Bowles, Scott (July 17, 2008). "Giving Voice to the Villain Presents Quite the Acting Challenge". USA Today. McLean, Virginia . Retrieved May 27, 2018– via abcbnews.go.com. Also worth noting, the film shot for a time in New York, so the original Gotham vibe will likely be on display in some fashion. Additionally, the abandoned Essex County Isolation Hospital in Bellville, New Jersey plays Arkham in the film, establishing a very particular feel for the infamous fictional psychiatric hospital.

Fischer, Paul (September 11, 2006). "Heath Ledger for "Candy & The Dark Knight" ". Dark Horizons . Retrieved May 20, 2021. Boucher, Geoff (July 6, 2008). "Christopher Nolan's Knight Vision". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California . Retrieved September 29, 2015. In the 1988 story "A Death in the Family", the Joker beats Jason Todd, the second Robin, with a crowbar and leaves him to die in an explosion. Todd's death haunts Batman, and for the first time he seriously considers killing the Joker. [50] The Joker temporarily escapes justice when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini appoints him the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, giving him diplomatic immunity; however, when he tries to poison the U.N. membership, he is defeated by Batman and Superman. [31] a b Neumaier, Joe (November 16, 2006). "A look at how Heath Ledger viewed his career' ". Daily News. New York: Tribune Publishing . Retrieved September 28, 2015.Anders, Charlie Jane (August 12, 2011). "R.I.P. Jerry Robinson, Creator of Batman's Nemesis, the Joker". io9. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014 . Retrieved October 18, 2013. a b c d e f Jolin, Dan (December 2009). "The Making of Heath Ledger's Joker". Empire. London, England . Retrieved September 29, 2015. Manning 2011, pp.24, 27. Not coincidentally, DC found it easier to market their comics to kids without the salacious overtones of the pulp magazines from which many superhero comics had sprung. a b Calautti, Katie (December 3, 2012). "Christopher Nolan Reflects on His Batman Trilogy, Heath Ledger & More". Comic Book Resources. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Valnet, Inc . Retrieved September 28, 2015.

The conclusion of the 2020 " Joker War" storyline by writer James Tynion IV and artist Jorge Jiménez sees the Joker leave Gotham after Batman chooses to let him die. [66] This led to a second ongoing Joker series, beginning in March 2021 with Tynion writing and Guillem March providing art. [67] Character biography Levy, Emanuel (n.d.). "Movie Review: Dark Knight, The: A". emanuellevy.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013 . Retrieved July 9, 2008. At the end of Batman Begins, newly promoted Lieutenant James Gordon ( Gary Oldman) tells Batman ( Christian Bale) about a criminal who leaves behind joker playing cards at crime scenes.

a b c "Dressing the Joker". IGN. San Francisco, California: J2 Global. February 25, 2008 . Retrieved May 27, 2018. In 1975, the Joker did something no other DC villain had done before—star in his own ongoing series! The Joker ran for nine issues and featured the Clown Prince going up against non-Gotham superheroes and rival super-villains. It was something of a curious title. Since the Joker was the protagonist, the restrictions from the Comics Code regarding the book were a bit tighter, forcing all the stories to end with the Joker receiving comeuppance for his crimes. The villain’s bloodlust also had to be toned down, but the series still effectively captured the Clown Prince of Crime’s essence. The schemes were nutty, the guest stars were inspired and the entire series made for a fun reading experience. Unfortunately, the comic was cancelled after the 9 th issue, but the Joker wasn’t going anywhere. He still had big plans in Gotham. Imagine a version of the Batman mythos where the Joker isn’t around. It’s hard to fathom, isn’t it? Believe it or not, that’s just how the world of Gotham looked before the Joker returned in the classic Batman #251. Mattina, Eric (November 29, 2012). "Christopher Nolan Spends the 'Knight' at Lincoln Center: 5 Things Learned About Batman and Beyond". Indiewire. Los Angeles, California . Retrieved October 5, 2015.

Kane countered that Robinson's sketch was produced only after Finger had already shown the Gwynplaine image to Kane, and that it was only used as a card design belonging to the Joker in his early appearances. [3] Finger said that he was also inspired by the Steeplechase Face, an image in Steeplechase Park at Coney Island that resembled a Joker's head, which he sketched and later shared with future editorial director Carmine Infantino. [9] In a 1994 interview with journalist Frank Lovece, Kane stated his position: Arthur meets and becomes infatuated with one of his neighbors, a single mother named Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz). She speaks to him politely about relating issues that he can relate to. However, while trying to make an impression with her, he appears awkward and weird around her. At one point, he spends his day following her. Later, she comes by his apartment and asks if he was following her, and he admits that he was, but she doesn't seem put off by it. He invites her to a stand-up comedy show that he is performing at. She is hesitant but is won over by his charm and sense of humor. Arthur watches comedians perform to help him gain some insight into the craft, but feels more awkward and out of place as his over-the-top laughter is not genuine. The Joker is portrayed as having no fear; when fellow supervillain Scarecrow doses him with fear toxin in Knightfall (1993), the Joker merely laughs and says "Boo!" [126] The villain has been temporarily rendered sane by several means, including telepathic manipulation by the Martian Manhunter [71] and being resurrected in a Lazarus Pit (an experience typically inducing temporary insanity in the subject). At these moments, the Joker is depicted as expressing remorse for his crimes; [127] [128] however, during a medically induced period of partial sanity in Batman: Cacophony, he tells Batman, "I don't hate you 'cause I'm crazy. I'm crazy 'cause I hate you," and confirms that he will only stop killing when Batman is dead. [129] [130] Skills and equipment The Joker's lapel often holds an acid-spraying flower The Joker is considered one of the most recognizable and iconic fictional characters in popular culture, [210] [211] [212] one of the best comic villains, and one of the greatest villains of all time. [213] [214] The character was well-liked following his debut, appearing in nine out of the first 12 Batman issues, and remained one of Batman's most popular foes throughout his publication. [215] The character is considered one of the four top comic book characters, alongside Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. [212] Indeed, when DC Comics released the original series of Greatest Stories Ever Told (1987–1988) featuring collections of stories about heroes like Batman and Superman, the Joker was the only villain included alongside them. [216] The character has been the focus of ethical discussion on the desirability of Batman (who adheres to an unbreakable code forbidding killing) saving lives by murdering the Joker (a relentless dealer of death). These debates weigh the positive (stopping the Joker permanently) against its effect on Batman's character and the possibility that he might begin killing all criminals. [116] [217] [218]Ledger was allowed to shoot and direct the threat videos the Joker sends out as warnings. Each take Ledger made was different from the last. Nolan was impressed enough with the first video shoot that he chose to not be present when Ledger shot the video with a kidnapped reporter ( Anthony Michael Hall). [28] Ledger's death affected the marketing campaign for The Dark Knight [35] and also both the production and marketing of Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; both Nolan and Gilliam celebrated and paid tribute to Ledger's work in these films. [31] [35] [36] [37] During production of The Dark Knight, Jai White's Gambol was meant to survive his confrontation with Ledger's Joker, which would have resulted in the Joker giving Gambol a Glasgow smile of his own and enabling the filmmakers to reuse Gambol in the future, [38] with Jai White commenting that Gambol was supposed to have a bigger role in further sequels, returning to Gotham City and trying to take it over. [39] Following Ledger's passing, despite the film's script not calling for Gambol's death, Nolan cut out several of Gambol's planned scenes and the editors had Gambol killed off by the Joker during their confrontation, something Jai White didn't find out until seeing the film during its premiere. [38]