The Truth Behind The Joker

I remember that in the original Batman series, my favorite version of The Joker was portrayed by Cesar Romero. When Jack Nicholson unveiled his version it made me cringe and I won’t even say how horrified I was to see the next Joker portrayed by Heath Ledger. What a lot of people don’t know is that this notorious Jokster or laughing villain can be traced back to a silent film character from the late 1920s that was inspired by a Victor Hugo novel that was published in 1869.

Victor Hugo’s Novel

Victor Hugo wrote a book titled “The Man Who Laughs”. It was a sad tale about an orphan in the 17th century. The character was named Gwynplaine and had been horribly disfigured as a child. As a result of which he was made fun of because he looked like he was constantly laughing. Thoughts of The Joker should come to mind here. Gwynplaine was raised by a drifter and has a pet wolf. He comes to use his permanent smile as a grand punchline to a traveling stage show.

In a surprising turn of events, it is discovered that Gwynplaine was born in royalty and sold to a band of child-nappers, who then disfigure these children so that they can be used in sideshows. all being part of a despicable political scheme. When Gwynplaine finds out his true identity he takes part in his new role as a Marquis. However, due to his terrible disfigurement, no one takes him seriously. He then renounces his title and attempts to reconnect with his old drifter family. Once he has reconnected with them, the love of his life dies and Gwynplaine finally throws himself into the sea. This book never became one of Hugo’s classics but in 1928 it was made into a silent film.

The Silent Film

“The Man Who Laughs” was directed by German Expressionist Paul Leni. It is set in the 17th century with dark and foreboding characters. The black and white film shows the pale, ghoulish-looking skin of the actresses and actors and turns Hugo’s tragic tale of love and politics into something more like a horror film. The actor who stands out from the rest is Conrad Veidt, portraying Gwynplaine. The actor was able to make the deformity of the character appear more as if he were mad especially when the camera focused upon Veidt’s often exaggerated expression. Since most people prefer happy endings in films then this film also changed the original ending of the novel. Gwynplaine and the love of his life survive and sail off into the sunset happily.

DC Comics

Comic book creators Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson chose to spin off the popular DC comics character Batman into his own magazine of stories in 1940. The stories about Batman started off with the Caped Crusader and a sinister new villain called The Joker. This was a white-skinned, green-haired killer whose drawn appearance was quite horrifying. Apparently, this first Joker was given a similar appearance to actor Veidt’s Joker portrayal in the film “The Man Who Laughs”. Since those days The Joker has been portrayed in many different ways from a schizophrenic transexual to a scenery-chewing, murderous mastermind. However the root of The Joker’s iconic evil dates back to Hugo’s grotesque, grinning character and to the silent film that made it come to life.

Movies with The Joker

“Batman” came out in 1989. It was directed by Tim Burton and became the first installment in the Warner Brother “Batman” film series.

In this movie Micheal Keaton portrays Batman and the Joker is played by Jack Nicholson.

In the movie mob boss Carl Grissom played by Jack Palance sends his sociopath second-in-command Jack Napier by Jack Nicholson to raid Axis Chemical. He is to retrieve incriminating evidence. Napier doesn't know this is a secret ploy to have him murdered for sleeping with Grissom's mistress Alicia Hunt by Jerry Hall. It is all foiled by Commissioner James Gordon by Pat Hingle who takes command and orders officers to capture Napier alive. Batman arrives and during a scuffle, Napier falls off a catwalk into a vat of chemicals. He is presumed dead but survives disfigured with chalk white skin and green hair as well as a never-ending smile and here we have the Joker.

“The Dark Knight” in 2008 directed by Christopher Nolan is the sequel to “Batman Begins” and the second installment in The Dark Knight trilogy.

In this movie, Batman is portrayed by Christian Bale. The Joker is portrayed by Heath Ledger as a criminal mastermind and anarchist who is determined to bring chaos and corruption to Gotham.

“Suicide Squad” came out in 2016. It was written and directed by David Ayers. In the movie, a secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world from a powerful threat in exchange for reduced sentences.

The Joker is portrayed by Jared Leto as a psychopathic crime boss. He plays psychological games. This Joker was given tattoos for a modernized gangster look.

“Justice League” was released in 2021. In this film, Batman is portrayed by Ben Affleck. The role of the Joker is once again taken up by Jared Leto. He is a psychotic criminal and the archenemy of Batman, who becomes a surviving resistance member in the Knightmare future.

“Joker” came out in 2019 as a psychological thriller directed by Todd Philips. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker. Arthur is a mentally, ill party clown and stand-up comic disregarded by society. His history of abuse makes him become an anihilistic criminal with a clown-inspired persona.

Memorable Joker quotes:

“I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.” — The Joker, Joker

“If I weren't crazy, I'd be insane!” — The Joker, Batman: The Killing Joke