The Joker

The Joker
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Real name	Joseph Kerr
First Appearance	Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman #1, Spring, 1940
Affiliations	Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, The Scarecrow, Victor Zsasz, Killer Croc, Bane, Penelope Young
Abilities	High intelligence Skilled chemist Experience in hand to hand combat
Alignment	Evil
Voiced by	Mark Hamill

Biography

The Joker is the main antagonist in Batman: Arkham Asylum and the secondary antagonist in Batman: Arkham City. An insanely homicidal super-villain, the Joker's white skin, green hair, and blood-red lips belie the chaotic nature underlying his cartoonish appearance. The self-styled Clown Prince of Crime has no superpowers, beyond a capacity for incredible violence and a skill at creating deadly mayhem. He frequently concocts elaborate schemes to entrap his arch nemesis, Batman.

Attributes:

• Unrepentant homicidal maniac, albeit without a precise psychological diagnosis
• Surprisingly strong hand-to-hand combatant
• His past is unknown; conflicting, unconfirmed reports state that he was a failed comedian, a petty thief, and a broken family man
• Employs various deadly weapons, often based on party-gag items
• Frequently uses a toxin that stretches victim's face into a Joker-like grin and causes death

Road to Arkham

Batman to the rescue

The Joker and his goons raided Gotham City Hall and took the Mayor hostage, tying him up and strapping a bomb to his chest. As the Joker taunted the Mayor, he expressed his displeasure that Batman hadn't shown up who ironically attacked moments later. The Joker tried to escape via a large parachute but was stopped by Batman, who proceeded to escort the Joker to Arkham Asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Joker aiming his handgun.

Batman arrived at Arkham in the Batmobile, taking the Joker to the Intensive Care Facility. The Joker remained in high spirits, pleased that he was back in Arkham. He was strapped to a prisoner movement trolly and wheeled through Intensive Care by a variety of guards, including Frank Boles, with Batman following close by. The Joker commented on all the brand new security at Arkham and how it was rather funny that a fire at Blackgate Penitentiary sent over a hundred of his goons to Arkham. During the escort, the Joker made shrude remarks to many of the Arkham Staff including Warden Quincy Sharp, Officer Aaron Cash and Dr. Penelope Young before being taken down the elevator. During the elevator journey, a blackout occurred causing the Joker to laugh hysterically before having his neck clutched by Batman as the lights turned back on. As the Joker was moved into the lobby area, he was unstrapped and escorted by a guard and medical assistant while Batman and Commissioner Gordon looked on. Unbeknown to all but Joker, Harley Quinn was already in the security control room, waiting. Joker soon took the opportunity to break free as Harley's signal.

Pretending to stumble and trip, the Joker bashed his guard in the face with the back of his head as the guard demanded him to get up. He then used his handcuffs to strangle the guard, forcing the doctor to unhook the Joker to save the guard. Joker strangled the guard to death before the doctor could save him, and when his cuffs were finally off, kicked the doctor down, killing him as well. The Joker then coldly said to the dead guard "The choke's on you!", imitated a playful laugh, and pointed at the security door with a "Ta-da!". He looked up at the security camera and told Harley he was home. She then let him in by opening up the adjacent electrical doorway, allowing the Joker to access the cell controls. He ran behind the energy screen just as Batman managed to break through the viewing window and into the room. He taunted the Dark Knight for springing his trap and released his followers from Blackgate out of their cells, saying "Now let's get this party started!". As Batman battled the thugs, Joker said over the monitor system that he was originally going to kill everyone in the room and watch cartoons, but decided to take a captive audience instead. After Batman defeated a round of thugs, the Joker left the room and made his way to the patient transfer unit.

The Joker escapes custody.

Batman told Gordon he would find them a way out, but Joker told Batman not to make promises he couldn't keep, as he was in control of the asylum and therefore where Batman was able to go. As Batman told Joker he wouldn't let him run, Joker cut off his "hero speak" and goaded him to just pursue him. Batman followed Joker's trail of smiles and arrows drawn by spray paint and dead bodies and found Joker. The Joker opened up a large patient transfer cell, releasing a large experimental monster (bearing resemblance to Amygdala). The monster attacked Batman before dying of biological causes, much to the Joker's annoyance, who murmured "Note to self: Need stronger test subjects!". As a result, the Joker allowed Batman one free shot at him, which would cause him to fall to his death and end the madness. Batman drew a Batarang, but hesitated and was unable to willingly kill his enemy, causing the Joker laugh at him and say that he was becoming "too predictable". He escaped via the patient transfer system and told Batman that he was organizing a "party" with the villains all over Arkham. Whilst Batman tried to get the transfer unit working again, the Joker appeared on a monitor showing Batman an image of a treacherous Frank Boles knocking out Gordon and taking him hostage, ready to kill him should Batman follow.

