Everyone who knows the Joker knows that his defining trait is that his true origin is unknown. Every time he recounts his roots to someone he tells a made up story that he often contradicts himself later on. In the comics, there’s been many takes on the Batman villain’s origins but all have been labeled as non-canonical or diversions. Of all the stories he tells though, the strangest and most entertaining remain to be the ones where he mimics the origins of another popular character, like Superman.
Joker first appeared in Batman #1 in 1940, just a year after Batman debuted, and he’s been terrorizing Gotham ever since. He’s been a centerpiece of Batman media, becoming the most recognizable villain in the world, and it’s hard to imagine one character without the other. One of the most memorable versions of the Joker however, is from the Batman: Arkham video game series. The games briefly went into the creation of the Joker with Batman: Arkham Origins, implying he went through the traditional, widely accepted Red Hood falling into a vat of chemicals origin. Although there’s some debate on whether or not this is even canon because an entirely different studio and creative team made the game. While that may not be canon, there are still other bits and pieces of his past sprinkled throughout the Batman: Arkham universe. Batman: Arkham Knight, a comic tie-in to the final installment of games shows that this version of the Joker enjoys spinning wild stories of his origin just as much as any, and his might just be the wildest.
The 2015 comic Batman:Arkham Knight #2 by Peter J. Tomasi and Victor Bagdanovic, takes place after the Joker’s death and begins with a recording of his last will and testament. He begins by promising to answer “the one question you’re dying to know…who the hell am I and what is my secret origin?” Joker recounts a story very similar to that of Superman’s origin, with a little bit of the Caped Crusaders’ mixed in. The flashbacks portray a baby Joker being blasted away from his doomed home planet, which he makes a point to say had “no sense of humor.” After he arrives on Earth he’s raised by two rich circus clowns who he ends up killing for not only forgetting their whoopee cushions, but also for “committing the Cardinal Sin of Clowndom…failing to be funny.“
Joker (or Phineas B. Jokerstein the Third, as he later calls himself) goes on to explain how he mastered his deadly arts and rose to become Batman’s greatest foe. This origin is obviously nonsense spouted by the Joker for fun. The destruction of a supposed “home planet” stands as a parallel to Superman. Additionally, being raised in the circus and witnessing the death of his parents is clearly a take on Batman and Robin’s origins. But it’s still interesting to think about: What if the Joker was an alien? It would certainly explain why Batman has been unable to discover his true identity in mainstream comics.
No matter how entertaining, interesting, or possible these stories might be, Joker’s true origin has never actually been revealed. It’s unclear if he even knows the certainty of his past. It’s possible this mock-Superman story is completely true. While it may frustrating for some fans, Joker himself has said in past Batman comics that he prefers his origin to be multiple choice, not bothering with the truth, and it more than likely will remain that way.
