The Joker has one of the most iconic looks in comics with his pale white skin, bright green hair, and red lips. Depending on the interpretation, he also has scars that force his terrifying smile. Because the Joker rarely has a set backstory, the source of these scars is intentionally left a mystery — but in one universe, these scars are what set the Joker on a path to being a hero.

On Earth-3, the alignment of every character is swapped. Instead of Batman and Superman being heroes and members of the Justice League, they’re instead horrific villains and part of the Crime Syndicate. This universe’s Joker started as a terrible comedian known as Jackie, who didn’t have any gimmick for his stand-up.

He ended up being inspired to make fun of Owlman, which did not end well for the so-called “Jokester” in Count Down Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer Crime Society #1 by Sean McKeever and Jamal Igle. After the Jokester becomes famous for making fun of Owlman, Owlman eventually decides to respond by murdering Harley Quinn and brutally scarring Jackie. But this would only end up making things worse.

Owlman Brutally Scarred the Jokester for Daring to Mock Him

Count Down Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer Crime Society #1 by Sean McKeever, Jamal Igle, Rob Hunter, John Karlisz, and John J. Hill

The most well-known and accepted origin of the Joker is that he fell into a vat of chemicals and was transformed into the Joker. In some interpretations, these chemicals also gave the Joker chemical burns, which left deep scars around his mouth, giving him his trademark grin. In other versions, such as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the Joker simply has the scars, and it’s never made clear how he got them. But this Earth-3 origin not only perfectly shows readers where the Jokester got the scars, but also how it inspired him to fight Owlman.

After being scarred by Owlman, Jackie took on the name of the Jokester and used the vast fortune he’d made as a comedian to build gadgets and weapons that he used to fight Owlman. It’s a perfect reversal of the Joker’s usual origin. One of the consistent elements of the Joker’s past is that Batman was involved in it somehow, and this remains true on Earth-3. Instead of Batman causing a criminal to fall into a vat of acid, Owlman scars an innocent civilian because of his own wounded ego.

Owlman Scarred Jokester All Because He Couldn’t Handle a Joke

Owlman Unintentionally Made Jokester a Hero

No matter the universe, the Joker and Batman will always be opposites. On Earth-1, the Joker was created as a direct result of Batman fighting crime, and on Earth-3, Owlman created the Jokester because he was a brutal villain who couldn’t handle being mocked. The citizens of Gotham City were terrorized by the existence of Owlman and his sidekick Talon, but not only was Jackie able to make them laugh, but he also stood up for them and fought for them as the Jokester. As surprising as it is, the origin of this Joker’s scars was just the first step toward him becoming a true hero.

Count Down Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer Crime Society #1 is available now from DC Comics!