He claimed that he helped Boles out of a situation a while back in which Boles owed him. Batman attempted to track down Gordon anyway, by detecting the alcohol Boles left in the air. Along the way, Joker left traps with Joker Venom as well as many gag chattering teeth. The Joker soon caught onto the Batman's attempt and as a result had Boles killed, no longer needing him. The Joker took control of Arkham's intercom system, telling his goons to destroy the Batmobile as he took over the West side of Arkham Island. His next target was the Medical Facility where he ordered his goons to round up all the doctors in the area, most importantly Penelope Young, who he needed the Titan formula from. To the Joker's annoyance, Batman defeated his goons and rescued the captive doctors. The Joker drew up a 'party list' which contained the individuals who would help take care of Batman. He enlisted the help of the Scarecrow, who proceeded to attack Batman in the Medical Facility. After escaping Scarecrow's Fear Toxin hallucination, Batman made his way to Gordon, who was conveniently placed near Bane's holding cell.

After Batman rescued Gordon from Harley, the Joker pumped a large amount of Titan into Bane, causing a fight with him and Batman. Joker was disappointed with Bane's inability to kill Batman, so he ordered his goons to assist him, though Batman defeated them all. The Joker's next order of business was to search Arkham Mansion for Dr. Young's formula, and Dr. Young herself, who had gone looking for said formula. After finding Zsasz in the Botanical Gardens, the Joker enlisted his help to deal with Dr. Young. Zsasz held Young by a knife in Warden Sharp's office and threatened to kill her if he saw Batman approaching. Joker told Zsasz to just kill her, as she was useless to him since he had already gotten both Venom and Titan. Batman incapacitated Zsasz and rescued the doctor, though an explosion set by Joker in the Warden's safe killed Young anyway. Harley then entered and had her thugs prepare Batman for the 'party'. He defeated them and followed Harley, rescuing Sharp by tracking his DNA. Harley was shown releasing Poison Ivy from her cell, despite Ivy not being on the 'party list', much to Joker's apparent pleasure. He then unleashed the more violent, insane inmates all over the island.

The Joker awaits Batman with a recorded message in the Visitor's Center, playing the role of a psychologist attempting to analyze Batman's "psychosis".

Batman went after Harley, who sent her thugs after Batman again, though he managed to defeat them all. Harley's failure prompted Joker to remove her from the 'party list', and Batman defeated and locked her up, using her DNA traces from around the island to track Joker to the gardens, where the villain unsuccessfully tried to slow Batman down after killing an Arkham guard, Thomas Armbruster. He demonstrated the successful Titan strain he had managed to create by injecting two of his thugs and having them attack Batman before escaping. Batman defeated the monsters and pursued Joker, who revealed over the intercom that he had teamed up with Poison Ivy and injected her with Titan, causing her to become far more powerful and take control of the island surface with her evolved plants. Batman defeated Scarecrow and Killer Croc down in the sewers and successfully harvested the spores needed to make an antidote for the Titan injection in Croc's lair. Batman then went down further into the sewers and found that Joker was trying to pump Titan polutants into Gotham, telling his men to stop Batman from preventing this in a threatening, serious manner. After Batman shut off the pumps, Joker sent a Titan monster as a token of his displeasure.

Batman defeated the monster and escaped the sewers. Driven by more power hunger, Ivy betrayed Joker and swore to go after him once Batman was killed. Joker assured her that he would be prepared for her with an army of Titan monsters, saying the she could "bring the wine" and he would "make the salad". Batman managed to defeat Ivy in the gardens. With all of the enemies on Joker's 'party list' defeated, Joker had his men set off several fire works directing Batman, the 'guest of honor', to the 'party' at the Visitor Center by the Cell Block. Rather than fight Batman, upon his arrival and confirmation of being on the 'guest list', the goons acted friendly, cheered him and allowed him safe passage (an acheivement is avalible for attacking and defeating these goons). Batman found a bomb planted by Joker in the visitor center and upon its explosion, discovered the Joker's lair, a throne room atop various plastic toys from which he had been broadcasting to the island. Joker was holding Scarface the puppet and taking out his frustration on him by having a fictional argument before throwing him away. He then sent two more Titan injected security guards at Batman, who defeated them.

