Who is the Joker?

"If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be Multiple Choice."
~The Joker


The Joker has become somewhat of a fan favorite in the comic book universe. No villain has surpassed the popularity of this character in DC or in Marvel, and for good reason. He's completely insane, he has a chilling sense of humor, and wherever he is, he steals the show. But where did he come from? Often times there are re-imaginings to a comic book characters past but the Joker seems to embrace this phenomenon by never offering a clear choice as to where he actually came from. So we will explore the different origin stories that the Joker has gone with throughout the comics.

The Killing Joke (1988):

The Joker an his Wife.

In The Killing Joke he refers somewhat to his past, before he began a life of crime. We find out that he had a pregnant wife named Jeanie, and was trying to support them as a comedian. But he wan't that great of a comedian and could hardly bring in the money to try and keep the family afloat.

So he turned to a life of crime. He got a job from a local crime boss to help break into a chemical plant where the Joker used to be an assistant at. The Criminals force him to wear a Red dome shaped helmet in order to conceal his identity. While they plan the robbery the Joker goes home and finds the police who tell him that his wife and child had been killed. Scared, and angry the Joker tries to back out of the robbery but the criminals threaten to kill him if he does not go through with the robbery. The mob sends the Joker in alone to get the money but the robbery goes completely wrong. Batman crashes in through the windows knocking the Joker back. He stumbles over a ledge and falls straight into a vat of chemical substances.

He is washed through tubes and tubes until he finds himself outside the plant amongst a yard of chemical waste. He hurriedly pulls the red helmet off and catches a glimpse of his features in the reflection of the red dome. His lips, blood red. His skin, chalk white. His hair was putrid green. The chemicals had dyed his features to look like a clown. Normally a sad occasion, but he clung to his new persona. Driven mad by his wifes death, (revealed in another version of his backstory to be at the hands of the criminals that he worked for), went after the Batman always spiraling downward into more insanity.

BATMAN (1989):

In the 1989 film, Batman. We see the Jokers origin story in much of the same way, except this time we are given a name. Here the Joker's name is Jack Napier, a wealthy man very much involved in the life of crime who, (much like the Red Hood), fell into a chemical vat by Batman. In the movie he is credited with killing Bruce Wayne's parents, (rather than Joe Chill), and is recognized by his signature catchphrase: "Ever Dance with the Devil by the Pale Moonlight?"
In the end it is this very phrase that tips Bruce Wayne off at the end of the film and he pushes the Joker off the building and killing him. Or did he? It's left open ended. Regardless, it offers another origin story making the Joker portrayed as more of a gangster throughout the film, and not exactly insane as other iterations may appear.

The Joker, as portrayed by Jack Nicholson

DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY (2005-2012):

Not much can really be said about the Joker here. He's obviously completely insane and has an acute sensation for anarchy. But not much can be inferred from this iteration. He's portrayed as a rather scary man who wants to ruin Gotham. Instead of cooky gags, he employs the use of knives and more real threats. "I'm into the simple things. Like Dynamite, gunpowder, gasoline. . .", he says in the film. In this story we see that he got the facial scars from his father, and also by trying to make his wife feel better for the facial scars that she had received. That is all we know about him. "No Prints, no DNA. Clothes are custom and all that's in his pockets are knives and lint."

The Joker, as portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

Other Iterations:

These styles have primarily followed the backstory set up in The Killing Joke, but all have some different little spin on them, the Joker has been around for 75 years, and isn't bound to go away, we will see multiple Jokers for as long as there is an industry to capitalize off of him.

The Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, appears in the animated series.

The Joker, played by Cesar Romero in the 1966 Batman TV show.

The Joker, also voiced by Hamil, appearing in
Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Joker, voiced by Michael Emerson in
The Dark Knight Returns

The Joker from Death of the Family

The Joker, played by Jared Leto, will appear in
The Suicide Squad Movie.

