The Joker: 10 Most Famous Comic Book Origins Ranked Worst To Best
2. He Was A Married Comedian Before Tragedy Struck
One of the things the Joker prides both himself and his associates on is their sense of humour. This is a man with a big, red, creepy smile on his face and he always delivers lines packed full of wit. A one potential origin for the Prince of Crime is that he was a failed comedian with a tragic past that ultimately led to him pursuing a far more risky and dangerous career.
In Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, a comic held in extremely high regard among the DC fanbase, the Joker attempts to launch a comedy career after previously working at a chemical lab. When that goes wrong, he is then hired by the Red Hood gang to conduct repairs on his old place of employment – only for him to tragically fall in and disfigure himself. Both the comedy career and involvement with the Red Hood gang were done with the aim of keeping his family together, with his wife pregnant. However, she then dies soon after his disfigurement, leading to the Joker to produce his famous ‘One Bad Day’ monologue.
Ranking Explained: A fascinating origin story and one that adds so much. The fact he had a wife adds sympathy. That he was once normal, makes you feel intrigue. And readers feel nothing but satisfaction at the fact it still gives a nod to the Red Hood theory and chemical disfigurement. Could easily have been number one...