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The Joker
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Real Name
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Unknown
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First Appearance
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Batman (Vol. 1) #1 (April 25, 1940)
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Creators
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Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, Bob Kane
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Team Affliations
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The Injustice League, The Injustice Gang
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Aliases
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The Red Hood, The Clown Prince of Crime
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Base of Operations
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Gotham City
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Powers
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None
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Skills and Abilities
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Genius-level intelligence, Expert chemist and engineer, Skilled in hand-to-hand combat
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Tools and Weapons
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Knives, Guns, Razor Sharp Playing Cards, Explosive Toys, Presents, Bazooka, Various Custom Explosives, Acid Flower, Joy Buzzer, Joker Gas, Joker Venom
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The Joker is a supervillain in the DC Universe and Batman's archenemy.
Origin[]
The Joker's true origin is unknown, though it has been theorized that he was a failed comedian who went mad after he lost his wife and child and fell into a vat of chemicals during a robbery he was involved in, turning his skin white and his hair green.
Biography[]
The Golden Age (Earth-Two)[]
Much of the Joker's past prior to fighting Batman is unknown. It is known he was once a lab worker who decided to turn to crime and ended up acting as a criminal leader known as the Red Hood. However, during a job at the Monarch Playing Card Company, the Red Hood was cornered by the superhero Batman and his sidekick Robin and he attempted to escape by jumping off a catwalk in the factory. Falling into the chemicals, the Hood escaped, only to find that he now had chalk-white skin, deep red lips and green hair. He went onto reinvent himself as a master criminal, taking on the name the Joker.
He first made his presence known, announcing on the radio his intent to kill certain wealthy Gothamites and take their possessions. He did just that, leaving rictus grins on their faces through use of a specialized venom. Eventually, however, his spree was ended by Batman and Robin. While the Joker went to prison, he didn't stay in their long, escaping using a tiny explosive hidden in his molar. In order to capture him once more, Batman baited a trap and he and Robin fought the Joker once more. They were victorious and the Joker suffered what should have been a life ending injury but managed to survive.
The Joker was quick to reappear with new plots, such as leading an organization called Crime Syndicate Inc for a brief time (until they were defeated by Batman), tricking criminals into robbing for him (which he would steal from them while disguised) and attempting to steal a Jade Buddha. During the latter crime, the Joker fought Batman and Robin and once again seemingly died after falling from a boat, making many assume that he drowned to death. Joker again returned with other plans, including using circus performers as thieves, running an illegal gambling ship and creating a team of practical jokers in a crime spree. Each crime was thwarted by Batman while Joker would escape each time by seemingly dying.
The Joker eventually decided to attempt to assassinate Batman during a commendation ceremony for Batman and Robin. His initial plan failed but his strike hit the director of the FBI, there to present the award, making Joker wanted across America.