The Joker: 10 Totally Different Characters He's Been

10. Remorseless Serial Killer

It took a while to circle back round to it, but when The Joker made his debut in 1940's Batman #1 he was very much the Clown Prince Of Crime you'd recognise today. As in, he was a total psychopath who killed for fun and didn't seem to feel all that guilty about it either. That's The Joker audiences of today are used to. The facially scarred (or is it make up?) criminal mastermind who puts together elaborate schemes to test his nemesis, The Batman, which usually involves him putting the majority of Gotham's population in immediate peril, often with his patented Joker Gas. And when eh doesn't do that? He's going on actual killing sprees, leaving a trail of blood that inevitably leads to the Dark Knight's hands. Or else, he's faking going on a killing spree to psychologically mess with his arch enemy. He is not a nice man, basically.