The Joker: 10 Most Famous Comic Book Origins Ranked Worst To Best

5. The Red Hood Gang

The Joker
DC Comics

There seem to be two constants about the Joker’s backstory, regardless of which comic origin you choose to believe. One, is that he achieves his white face, red lips and green hair from falling into a vat of chemicals. And the second is that he was leader, rather than mere member, of the infamous Red Hood gang that go around bringing mayhem to the streets of Gotham City.

The exact details will vary, but the Joker was seemingly the leader of the organisation. While wearing the hood itself, and being pursued by Batman, the creepy clown loses his footing and falls into the vat of chemicals. Everybody views him as dead – until the leader of the gang rocks up with a disfigured appearance and even greater desire to pursue criminal activities.

Ranking Explained: The Red Hood origins are brilliant, in the sense they provide a logical story as to how the Joker looks so…strange. However, the reason it ranks towards the lower end of the scale is because of the even bolder origin stories that have been published over the years…

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