- NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Joker from the Arrowverse. The mainstream version can be found here: Joker (DC).
| “ | Batman brought out all the crazies in Gotham. If it weren't for him, there wouldn't have been a Joker! | „ |
| ~ Jacob Kane ranting about Joker's tainted legacy. |
| “ | You think you're the only one? Ever wonder why the Joker hasn't reared his head in five years? He's not in Arkham, Kate. Both you and Bruce stared into the abyss. The question is... how long are you gonna let it stare back at you? | „ |
| ~ Luke Fox explaining Joker's current fate to Kate Kane, heavily implying that he's dead. |
Jack Napier, better known as the Joker, is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside Safiyah Sohail) of the 2019-2022 TV Series, Batwoman.
He is an infamously psychopathic criminal who terrorized Gotham City for years and is widely remembered as Batman's greatest foe and archenemy.
He was portrayed by Nathan Dashwood.
Biography[]
Nothing is currently known about Jack Napier before he became the mysterious criminal infamously known as "the Joker". What is known is that upon beginning his criminal streak, he became the archenemy of the similarly half-mythical Gotham City vigilante known as Batman. Over the years, the Joker became fixated with Batman and he would go on to terrorize the city and commit countless murderous attacks.
On January 26, 2003, Joker hijacked a bus with 34 school children and ended up ramming the Kane family's car, leaving it dangling on the edge of the bridge. He also pressed his joy buzzer on one of the kids' forehead and electrocuted him. He then was pursued by Batman, who secured the car with his grappling hooks. Batman then saved the schoolchildren and defeated Joker. However, the Kanes' car loosened from the hooks due to an engineering mishap and fell into the river, leading to the deaths of Gabi and apparently Beth Kane. Joker was captured and tried the following month. Joker was later brought to justice, prosecuted by assistant district attorney Angus Stanton, and sent to Arkham Asylum. His identity was revealed to be Jack Napier.
At some point afterwards, Joker escaped from Arkham and eventually broke into the house of a man who owned a painting which held the location of the island Coryana. Joker stole the map, killed the man and used the latter's intestines as materials to cover the painting with his own "work". It was later somehow replicated and the fake ended up on display being titled as "Gore on Canvas".
Eventually, in 2015, the Joker finally pushed Batman so far that the vigilante killed him, although most people aren't aware of this and it is widely believed that he remains locked up in Arkham Asylum.
Legacy[]
Joker is remembered as one of the worst criminals to have plagued Gotham, as well as one of Batman's most noteworthy unhinged adversaries. His death (as described by Luke Fox) seemed to have had a profound impact on Batman, who apparently broke his moral code upon killing him. Due to this experience, Batman disappeared into a possible retirement, remaining out of Gotham ever since. Because of this, the city's crime rate skyrocketed and is left in a state worse than ever before.
Joker's actions had a deep impact on Jacob Kane, who blamed Batman for being the reason that Joker existed in the first place. His involvement in his wife Gabi's death inspired him to create Crow Security. He showed deep anger towards the criminal and even began comparing him to Alice (formerly known as Beth Kane) by saying she was fixated on Batwoman the same way Joker was fixated on Batman. It is most likely that Jacob blames Joker for being partly the reason that his daughter would go on to become Alice, alongside his late second wife Catherine Hamilton-Kane and August Cartwright.
Before her disappearance and presumed death, Kate took a photo in her phone of the painting that Jack had made because it had a subliminal reference to Coryana's queen Safiyah Sohail. While investigating Kate's phone, Jacob found the picture and asked Sophie Moore about its significance. He then sent his Crows to find the original painting after learning that the displayed copy was a fake. Safiyah's agent Ocean burned away Joker's modifications to the painting and revealed the map that had the location of Coryana.
While under Black Mask's control, Kate (as "Circe Sionis") stole Joker's acid flower from the Batcave along with other items belonging to Batman's enemies. During her final fight with the Black Mask, Alice pointed out that Joker was a great villain before using it to spray acid on his face and quickly putting his skull mask on, permanently welding it to his face.
Also, during the school bus incident, the kid he electrocuted on the school bus, Marquis Jet, was hospitalized and later began to display signs of sociopathy. He started to melt ants with a magnifying glass, display fits of rage, killed his dad by putting peanut butter in a burger (knowing he was allergic, but recorded it as a prank), and violently killed Professor Pyg by stabbing him repeatedly. This shows that the Joker's encounter with Marquis had changed him to a point where Marquis even made a blood frown on himself in the mirror, possibly creating a new Joker.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Although Joker hasn't physically appeared in any capacity, his actions set up the entirety of the series; he is inadvertently the one responsible for Beth Kane going missing and transforming into Alice, his involvement in the Kane family's car crash inspired Jacob to create Crow Security, he pushed Batman so far to killing him that would cause him to leave and allow Gotham to plunge into chaos once more, and is also indirectly the reason that Kate Kane became Batwoman.
- Also, because Joker unintentionally created Alice, he is inadvertently responsible for Ryan Wilder becoming Batwoman since Alice killed her mother during his rampage.
- In addition, due to him electrocuting Marquis Jet and turning him into a sociopath, he was responsible for creating a new Joker.
- He finally makes a physical appearance during a Flashback in the penultimate episode of Season 3.
- In The Chronicles of Cisco, Heath Ledger's iteration of the Joker from the 2008 film The Dark Knight was referred to by Cisco who said Zoom made the villain look like Santa Claus. Given the in-universe reference, it is possible that in the Arrowverse, Ledger portrayed a fictionalized version of Joker and the film was based on events that actually happened.
- Harley Quinn briefly appeared in Season 2 of Arrow as a member of the Suicide Squad. However, it is unknown if she and Joker have any connection like they do in the comics.
- In the show, Joker's real name was identified as Jack Napier (which is a reference to the Joker from the 1989 Batman film) and it would be used again for the display of his painting.
- The fact Batman finally killed Joker after nearly two decades of failed imprisonment or curing his insanity proved Joker to be just as irredeemable as Eobard Thawne.
