Who would have though a villain as terrifying as theJokerwould have redesigns that are more disturbing than he normally is? The Clown Prince of Crime strikes fear in the hearts of people everywhere, no matter what time, place, or universe he happens to be in.
Few characters have been through as many re-imaginings orupdates as the Joker, and it seems like every time he turns around, he’s taken on some new form that’s more frightening than before.The Joker has had a lot of scary incarnationsin the past, so read on to discover ten of his scariest and most disturbing designs.
10Batman: I, Joker
An Innocent Man Turned into a Demonized Villain
It’s not always about how a Joker physically looks, but how he was created. The Elseworlds storyBatman: I, Jokeris set years and years in the future, to the point where Batman’s exploits have inspired a new religious order. The order has an annual ceremony where people fight for the right to become the new Batman, but only by defeating one of his greatest enemies. Unfortunately, freedom fighterJoe Collins, who wants to put an end to the insanity, is selected to be the ceremony’s Joker.
Joe is surgically altered to become the spitting image of the Joker and is even mentally reconditioned to be more like the original villain. Thankfully, the process is interrupted, allowing Joe to retain most of his mind. However,Joe is left stuck in his new ‘Jokerized’ body as he fights to end the order’s influence.
9Batman #1
It’s Hard to Beat the Original Joker
If one wants a truly frightening Joker, they need only go all the way back to the villain’s humble beginnings inBatman #1. It’s a relatively simple story, as the Joker makes a series of announcements of the crimes he intends to do before actually pulling them off. While this Joker uses his trademark Joker Venom to commit numerous murders,he lacks the jocular attitude and spirit that would later come to define the iconic Batman rogue.
This version of the Joker is deadly serious, methodical, and cold. He looks like the Joker fans know, even occasionally eliciting his unsettling iconic grin. But he’s more withdrawn and contemplative, with readers never knowing what he’s going to do next.While later versions of the Joker had a bit of a playfulness to them, this one was just plain disturbing.
8Akrham Asylum: A Serious House of Serious Earth
A Monstrous Joker That Pushed Batman to the Limit
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’sArkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earthwas a much darker trip into the iconic facility that holds all of Batman’s villains. And in the Joker’s case, the creative team gave fans one of the most icky incarnations possible. The villain and his fellow inmates take over the asylum, forcing Batman to meet with them. While other Batman villains get dark makeovers,the Joker gets one of the most disturbing.
McKean really pulls off one of the most grotesque Jokers ever created, giving him sickly, corpse-like skin with red rash-like scarring around his eyes. This version of the Joker is so perturbing, even his dialogue is written out like blood splatters.The Joker’s spent countless amounts of time in Arkham, but none of his stays have been as unsettling as this.
7Legends of the Dark Claw #1
Hyena Merged Joker with Wolverine’s Nemesis Sabretooth
Thanks toMarvel and DC Comics’ Amalgam experiment, readers discovered that one way to make the Joker even scarier was by fusing him with one of the most killer foes from another world.Legends of the Dark Clawshowcased Dark Claw, a Wolverine/Batman fusion, so naturally,it only made good sense for the Joker to merge with Wolverine’s nemesis, the bloodthirsty Sabretooth. Together, they formed Hyena, one of the deadliest foes in the Amalgam Universe.
Hyena borrows from both the Joker and Sabretooth to create one disturbing new form. He’s got the Joker’s wild green mane that flows down his shoulders and back and also possesses the Joker’s unique grin. However, his frame much more resembles Sabretooth’s muscular body down to his razor-sharp claws. While only limited to the Amalgam Universe,this Joker doppelganger is nontheless intimidating.
6Superman: Space Age
A Victim Driven to the Brink
Not every Joker is bad, or at least, hard to understand.Superman: Space Agewas a different take on the Man of Steel’s mythos that saw Clark and his allies working through the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Towards the end of the series, Batman encounters this world’s version of the Joker, who at one point was actually a simple party clown. However,the Joker also lived in a building that was set on fire as part of an insurance scam.
