Few villains can compete with either the iconic status or the longevity of The Joker: he is a phenomenon in his own right, and has as many fans as his moral opposite. That's quite the achievement for a character whose actions are quite often utterly despicable, but then he's so unique, colourful and interesting that it's hard to dislike him. Having first appeared in the 1940's Batman, he has gone on to be an almost permanent thorn in the Dark Knight's side (a notable absence in the 1960's aside). He has appeared across the board in all Batman media and on all Batman paraphernalia - from comic books, movies and television shows, to lunch boxes, keyrings and underpants - and is every bit as popular today as he has ever been, if not more so. That kind of popularity means he is often talked about, and when fans of something talk about that something, they tend to create their own ideas. The Joker is no different. Theories (often outrageous theories, but awesome ones nevertheless) about the Clown Prince of Crime crop up quite often amongst his fans - whether it be the comic book version of the charater, movie versions or otherwise - and that's what this article is going to look into.
