The Joker Thread - Part 1

[AndyTrevino]

Jesus a lot of the new ideas people have for this new Joker on Reddit sound like something out of a bad TikTok.

 

[PurpleStar]

Jesus a lot of the new ideas people have for this new Joker on Reddit sound like something out of a bad TikTok.

Dare I ask for some examples? I'm curious now lol

 

[AndyTrevino]

Dare I ask for some examples? I'm curious now lol

A societal outcast who is revolting against the world, a Joker that only speaks in puns and double entendres, a Joker who wears a rubber mask instead of bleached skin or makeup and has bouts of schizophrenia, etc

 

[Captain Tired]

a Joker who wears a rubber mask instead of bleached skin or makeup and has bouts of schizophrenia, etc

Are we sure that isn't our very own Art Vandelay making a cameo appearance on reddit there?

 

[Art Vandelay]

When did I ever suggest he be schizophrenic?!?

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I'd like to see the next live action joker to have two different color eyes. Just to add to the unsettling appearance of the character.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I'd like to see the next live action joker to have two different color eyes. Just to add to the unsettling appearance of the character.

I feel like him having different sized pupils would be a lot weirder. But I'm not sure, it might make the design too busy. Plus I feel like you could easily veer into cutesy territory with heterochromia

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I think it really depends on the purpose of it. If you want it to be cutesy then you make it so, If you want it to be unsettling then you make it so. Catch my drift? When I think of the condition my mind doesn't go to "cutesy" especially when I imagine how Reeves and the design team would handle it.

It's also not an unprecedented design choice for joker. The new Joker vol 1 graphic novel features that specific look, as did the Sean Murphy books white knight series.

 

[Captain Tired]

When did I ever suggest he be schizophrenic?!?

You and this random redditor are literally the only two people I've ever seen suggest that the Joker should wear a rubber mask like STAS Toyman or something.

 

[Art Vandelay]

You and this random redditor are literally the only two people I've ever seen suggest that the Joker should wear a rubber mask like STAS Toyman or something.

I never once said that.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

STAS Toyman though…
So good. Why have they only used Lex and Zod? Even Doomsday was created by Lex using Zod… so weird, use different Superman villains already

 

[Captain Tired]

I agree. I want to see cinematic versions of Brainiac, Mxyzptlk, Parasite, Metallo, etc. So many great and colourful villains to see tangle with the Man of Tomorrow.

Lex is always a must, of course, but for God's sakes branch out already.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I maintain that using General Zod in MOS instead of an STAS inspired Brainiac was a mistake.

 

[Mindreaper21]

If there happens to be a scene where Joker wears a mask, the only one he should be wearing is a Jester mask. Maybe a masquerade massacre scene.

 

[PurpleStar]

If there happens to be a scene where Joker wears a mask, the only one he should be wearing is a Jester mask. Maybe a masquerade massacre scene. View attachment 51003

Yeah, or have him wear clown make up as part of a costume he has for something but have a scene where he wipes it off to reveal... his clown like appearance beneath.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I’m thinking he’s permawhite with some scarring

Spoiler

they likely wouldn’t let him wear makeup in Arkham, so if he has white skin there, then I’m thinking he’s permawhite with a scarred smile. This also fits with a description I’ve seen

 

[metaphysician]

A societal outcast who is revolting against the world, a Joker that only speaks in puns and double entendres, a Joker who wears a rubber mask instead of bleached skin or makeup and has bouts of schizophrenia, etc

You know, am I the only one who is increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of the Joker as "insane", especially if it were even loosely tied to any real world mental illness? It feeds into the "mental illness makes you an inhuman monster" stereotype, which is problematic to say the least. And its not like their insanity is portrayed in a humanizing manner, like with Two-Face; Joker is pretty much the poster child for "this person has zero redeeming moral value".

Which is a problem, admittedly, given his relationship with Arkham Asylum is iconic. Just. . . I would hope they would at the very least leave him with a vague purely fictional "insanity" rather than try to humanize someone who really shouldn't be humanized. Or better yet, make it text that the Joker probably *shouldn't* be in Arkham, he's just good at gaming the system and likes having "his" people at hand to use and abuse. Sure, that touches on the "not guilty by insanity" cliche, but that at least isn't nearly as harmful as "mental illness makes you a rabid animal that should probably be put down".

 

[Mindreaper21]

Yeah, I’m not necessarily into Joker being “insane” either, because I feel like some people portraying Joker would get lost in “what kind of crazy is he?”. This is how Jared’s Joker feels.

