We're Getting A New Version Of The Joker, And It Sounds Insane

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Harley and Arthur Fleck are standing together in their makeup in Joker Folie a Deux

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Following his many previous instances of being the central antagonist in a DC Comics adaptation, it has practically become tradition to, instead, ominously tease The Joker's role in an upcoming project at the end of a given movie or TV show. That was the case in Matt Reeves' The Batman and later in the Season 1 finale of Batman: Caped Crusader, for which more details about the villain have been revealed.

According to Batman: Caped Crusader co-showrunner James Tucker, the second season will feature a version of the Clown Prince of Crime that will differ greatly from previous on-screen portrayals of The Joker. However, he also adds that comic book readers who have been following the character for an extensive amount of time may find Batman: Caped Crusader's take on The Dark Knight's arch nemesis somewhat familiar.

When speaking to The Direct about what to expect from The Joker in the series — following Batman: Caped Crusader's refreshing takes on classic villains like Harley Quinn and The Penguin — Tucker elaborated on what fans can expect from The Joker.

If Joker begins with Mark Hamill and Jack Nicholson, this take on the Joker will be very different for them. But for people who've read comics for a long, long, long, long time, it won't be. I think some people will recognize it and go, 'Oh, I see what they're doing.' And other people will go, 'Wow, this is different.' But, I think it's all Joker.

Reinterpretations of the clownish criminal in screen media have almost always been welcomed with open arms, such as when the late Heath Ledger portrayed The Joker as an unpredictably erratic terrorist to Academy Award-winning acclaim in 2008's The Dark Knight. Then again, fellow Oscar winner Jared Leto's performance, resembling an over-the-top, heavily tattooed crime boss, in 2016's Suicide Squad rubbed many fans the wrong way, but some might argue that the script was more to blame.

Batman: Caped Crusader's version of Joker was teased at the very end of Season 2 in a scene in which the criminal, with only his eyes visible beneath the shadows, apparently observes the fatal effects of his toxin before expressing his approval with a cold, calm, "Perfect." The character's seemingly and unusually poised composure has earned comparisons to his portrayal in 2010's Batman: Under the Red Hood, as voiced by John DiMaggio, leading some to suspect that Futurama's Bender voice actor is reprising the currently uncredited role in the series, which has not yet been confirmed.

The Joker Has Always Been A Major Batman Villain

Tucker's comment that this new take on The Joker will not be so different for longtime followers of DC Comics seems to suggest that Batman: Caped Crusader is taking inspiration from the villain's earliest incarnations. This would make sense, given that the animated series takes place around the same time the character first entered the pop culture lexicon. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane with Jerry Robinson, the villain made his debut in the first issue of Batman's self-titled comic book run in April 1940, roughly a year after The Dark Knight's first appearance in Detective Comics #27.

Modeled after Conrad Veidt's grimly grinning character in 1928's The Man Who Laughs, the foe was depicted as a jewel thief who possesses homicidal tendencies, which he indulges in by dosing his victims with "Joker venom" that leaves an unsettling smile on their lifeless faces. However, the establishment of the Comics Code Authority in the mid-1950s enforced the villain's transition from a murderer to a mischievous prankster, leading to a decline in appearances. Yet, Cesar Romero's influential portrayal in the 1960s Batman TV series boosted his popularity, eventually prompting the return of his more lethal side, blended with some of the characters' more definitively clownish characteristics, such as acid-squirting flowers.

There is no telling if Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 intends to show The Joker claiming any lives with a lethal joy buzzer. However, based on the character's tease and his early history, fans may be in for one of his darkest incarnations yet.

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime in 2026.