Joker then revealed that he had recaptured Gordon. Firing a Titan strain at Gordon, Joker was overjoyed when Batman took the shot himself. However, he was angered when Batman resisted and fought off Joker's attempts to make him give in. Angered that Batman would never allow him victory, Joker shot himself in the neck with the Titan injection gun, and seemed to commit suicide. He quickly awoke and mutated into the most horrific Titan monster (possibly being his backup plan all along), while still retaining his regular intelligence due to already being insane. He then directed the circling Gotham News helicopters and Jack Ryder to the rooftops of Arkham so that they could watch his final fight with Batman. Strapping Gordon to an electric chair above a makeshift fighting arena (making him the "referee"), the mutated Joker goaded Batman to give into his injection, as it was the only way they could be on even fighting terms. Batman refused and used the only antidote injection on himself, which the Joker found hysterical. The two, with assistance from Joker's henchmen, then fought a brutal battle, with Batman knocking Joker into the electrical generator used to torture Gordon.

The Joker got up from the attack and said he could take anything Batman threw at him, and asked if the Dark Knight was ready for the next round. Spraying Explosive Gel onto his glove, Batman declared that he would never let Joker win and would always be prepared for his tactics. Enraged, Joker prepared to kill his relentless nemesis as Batman charged him. The gel on Batman's fist fiercely knocked Joker down as he was punched in the face. The GCPD then retook control of Arkham Island, imprisoned all of the inmates back in their cells, and watched over the Titan powered thugs as they returned to normal. Joker's transformation back to humanity was quite painful compared to others, culminating with the severe injuries he received in his battle with Batman. He was then securly locked back up, his plans having ultimately failed. While locked up and recovering from Titan's effects, it is currently unknown what Joker's next course of action will be.

The Joker's special challenge map for PlayStation 3 features the villain beating back Arkham's security.

Gameplay

A special download for Arkham Asylum exclusive to the PlayStation 3 allows players to take control of the Joker. He has his own attacks and battle rooms in which he must fend off Arkham's security guards trying to apprehend him. During combat, Joker employs his lethal laughing gas, a revolver handgun, and his joy buzzer as special attacks. He uses his impressive hand-to-hand abilities to punch, slap, kick, and poke out eyes. During stealth missions where Joker must dispose of Arkham's security on patrol, he can use a pair of glasses with swirly circles in the lenses to see through walls and identify guards. The Joker also fights specific characters from the regular game, including guards Aaron Cash, Henry Smith, Eddie Burlow, Zach Franklin, William North, and Louie Green, as well as Commissioner Gordon. The challenge maps are divided into melee and stealth challenges. The melee challenges pit Joker in an arena-like room to face off against a number of security guards who come in to face the Clown Prince of Crime in groups. The stealth challenges are when the Joker must defeat all the Arkham guards without being detected in a large area of Arkham Asylum complete with nooks and crannies for the Joker to hide in.

The Joker's Melee Challenge Maps

Maximum Punishment

• Round 1- The Joker must face Henry Smith and two other Arkham security guards attired in riot gear at the Holding Cells.

• Round 2- The Joker must face Eddie Burlow and four other security guards. (One of which is notably the guard the Joker killed to make his escape at the start of the regular game.)

• Round 3- The Joker must face Aaron Cash, Louie Green, and six other security guards.

• Round 4- The Joker must face a team of security guards led personally by Commissioner Gordon, including Zach Franklin and William North.

Gutter Tactics

• Round 1- The Joker must face Zach Franklin, William North, and a team of four other Arkham security guards on patrol in the Old Sewer.

• Round 2- The Joker must face Louie Green and a group of helmeted security guards led by Eddie Burlow.

• Round 3- The Joker must face Aaron Cash, Henry Smith, and a total of nine other security guards attempting to take him into custody.

• Round 4- The Joker must take down Commissioner Gordon and an army of fifteen Arkham security guards trying to apprehend him.

Caged Fighter

• Round 1- The Joker must contend with William North, Louie Green, and two other security guards in the Extreme Incarceration area of the Penitentiary. He has 28 seconds before the Arkham security systems electrify the floor and shock him into unconsciousness.

