10 Terrible Mistakes That Nearly Ruined The Joker For Everyone

2. Forgetting He Existed

Even though he was Batman's #1 villain in the 1940s and 1950s, the Joker fell on hard times in the 1960s. New DC editor-in-chief Julius Schwartz didn't care for the character and his appearances dropped significantly. He might have died out if the 1966 Batman TV series hadn't revived some interest in him- but that series' popularity didn't last long either, and as its memory faded, the Joker vanished completely from 1969 to 1973. What Fixed It: It wasn't until '73 that Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams brought him back for good, by bringing both him and Batman back to basics: "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!" was the first Joker story in about thirty years that involved him actually killing someone. O'Neil's success with the Joker there might have explained his eagerness to do that Joker-centered series mentioned above. But it sure wasn't foreshadowed by what he did with the Joker in the Justice League...