Conclusion:

Well, obviously there are many ways that his past could go, and I doubt DC will actually tell us what it is. It's fun to keep fans guessing. Which Joker do you like the most? Which one do you like the least? Any theories for his origin? Let me know in the comments if you want.

The Joker, as depicted in Death of the Family.

Captain Marvel's: Shazam!

SHAZAM!!!

Origins:

Billy Batson

William "Billy" Batson, orphaned at the age of 10 was a kind-hearted young boy. His parents, C.C. and Marylin Batson, were archeologists that instilled within him sound standards and a sense of right and wrong. After they were killed by their assistant Theo Adam, (who later became possessed by an Egyptian spirit), Billy was orphaned on the streets of Fawcett City. As a kind natured kid he often stuck up for the little man being picked on by bullies, but ultimately was beat up himself because he was in fact a little man. All the injustice in Billie's life was noticed by Shazam.

One day Billy finds himself in trouble and while running through the city runs into the subway system. He boards a train that starts to cascade down the tunnels at incredibly high speeds. Lightning starts sparking from the subway car and he finds himself transported into an ancient tunnel where sitting atop a throne is a man in white robes. He claims he is the wizard Shazam and wishes to bestow his powers onto a worthy soul. After countless attempts on others he finds that the true spirit of justice and righteousness is in the soul of the children. The Wizard explains that the power Shazam is a compilation of the powers held by various legends:

"Billy meets Shazam" (1941 TV show).

• Solomon's Wisdom
• Hercules Strength
• Atlas' Stamina
• Zeus' Power
• Achilles' Courage
• Mercury's Speed

Shazam (New 52)

The Wizard bestows Billy with the ability to summon the powers of Shazam and become Captain Marvel. But then the wizard disappears. Billy is then transported out of the cave and back to Fawcett City where everything seems normal. Billy calls out for the wizard yelling "Shazam!" and is instantly struck by lightening turning from a 10 year old boy to a fully grown superhero. Not only does he have the powers of Shazam, (Super strenght, etc), but he has the power of flight, ancient magic and most importantly the power to summon bolts of lightening at his command. With the spirit of a child and the power of a man he becomes "Earth's Mightiest Mortal."

Specific Powers:

• Divine Empowerment
• Accelerated Healing
• Clairvoyance
• Divine Grace
• Eidetic Memory
• Enhanced Intellect
• Language
• Tactics of War
• Mathematics
• Flight
• Healing
• Indomitable Will
• Invulnerability
• Self-Sustenance
• Superhuman Reflexes, Agility, Stamina, and Strength
• Teleportation
• Transformation
• Summoning

Weakness:

• Vulnerability to Electricity: Although he wields the power of Lightening, if he is charged with enough volts of electricity he will revert back to his alter ego, Billy Batson.

Various Iterations:

Original Captain Marvel

New 52 Captain Marvel

Young Justice

Shazam from Justice League: War.

Batman V. Superman: Doom of Justice?

(Stylistic "S" fashioned into a "Fatman" logo?)

Let me make something abundantly clear here, (as this is my first post). I bear no quarrels with Batman or Superman. Truth be told, Batman will forever be my absolute favorite comic book hero ever, and Superman (though seemingly cliche) deserves a great movie and I fear that this movie may not do either of them justice. Will "Batfleck v. Superman" be the box office hit that director Zack Snyder hopes for? Or will it truly be the Doom of Justice?

Batfleck and Jesse Luthor:

Official Batfleck

Ben Affleck is the perfect Bruce Wayne, because nobody could expect him to be Batman. The casting decisions within Snyder's new take on the DC universe has been somewhat sound until now. The fact of the matter is that Ben Affleck is a poor choice as Batman, and Jesse Eisenberg is likewise for Lex Luthor. Ben Affleck might be an okay candidate if his track record for movies wasn't completely stale and if he had the height and the body to fill a promising Batsuit. 