• Round 2- The Joker must face a team of four security guards led by Eddie Burlow. Burlow and one of the security guards wield electrified stun batons and can block most of the Joker's attacks. The Joker has 38 seconds before the floor electrifies.

• Round 3- The Joker must face a group of six security guards led by Aaron Cash and Henry Smith. As before, two of the security guards are armed with stun batons. The Joker must defeat them all within a 48 second limit before the floor electrifies. As the fight intensifies, at least one of the guards (most likely Smith or Cash) will climb onto another part of the floor to open the emergency riot gun locker stored there.

• Round 4- The Joker must face Commissioner Gordon, Zach Franklin, Louie Green, and a team of five security guards. Gordon and one of the security guards carry stun batons. They must all be eliminated before 58 seconds are up. As soon as one opponent loses a stun baton, another will instantly bend over to retrieve it, making this last combat challenge one of the hardest of all.

Giggles in the Gardens

• Round 1- The Joker must face five security guards tasked with guarding the Titan Production Facility in the Botanical Gardens. (One of which is notably the guard the Joker killed to make his escape at the start of the regular game.)

• Round 2- The Joker must contend with a team of eight security guards in riot gear sent to capture him, including Henry Smith and Eddie Burlow. One of the guards is armed with a stun baton. If the fight is prolonged one of the guards (most likely Burlow or Smith) will go for a riot gun locker or take a cement block off the wall to hurl it at the Joker.

• Round 3- The Joker faces Aaron Cash, who leads Louie Green and six other Arkham guards in an attempt to apprehend him.

• Round 4- Commissioner Gordon, Zach Franklin, William North, and seven other security guards make this last desperate attempt to apprehend the Joker in the Titan Production Facility. One of the security guards carries a stun baton. Most of the Joker's opponents in this last combat challenge will try making use of anything they can get their hands on to use as a weapon. At least three enemies will attempt to retrieve a shotgun from the gun locker (Most likely Gordon, Franklin, or North). As soon as one opponent loses a stun baton, another will likely retrieve it.

The Joker's Stealth Challenge Maps

Paging Doctor Joker

• The Joker has to take down all the security guards in the Sanatorium to escape Arkham Asylum. There are five security guards led by Zach Franklin and Henry Smith, and all are armed with riot guns. Aaron Cash is monitering the Arkham guards. He will alert them if he notices one goes missing. The Sanatorium consists of three levels: a lower level (mainly cells) with a ramp leading to the second level (mainly offices), and a third level catwalk over the second level.

Administered Pain

• The Joker must take out all the security guards in the Arkham Mansion's Records Room to escape the asylum. There are four security guards led by Henry Smith and William North, and all are armed with riot guns. The Records Room is a large area that is divided down to sides of the room by enormous records cabinets. There is a catwalk on both sides of the room.

Hell's Hacienda

• The Joker must take out all the Arkham security guards in the Intensive Treatment Lobby to escape the asylum. There are four security guards led by Eddie Burlow and Louie Green, and all are armed with riot guns. The Intensive Treatment Lobby consists of a complex maze of tunnels and walkways with many good hiding places the Joker can make use of.

Cavern of Love

• The Joker must take out all the security guards in the Pump Station to escape the asylum. There are seven Arkham guards led by Zach Franklin, and all are armed with riot guns. The Pump Station consists of a basement, a control office, and a main floor. There are numerous walkways and safe hiding places for the Joker to hole up in. It also has several structurally weakened surfaces on floors and walls, giving the Joker a new option of blowing the floor out from under a passing guard.

Like Batman, the Joker in his own gameplay challenge maps has his own, unique, takedowns.

Some of the Takedowns utilized by the Joker

• The Joker lunges onto his foe, clinging to their backs and pounding them in the head relentlessly until they go limp, before finishing off with a stylish spinning slap.

• The Joker stops and waves at an opponent, distracting them just enough to catch them off guard with a slap across the face. He proceeds to seize their outstretched hand and pulls a classic Joy Buzzer gag, electrocuting them.

• The Joker rushes forward and slaps an Arkham guard upside his face, knocking off his visored helmet. He then finishes with a deadly precise eye poke attack, putting them out on the spot.

• During a high combo, the Joker may seize a stun baton from a security guard, strike the guard across the face with it, and then brutally shock them in the stomach as they go down.