Joker

The Joker, Clown Prince of Crime, is Batman's arch-nemesis. An agent of chaos known for his malicious plots, wacky gadgets and insidious smile, he has caused Batman more suffering than any other villain he has ever faced. His origin, name, and true motivations remain a mystery.

Gender: Male Height: 5' 10" Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg) Hair: Green Eyes: Green Unusual Physical Characteristics: The Joker's facial nerves are paralyzed, which makes him appear as if he is perpetually grinning, an expression called a "rictus grin." His green hair and nails, his rouge-red lips, and his chalk-white skin are all directly due to chemical exposure. The Joker's face is also damaged from massive scarring in the shape of a hideous smile.

Adept Hand-to-Hand Combatant Pain Resistance Tainted Blood Joker Venom Immunity Due to his mental state, the Joker is immune to fear as he does not understand the concept and sees everything as a joke. He also has an immunity to poison due to prolonged exposure to chemicals. The Scarecrow's fear gas has no effect on him, and Visionary failed to hypnotize him into a state of fear in Birds of Prey #121. He and Poison Ivy have shown immunity to each others' chemicals. As well, the Harlequin of Hate also possesses a very high tolerance for pain. In Birds of Prey #16, the Joker was in a leg cast, but jumbled about as if it was not even there. He has laughed after being shot in Batman: Dark Victory. He showed no symptoms of pain after a couple of batarangs slit his mouth in Batman Confidential. Most of the time, he seems to enjoy pain, provoking others to take a swing at him; thus, he may, with some truth, be accurately described as a sadomasochist. Bullets seem to do little more than slow him down or put him out of commission temporarily. On several occasions, he has been known to survive explosions and crashes. His bones heal quickly, and it has been hinted in a few comics that he does not physically age.

The Joker is a genius inventor and chemist. Using a seemingly laughable but actually very dangerous and deadly arsenal of comedy-themed weapons, such as his patented laughing gas, a bang-labeled spear-gun, explosive whoopie-cushions, an acid-squirting flower, a high-voltage joy buzzer, razor-sharp cards, poisonous pies, acid spraying water gun, and exploding cigars. He has managed to create an MO which fits his macabre appearance. The Joker is immune to his own venom as well as various similar toxins. The Joker is an excellent marksman, as shown in the story arc "Lovers and Madmen". He has made accurate head shots on his victims and never missed once; he also demonstrated his accuracy to people in order to get hired for his skills by throwing a deck of playing cards in the air and shot a jack and both joker cards. His accuracy has also been proven when he shot the ropes of hostages he had hanging from a building to distract Batman. The Joker has occasionally demonstrated above average and noticeable hand to hand combat skills, having caught Batman off guard with a kick on some occasions with being and adept brawler even though he doesn't have any specific fighting style, he used street fighting techniques. He has shown to be adept with non-comedy themed weapons such as guns, knives, explosives, and even such seemingly non-lethal items as a pencil.

In “A Clown at Midnight” and again in Batman #663, there is a panel in which the Joker is sitting in a cell at Arkham waiting for the Dark Knight’s arrival. As he waits, a mosquito lands on his unnaturally pale arms and attempts to suck his blood. The insect dies quickly instead, for the Joker's bloodstream acts like a poison, killing off its unknowing prey.

The Joker does not possess any outright super-human powers; however, he does show several inhuman abilities. The Arkham Asylum story arc suggests that he is "super-sane;" this means that he sees how the universe really is, without any personal illusions, and that his entire personality can alter to fit the circumstances, making him excellent at impersonating and lying as he truly believes what he says. He has the great strength that madmen are often said to have, and is quite agile. And, like so many comic book characters, the Joker always has the habit of cheating death. People have repeatedly assumed him dead, only for him to rise up again and wreak havoc once more.

It is debatable if it classifies as a super power or not, but the Joker's insanity, or his frame of mind, leaves him immune to the Spectre's judgement, though warranted, as Batman explained once that the Joker doesn't actually know what is right and wrong, a crucial understanding the Spectre needs to judge. In a way, one has to know one's deeds are evil or wrong for the Spectre to judge, and the Joker doesn't. Also, both Jim Corrigan and Hal Jordan Spectres have had major problems with navigating the Joker's mind, Corrigan even managed to get lost in it and Jordan literally was blasted out of his boots to the moon when he tried.

The Joker also has the tendency to break the fourth wall and seems to have a heightened sense of awareness that he is a comic book character. He is the only character to talk directly to the reader and has the ability to do things such as "turn" the comic page or handle his own word balloons. The Joker also seems to know that he exists as Batman's perfect foil. In " Going Sane" (in Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68), the Joker, thinking that he has killed Batman, figures there is no point to him being the Joker anymore and gets plastic surgery and attempts to lead a normal, sane life. However, upon discovering that Batman is still alive, he reverts to insanity and continues his life as a mass murderer.

Regardless of whether he is insane or faking insanity, his intelligence is obvious and his malevolence unmatched. The villains of Arkham fear and sometimes take orders from him, and those who do not know any better and shrug him off as a clown soon discover him to be a force to be reckoned with. He has a habit of pushing his authority and does not always use henchmen to enforce it.