Few characters in superhero comic books are as mysterious asthe Joker. Since his very first appearance, his origin has intentionally been kept a secret and vague. A few creators have played with this mystery, and in 2024 one major unresolved mystery has finally been folded into continuity. While Geoff Johns tried to explain the discrepancies in the Joker’s backstory, Chip Zdarsky was the one who found a way to make it canon.
What has fueled so much confusion about theJokeris that he never seems to be the same. One moment he’s a brutal serial killer, and the next moment he’s a harmless prankster. The Joker continually seemed to shift his personality, which led certain people to question if the Joker was even the same person each time, butreaders finally got an answer inBatman: The Joker Year Oneby Zdarsky and Giuseppe Camuncoli, a story continued in the back-up story ofBatman#145 by Zdarsky and Michele Bandini.
In this major update to the Joker’s origin story, it was revealed that, much like howBatmanwas trained to have back-up personalities like Zur-En-Arrh, Bruce Wayne’s teacher, Daniel Captio, who was fascinated with the Joker,taught the Clown Prince of Crime how to establish his own alternate personas, leading to the chaotic villain fans know today.
In 2024, DC Answered the Biggest Joker Mystery, Established inBatman: Three Jokers
No one knows where the Joker came from, least of all Batman. One day, the Joker just showed up in Gotham City and began killing people for the fun of it. Over time, he’s only gotten more and more dangerous, and his killings have gotten more brutal. Many people, Batman included, have wanted to knowwhy the Joker appeared in Gotham, to try and assign some method to the madness. DC isn’t immune to this desire either, as several creators have attempted to touch on the Joker’s backstory, each with varying degrees of success.
The idea of the Joker being three separate peoplewas first explored in Johns and Jason Fabok’sBatman: Three Jokers. As the title might imply, this story revolved around three versions of the Joker, all active at the same time. This story explained how sometimes the Joker was a serial killer with a comic motif, sometimes a brutal manipulator and strategist, and sometimes a deranged killer. Over the course of the story,Batman and the Bat-Family hunt down and defeat the three Jokers, with Red Hood even killing one. While this story certainly tried to answer the question about the Joker’s variable personality, it didn’t really catch on with fans.
I Never Thought the Joker Was Funny, But He Just Made Me Laugh Out Loud
I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing his character revitalized with the addition of genuine humor—provided it stays true to his unhinged nature.
The question ofBatman: Three Jokers’place in continuity has been a problem for DC, especially since it’s a Black Label title. It ends with Batman revealing that he knew the Joker’s secret identity all along, which didn’t sit right with most fans as it removed the mystery about the Joker. In addition,Batman: Three Jokershas never been referenced in canon at all. Johns, the lead writer of the story, has even gone on record stating that the story’s place in continuity was up to the individual reader, which contrasts with his original claim thatThree Jokersis canon.
In 2024, the Idea of the Three Jokers Was Recontextualized inBatman
The Joker Year OneArc Begins inBatman #142by Chip Zdarsky, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Andrea Sorrentino, Stefano Nesi, Dave Stewart, Alejandro Sánchez, and Clayton Cowles
The idea of there being three Joker personalities was later recontextualized by having theJoker learn to create Zur-En-Arrh-like personalitybackups from Daniel Captio, the same character who taught Batman. This new story retconsBatman: Three Jokers,as the issue referencesJustice League#50 by Johns and Fabok, where Batman first learns about the Joker’s three identities. The Joker’s new origin storycompletely changes everything readers thought they knew about the mystery. Instead of there being three separate people using the alias of the Joker, it’s instead three separate personalities living inside the Joker.
For another major Joker story from 2024, fans should turn their attention to - surprisingly - a Superman story. The Joker plays a major role in the “I, Bizarro” arc by Jason Aaron and John Timms, available now inAction Comics#1061-1063 from DC Comics.
While the change has been controversial with some fans, itperfectly explains how there could be three Jokers without overdoing the idea.The notion that Batman was fighting three separate people and never once realized it is a bit absurd for the supposed World’s Greatest Detective. While fans weren’t pleased with the Joker having learned from one of the same mentors as Batman, it was still a much better way to bring this idea of there being three separate Jokers into continuity.
The Joker’s Strange Behavior Finally Has a Plausible Explanation
What’s Next for Batman’s Enemy in 2025?
For the Joker to be scary, he has to be unpredictable and ultimately unknowable. When the Joker first showed up in Gotham, he wasn’t a mad scientist or a gangster, which was the norm for comic book villains at the time. He was a serial killer with a bright, garish look. That his motivations or history aren’t known has only added to his popularity over the years. Tons of creators have tried to put their personal touch on his history, from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’sThe Killing Joketo Zdarsky’sBatmanrun. As tight-lipped as DC has been about theJoker’spast,Three Jokersis one part of the mystery that does have an official answer.
Batman: The Joker Year OneandBatman: Three Jokersare both available now in collected editions from DC Comics!
The Joker
The Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor. Initially introduced as a remorseless serial killer, the character evolved over time, often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal maniac. His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comic book history, defined by their mutual obsession. Over the decades, the Joker has become an enduring icon of chaos and madness, embodying the antithesis of Batman’s order and justice.
