I’ve recently found myself in the mood for non-traditional forms of literature, specifically graphic novels and this got me onto thinking about one of my favourite characters in comic book history: The Joker.
Real name unknown, the Joker is probably the ultimate supervillain from the Batman universe, a mastermind criminal with a slightly bizarre aesthetic, but hey, I’m not going to judge. One of Batman’s earliest foe, the Joker has developed alongside the hero, taking on layers upon layers to create the entity that he is today: a mysterious, intense, terrifying and genius killer. Knowing all this, I am still asking myself one question: “Is the Joker really a villain?”
Villain (vil·lain) n.
- A wicked or evil person
- A dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero
At first look, the Joker is obviously a villain. He has killed many throughout his numerous appearances in the comics, movies and TV shows. However, there is so much to consider in this exceptionally complex character. Such a simplified definition as the one above does very little to explain all that the Joker has done, wants to do, and will do. Maybe he is evil. Undoubtedly, he has done evil things, and generally is seems that his aims are evil. But maybe, just maybe, there is more to it.
The Joker has evolved into a foil to Batman, his opposite in almost every way. His appearance is colourful, in contrast to his brutality, killing often and gruesomely, always with a manic grin and laughter. In contrast, Batman is constantly donned in black or grey, though violent, he refuses to kill (one of the major hallmarks of the “hero” title), and very rarely smiles, let alone laughs.
For all intents and purposes, the Joker is the epitome of insanity. Alan Moore’s one shot graphic novel The Killing Joke is probably one of the most famous intimate looks at the Joker, his origin and his life. In it, the Joker muses how “There’s no difference between me and everyone else. All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.” To the world, the Joker is insane, driving to insanity by his past. But what if we consider that the Joker is, actually, completely sane?
Not only does this make him all the more terrifying to think that he does what does out of a fully, fledged and reasonable (at least to him) logic system. But it makes reader think twice about the concept of sanity. So, let’s work through it together.
Firstly, much like the term villain, it is much too simple to label the Joker a basket-case. On the one hand, it means that his cannot be held fully accountable for his actions as it is driven by insanity. On the other, since his actions are not purely his own how can he be labelled as evil? Therefore, even to consider the Joker a villain requires coming to the realisation that he is in fact not insane at all. After all, what is insanity but just a term for those who think differently. And the basis for the reason why the Joker thinks differently is brilliantly expressed in The Killing Joke.
In a final monologue to Batman, the Joker states, “When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was, I went crazy as a coot! I admit it! So why can’t you? You’re not unintelligent, you must see the reality of the situation?”
Another connection shared by both Batman and the Joker is that they both experienced traumatic events that influence them to inhabit the roles they’re so well known for. But unlike the Joker, Batman appears to have not fallen victim to the mental trauma of his experience. The operative word here being, appears. Because if you cannot call a man running around in a bat costume insane, what are you going to call him. Apparently, a hero! The fact that Batman and the rest of the world believes in his heroism seems ludicrous to the Joker who see’s the joke in all of it, the desperate wishful thinking of the world that has made it okay for a man in a costume to be a role model.
So that leaves the question. Is it really the Joker who is insane, or Batman for running around the way he does, or even the common people for naming him a hero for doing so? The Joker’s ultimate goal has always seemed to be chaos with a purpose. That purpose being that he is trying to enlighten the world to what a giant joke the world is, all the conflict, all the anger and struggle. It is, as he puts it, “just a monstrous, demented gag”. One that he sees but no one else does, again making me wonder whether he is in fact seeing something the rest of the world refuses to.
Now I’m not saying I would like a man like the Joker as a leader or saviour. But it makes me wonder whether our view of the Joker has nothing to do with insanity but of the well-known edict that the victors write history. And Batman is generally, the uncontended hero. He may have a dark side, even a violent side, but he is nevertheless our hero. But he would not be anyone special if he did not have the likes of the Joker to face off to.
Batman cannot exist without the Joker, but the Joker can live exclusively without Batman, which once again suggests to me that the Joker is not in fact a villain at all. Rather, he seems to be a metaphor for human denial of the pointlessness of the world, of what he sees as the joke of life. Something that has him constantly laughing.
To add another layer to this exploration, we could also consider that maybe what the Joker sees is the metafictionality of his story, in that he and everyone around him, including Batman are just fictional characters. While Batman takes his role so seriously, the Joker laughs over it and attempts to reveal the truth to the world. The deaths he commits in the process are meaningless because he recognises that they do not exist. An autonomous character like that being aware of his fictionality makes the Joker more of a genius than a villain in my eyes.
Whatever it is that the Joker sees, it is unique to him and he constructs the elaborate and intricate plans in order to carry out his mysterious goals to educate the world in it. In all other fields, if you know something somebody else does not, you are generally (rightfully or wrongly) considered smarter than the other. If you know something that the whole world does not know, should not that make you a genius? Let’s not forget that many of our greatest scientific minds were considered insane when they first tried to educate the world. If it was not for the fact that many are killed in the process of the Joker’s pursuit, it can almost come across as a rather noble quest. If the only criteria of being hero is not to kill anyone, it seems to me that the world’s standards for a saviour a rather low.
~ S ~
