The Joker in order to lure his new number two, Harley Quinn, to her doom. Things didn't go to plan, leaving Gaggy tragically out in the cold again. joker action figure
4. He's (finally) getting an R-rated movie
The Joker has done some very bad things over the course of his 75-year history. So it's something of a surprise to learn that all of his big-screen antics have been in the PG-13/12A realm.
This will change very shortly thanks to an upcoming animated film version of Alan Moore's classic comic The Killing Joke. The original 1988 story saw the Clown Prince of Crime shoot and paralyse Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara in one of the Batman lore's most shocking moments.
Add that to the widely-circulated theory that Batman snaps Joker's neck in the final frames, and you have one of the most brutal DC stories going. joker action figure
5. Cesar Romero refused to shave off his moustache for the part
The '60s Batman TV series was jam-packed with great actors hellbent on wrestling screen time away from Adam West.
Chief among them was smooth Latino movie star Cesar Romero, who point-blank refused to ditch his signature 'tache for the part. Consequently, the make-up department had to be well-stocked to smear over that face fuzz. wind waker nendoroid
6. He murdered Robin in cold blood
In the post-Frank Miller comic book world, audiences were craving a bit of darkness with their superhero stories. Step forward The Joker, who killed the Jason Todd incarnation of Robin at the climax of four-part series A Death in the Family.
Intriguingly, the plot twist was decided by readers after DC Comics set up a telephone poll to asking if Robin should live or die. Seeing as Jason wasn't too popular a character, a bloodbath inevitably ensued. joker action figure
7. Heath Ledger designed the Joker make-up himself
The Dark Knight bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Make-Up, and some of the credit needs to go to Heath Ledger, who came up with Joker's distinctive look himself.
Picking up white clown make-up and cosmetics from drugstores, Ledger went method and threw together the distinctive look himself. The make-up team then had to reproduce Ledger's work for each day of filming.
8. He's been voiced by Luke Skywalker for more than 20 years
Outside of lightsaber-wielding Star Wars duties, Mark Hamill has established himself as a voice acting star of some clout. His defining role by some distance? The Joker, who he first portrayed in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
Since then he's brought his distinct cackle to Batman animated films (Mask of the Phantasm) and video games (the Arkham series), even winning a BAFTA for 2012's Arkham City. joker action figure
9. The Joker filled up Jack Nicholson's bank account
Old Jack's a canny lad. When Nicholson signed up for Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, he dropped his usual $10 million fee down to a paltry $6 million - but only on the condition he received a percentage the film's gross in return. And a cut from any merchandise bearing his likeness. But also - get this - a cut of any future Batman sequels and earnings too. Holy Percentage Points, Robin!
Which means, since the success of the Christian Bale trilogy, a $100 million windfall has had Nicholson cackling all the way to the bank. No wonder he's repeatedly said The Joker is his favourite screen role.
Jared Leto sports the rictus grin and shock of green hair, but there's much more to the Clown Prince of Crime than his iconic look - as these nine quick-fire facts demonstrate.
1. He's based on monochrome movie star Conrad Veidt
Batman comic book trio Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson are all credited with creating The Joker, but it was Finger who brought a crucial element into play: German screen actor Conrad Veidt.
When he produced an image of Veidt's pale-skinned, disfigured character Gwynplaine from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs, lightning bulbs ignited and The Joker was swiftly born.
2. The Joker was once Bruce Wayne's mother
Geoff Johns's critically-acclaimed comic Flashpoint introduced an alternate reality in which everything in the DC universe got turned on its head.
There's a serious curveball for the Wayne family as young Bruce is shot dead by a mugger in Crime Alley and his father Thomas eventually takes on the Batman mantle. Martha, so traumatised by her son's death, suffers a mental break and becomes The Joker, presumably making the family Christmas dinner a tad awkward. joker action figure
3. He once had a sidekick called Gaggy
Harley Quinn? Forget it. The Joker's first ever sidekick was a pint-sized psychotic clown called Gaggy Gagsworth. The character debuted back in 1966's Batman #186 comic, but was swiftly apprehended by Batman and Robin during a bungled heist.
Gaggy was later resurrected for the Gotham City Sirens series, posing as The Joker in order to lure his new number two, Harley Quinn, to her doom. Things didn't go to plan, leaving Gaggy tragically out in the cold again. joker action figure
4. He's (finally) getting an R-rated movie
The Joker has done some very bad things over the course of his 75-year history. So it's something of a surprise to learn that all of his big-screen antics have been in the PG-13/12A realm.
This will change very shortly thanks to an upcoming animated film version of Alan Moore's classic comic The Killing Joke. The original 1988 story saw the Clown Prince of Crime shoot and paralyse Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara in one of the Batman lore's most shocking moments.
Add that to the widely-circulated theory that Batman snaps Joker's neck in the final frames, and you have one of the most brutal DC stories going. joker action figure
5. Cesar Romero refused to shave off his moustache for the part
The '60s Batman TV series was jam-packed with great actors hellbent on wrestling screen time away from Adam West.
Chief among them was smooth Latino movie star Cesar Romero, who point-blank refused to ditch his signature 'tache for the part. Consequently, the make-up department had to be well-stocked to smear over that face fuzz. wind waker nendoroid
6. He murdered Robin in cold blood
In the post-Frank Miller comic book world, audiences were craving a bit of darkness with their superhero stories. Step forward The Joker, who killed the Jason Todd incarnation of Robin at the climax of four-part series A Death in the Family.
Intriguingly, the plot twist was decided by readers after DC Comics set up a telephone poll to asking if Robin should live or die. Seeing as Jason wasn't too popular a character, a bloodbath inevitably ensued. joker action figure
7. Heath Ledger designed the Joker make-up himself
The Dark Knight bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Make-Up, and some of the credit needs to go to Heath Ledger, who came up with Joker's distinctive look himself.
Picking up white clown make-up and cosmetics from drugstores, Ledger went method and threw together the distinctive look himself. The make-up team then had to reproduce Ledger's work for each day of filming.
8. He's been voiced by Luke Skywalker for more than 20 years
Outside of lightsaber-wielding Star Wars duties, Mark Hamill has established himself as a voice acting star of some clout. His defining role by some distance? The Joker, who he first portrayed in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
Since then he's brought his distinct cackle to Batman animated films (Mask of the Phantasm) and video games (the Arkham series), even winning a BAFTA for 2012's Arkham City. joker action figure
9. The Joker filled up Jack Nicholson's bank account
Old Jack's a canny lad. When Nicholson signed up for Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, he dropped his usual $10 million fee down to a paltry $6 million - but only on the condition he received a percentage the film's gross in return. And a cut from any merchandise bearing his likeness. But also - get this - a cut of any future Batman sequels and earnings too. Holy Percentage Points, Robin!
Which means, since the success of the Christian Bale trilogy, a $100 million windfall has had Nicholson cackling all the way to the bank. No wonder he's repeatedly said The Joker is his favourite screen role.
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