Lex Luthor Mugshot

Jesse Eisenberg  is as far away from Lex Luthor as anyone. When Man of Steel came out everybody speculated about who could be Lex Luthor and everyone had their sights set on Bryan Cranston (We wanted Heisenberg and got Eisenberg instead!). The thing about Jesse Eisenberg is that he just wouldn't fit the part. He is thin, short, and is not bald. Don't get me wrong Eisenberg has been in many great roles from Now You See Me to The Social Network, he fit the characters. But Lex Luthor is always portrayed as a somewhat muscular business man, deep voiced and BALD. 

Overloading The Heroes:

If there is one thing I have learned by watching the movies that Marvel has been putting out is that they have taken their time. Marvel was very careful about when they added new heroes, and they were hardly in the same movie until the first Avengers. In Batman v. Superman we will see the debut of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and rumors of the Flash. Their roles haven't been released yet but the fact that nobody but Superman has had a stand-alone film at all and is being frivolously thrown into the movie all at once seems like a desperate grab for attention. Man of Steel was an okay movie, if we had seen a Batman reboot before this movie I would feel a bit more at ease, but four extra heroes? Is that really necessary?

Inspiration:

From what I've seen, (and this is the only Pro I can really think of) is that this story and it's characters seem to be based off of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. This comic book was a work of much controversy as it portrays Batman as a sort of villain, but the main climax of the film is when the military brings Superman in to stop Batman. Could the plot for this movie become a live action Dark Knight Returns? It could be. In both stories Bruce has been established as Batman for a while and it seems that Superman has a problem with his vigilantism. We also saw from the teaser trailer that Batman is outfitted with an Iron-man-like suit, much like the one used in the Dark Knight Returns. The bad thing about basing it off of DKR is that it's not necessarily considered canon. It exists separately from the main universe as a whole, it's kind of like a big "what if". The story does not contain Wonder Woman or any of the other heroes, and the whole Justice League seems to be in disarray anyways. So if Batman v. Superman was planning on going the DKR route, it would be hard to then make a Justice League movie as planned.

(Still from the DC animated movie based on Frank Miller's graphic novel.)

Play it Safe DC:

The stylistic approach from Snyder might have worked if DC had established itself as a viable industry, but it's been lacking. Marvel is skyrocketing farther and farther with each new movie because they stay with the comics for the most part and entertain the masses without taking too many risks. Now is not the time for DC to try and make something new and different from the comics if it ever wants to compete in an industry now run by Marvel. We've seen both comic book franchise's at their lowest and their highs. Marvel has their Avengers, but they once had attempts at Daredevil, Hulk, and Ghost Rider. DC hit lows on Green Lantern but one of the most excellently done movies, The Dark Knight, (and my personal favorite), was released by them. Marvel has been slowly injecting little references and Easter eggs into their movies piecing them together in order to make them all connect leaving us all excited for Phase 3. Whereas DC's lineup of movies seems almost random and arbitrary. DC needs to start over, but the problem is that they are too far behind. We've seen very promising TV shows from DC, (Arrow, Flash, Gotham, Constantine). But Marvel's recent Daredevil has many DC fan's worried because it is good, very good. In the end though, it all falls to the blockbuster movies that come out, and to say the least DC is failing.  Play it safe or Disney will buy you and then we'll see the Marvel/DC crossover we've all been waiting for (My vote is for the latter).

DC plays Marvel at chess.

Conclusion:

Many things have been stated, but ultimately the core of who will go and see this movie lies with one factor: It's Batman and Superman. They are two of the most recognized heroes in comic book history and anyone would pay to watch them duke it out. I may not be on board for this movie but I will for sure see if it has potential.

 Besides, who doesn't want to see Batman beat Superman. . . . . . . . . .

There is bound to be some form of controversy, but I'd love to hear all of your opinions on the matter of this movie. Are you on board with it? Against it? Ambivalent? Let me know in the comments.