The Joker rushed into the building to save his daughter from the fire. Not only did he fail, but he suffered intense burns to the point that his lips appeared to burn off.While most redesigns are meant to make the Joker scarier, this overhaul made him possibly the most sympathetic he’s ever been.
5Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance
Bruce’s Death Shattered Martha Wayne’s Sanity
Everything that could go wrong in the Flashpoint Universe did and one of the most shocking changes in this timeline was that Bruce Wayne died instead of his parents in Crime Alley. That incident changed Thomas and Martha Wayne forever. While Thomas sought vengeance on the world and became his world’s version of Batman, Martha went the opposite route, her mind fracturing over the death of her son,causing her to become the Flashpoint timeline’s Joker.
Rather than a grin, Martha cut her cheeks open to give herself a permanent ‘smile’. She late fully embraced her Joker identity, painting her face white and dying her hair green.While there’s a lot that’s unsettling about this version of the Joker, what happened to Martha was tragedy, right down to trying to end her life after finding out Bruce was meant to be Batman.
4Future State: Gotham #8
The Next Joker is a Killer Brute
In the wake ofDark Nights: Death Metal, fans got a look at what could potentially happen in the DCU’s future.Future State: Gothamsaw Batman’s town come under control of the oppressive private security organization, the Magistrate. If that wasn’t bad enough, the heroes of Gotham were alsoplagued by a new villain who’d arrived to fill the void left behind by the Joker.
Joker II, aka the Next Joker, was a hulking figure of a man who wore a black and white clown suit and a mask bearing an eerie grin that projected green flames from the top.This Joker was an absolute psychopath who didn’t commit crimes for laughs, but because he wanted to cause as much pain and chaos as he possibly could.
3Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1
There’s No Joking When it Comes to the Choker
Fans may recall Stan Lee once worked with DC Comics to createJust Imagine…, a series of one-shots where comic icon Stan Lee re-imagined DC heroes with different origins and powers. While his original take on the Dark Knight didn’t include a variant of Batman’s greatest nemesis, the idea was revisited inTales From Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1after the creator’s passing.This anthology finally debuted a canon ‘Joker’ for Lee’s Batman.
Rather than the Joker, Earth-6 has the Choker, a pale-faced serial killerwho stalks women before lurching out and throttling them. He largely resembles the Harlequin of Hate, right down to the green hair. But this sickening foe forgoes the sounds of laughter in pursuit of hearing the final, panicked choking sounds of his victims.
2Absolute Batman #6
Absolute Joker is an Absolute Monster
Fans are still getting to know the Absolute Universe and its new takes on iconic DC heroes and villains. ButAbsolute Batmanwent ahead and gave fans a glimpse of its Joker in the very first issue, revealing that this world’s Joker is one of the richest people in the world (and a psychopath who’s lived a life quite similar to the Prime Bruce Wayne). His first appearance was somewhat obscured,but fans got to see just how twisted Joker really was inAbsolute Batman #6.
At the end of the issue, Absolute Joker is seen sitting in an undisclosed location. He appears withered and pale, somewhat like his Prime counterpart. However, he restores himself to full strength by draining the blood of babies attached to him,showing there is no bottom for the Joker in the Absolute Universe.
1Batman: Death of the Family
The Joker’s Most Horrifying In-Canon Overhaul
Fans who were around for the New 52 remember the Joker’s most disturbing redesign of all time. After having his face cut off by the Dollmaker,Joker returns to claim his property, but rather than have it properly re-affixed to his skull, he opts to wear it like a mask. After a brief, year-long absence, the Joker came back with a plan to take down every member of the Bat-Family and decided to up his terrifying game with a new look.
Not only did the Joker wear his face thanks to a belt attached to it, but he even gave it a ‘grin’ thanks to some additional wires. What made the imagery worse was that the face was clearly decaying, pushing an already sick concept tomake the most disturbing Joker design ever seen in canon.
