Joker Origin Movie: 7 Comic Storylines DC Could Adapt

by Ewan Paterson

1. The Joker's Five Way Revenge

Joker Five Way Revenge
DC Comics/Neal Adams

The Joker's Five Way Revenge is one of, if not the most important Batman story every published. Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams pretty much reinvented the character's mythos when they were handed the keys to his comic back during the burgeoning moments of the medium's Bronze Age, with their reintroduction of the Clown Prince perhaps ranking among the run's biggest accomplishments.

The story, apart from providing the definitive image of the Clown Prince for a generation, returned the character to his homicidal roots, reminded The Dark Knight of his importance and provided a tone that would dominate the character's comics for decades to come. If this latest film were to opt for a non-linear route, then, utilising the two comics that have influenced the villain the most (Killing Joke, as well as this one) would be a surefire way of providing a uniquely compelling narrative.

If the DCEU has proven anything so far, it's that looking to only one source of inspiration when adapting a comic book is a big mistake. The franchise wears Frank Miller on its sleeve and it's worse off for it.

However, should this new series of films take a different approach - one that takes into account the decades' worth of history these characters have built up - they could be set to boast an appeal the DCEU is yet to find. Five Way Revenge is the path to that appeal, and in borrowing bits of pieces from various other Joker tales, this particular feature could yet be the Clown Prince's best.

Advertisement

20 Recent Box Office Flops Everyone Saw Coming

Every Upcoming MCU Project Ranked By Anticipation

Horror

20 Awesome Recent Horror Movies You Definitely Missed

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.