The Joker: 10 Most Famous Comic Book Origins Ranked Worst To Best
The Joker has no fixed origin meaning he could be anything or anyone...
The Joker is arguably the most psychotic character in comic book history. Forget Carange, forget Harvey Dent, forget Legion. It is Batman’s biggest foe who often leaves readers stunned and scared as he concocts evil schemes to establish crazy and insanity across Gotham City, incurring the wrath of Batman along the way.
And what makes him so interesting is that, unlike the majority of comic book characters, the Joker has no specific origin story. To some, he was a stand-up comedian who got bored of performing to rude audiences so decided to turn to crime. Others prefer to think of him as somebody turned wrong by a rough upbringing where he suffered abuse at the hands of family members and people he trusted. And, to the really ambitious, he’s not even one man, instead a trio operating in secrecy and bringing Gotham to its knees.
With a character as complex and mesmerising as the Joker, some origin stories are bound to be more impressive than others. Whether it be the comedian, rough upbringing or trio line you choose to believe, you deserve to know the endless possibilities out there.
And, once you do, you may see the Prince of Crime in a whole new light...
10. He Was Just Bored
There’s never been anything boring about the Joker. Whether it be his crazy personality, smile of insanity or unorthodox green hair, the Prince of Crime has always lived long in the memory and gathered quite a fanbase along the way. However, in the comic Lovers and Madmen, the Joker is given one of the worst origin stories because it turns out that his uniqueness as a villain stems from...boredom.
Mister J was a man called Jack and, bored from robbing banks, he begins to try Batman’s patience by pursuing the biggest and best heists out there. Yet Batman slices his face with a batarang and, when Jack falls into a vat of acid, he comes out looking completely different than he did before, with white pale skin and a big red smile transforming him into something far more fearsome.
Ranking Explained: While it’s kind of cool that the Joker’s tenancy to get bored would fuel his insanity, we don’t buy the clown ever getting bored. He is always able to keep things fresh and it is better and more true to the character to think that he was doing this even before he got his trademark name.