For me, Joker should come off as a sort of normal guy with a dark quirky sense of humor that happens to kill for a hobby. It’s like a monster/demon pretending to be human. It looks human, but it’s mannerisms reveals something much much darker.

 

[shauner111]

You know, am I the only one who is increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of the Joker as "insane", especially if it were even loosely tied to any real world mental illness? It feeds into the "mental illness makes you an inhuman monster" stereotype, which is problematic to say the least. And its not like their insanity is portrayed in a humanizing manner, like with Two-Face; Joker is pretty much the poster child for "this person has zero redeeming moral value".

Which is a problem, admittedly, given his relationship with Arkham Asylum is iconic. Just. . . I would hope they would at the very least leave him with a vague purely fictional "insanity" rather than try to humanize someone who really shouldn't be humanized. Or better yet, make it text that the Joker probably *shouldn't* be in Arkham, he's just good at gaming the system and likes having "his" people at hand to use and abuse. Sure, that touches on the "not guilty by insanity" cliche, but that at least isn't nearly as harmful as "mental illness makes you a rabid animal that should probably be put down".

Oh here we go. Who cares about real life or what ppl think about real issues? It is a fictional character and he’s a psychotic irredeemable clown. That’s the character. He’s a cold blooded killer with no conscious. Not every patient in Arkham is depicted that way and Batman cares about what happens to them. But Joker isn’t one of them just like Michael Myers shouldn’t have to be humanized “just incase some people get offended while watching a movie”.

If you think about how audiences will react for what you’re writing, everything will get watered down with artists afraid to “go there”. Seriously. Who cares what it looks like? He’s supposed to be evil incarnate. Go there or don’t even bother writing the character. Enough of the sensitivity towards fictional characters.

 

[cryptic name]

I want this next Joker to, even is his face is terrifying, wear actual neat lipstick here. Nothing super smeared.

I’d like to maybe see lips that are blistered and bleeding evoke the red lips as opposed to lipstick or makeup

 

[Captain Tired]

It sounds to me like you just wanna see a dude with herpes play the Joker.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I’d like to maybe see lips that are blistered and bleeding evoke the red lips as opposed to lipstick or makeup

I still want him to have control over his look so I'd rather he wear lipstick

 

[Mindreaper21]

Imagine Joker breaking into an old lady’s home and putting on her lipstick in the bathroom before he kills her.

 

[PurpleStar]

You know, am I the only one who is increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of the Joker as "insane", especially if it were even loosely tied to any real world mental illness? It feeds into the "mental illness makes you an inhuman monster" stereotype, which is problematic to say the least. And its not like their insanity is portrayed in a humanizing manner, like with Two-Face; Joker is pretty much the poster child for "this person has zero redeeming moral value".

Which is a problem, admittedly, given his relationship with Arkham Asylum is iconic. Just. . . I would hope they would at the very least leave him with a vague purely fictional "insanity" rather than try to humanize someone who really shouldn't be humanized. Or better yet, make it text that the Joker probably *shouldn't* be in Arkham, he's just good at gaming the system and likes having "his" people at hand to use and abuse. Sure, that touches on the "not guilty by insanity" cliche, but that at least isn't nearly as harmful as "mental illness makes you a rabid animal that should probably be put down".

Yeah, this point has some merit tbh. But I think the only thing that Joker could comfortably be described as is antisocial personality disorder - but a very exaggerated and larger than life version because he's a fictional comic book character, and therefore not realistic.

I mean, Joker has been referred to as a "maniac" since the first stories featuring him. In fact, in the Joker story in Batman #2, while Joker is in hospital after accidentally stabbing himself at the end of the second Joker story in Batman #1, Batman plans to get Joker to a brain surgeon to make him a normal functioning person in society. Obvious implying lobotomy. That's long before Arkham Asylum was introduced in the early 70s. But in one of the first stories featuring Arkham Asylum, in 70s The Joker solo series, Joker says that he's judged to be criminally insane and therefore not responsible for his actions - the state is! And as such Joker can do anything he wants, which implies that he's gaming the system. In real life, he'd probably be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder,but not legally insane because people can have psychological disorders but not necessarily qualify as insane in a legal sense. From my understanding, you need to be suffering delusions and have no understanding of your actions and reality of the consequences to meet this.
Also to add, I think the problem is that at some point Joker was judged to be insane and committed, but everytime he escapes Arkham he's never actually been discharged so is still under a psychiatric hold and is therefore just returned to Arkham because while escaped he's still technically a patient there. Obviously this means serious issues with Gothem legal and psychiatric authorities.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Serial killer Joker ftw! This is going to the scariest Joker yet