The world of DC has a ton of iconic heroes and villains that have gone on to become major parts of pop culture in general and went far beyond the realm of just comic books. This is especially true for the Joker – a true icon. That said, one Marvel villain had a deep impact on Joker as well.
The Joker has seen many iterations over the past several decades, whether it is in comic books, movies, TV shows and video games. Due to so many kinds of The Joker, it’s hard to see which one is truly his best version.
The Joker Once Regained His Sanity In The Comics
Despite being one of DC’s most dangerous villains, the Joker experienced a rare moment of redemption when he was entirely cured of his insanity and was ready to make his way back into society. Sadly, that didn’t end up happening thanks to Marvel most’s dangerous villain – Carnage.
This event took place in the classic crossover tale, Spider-Man and Batman #1, penned by J.M. DeMatteis and brought to life by the artistic talents of Mark Bagley, Scott Hanna, Mark Farmer, Electric Crayon, and Richard Starkings. In the comic, both Cletus Kasady and the Joker receive a cure for their murderous insanity through Dr. Briar’s bio-technic chip, implanted in their brains. With this chip activated, both characters become entirely normal and non-threatening.
However, the story takes a dark turn when Cletus manipulates the chip, causing it to short-circuit and succumb once again to his villainous nature, thanks to the influence of the Carnage symbiote. Instead of leaving the Joker on the path of redemption, Carnage abducts him, removing the Joker’s implant and erasing the progress made, With this move, Carnage drives the Clown Prince back into the life of a villain again.
Carnage Stole Joker’s Chance To Redeem Himself After A Life Of Villainy
The Joker, while a heinous serial killer, is ultimately a human capable of a theoretical cure. Marvel’s Dr. Briar possesses a chip that could permanently cure the Joker. The Joker’s continued malevolence in the DC Universe is not due to a lack of attempts to cure him or Batman’s failure to eliminate him. Rather, we can say that it stems from his corruption by Marvel’s Carnage.
There is no evidence to suggest that without Carnage’s involvement, the Joker would eventually break free from his conditioning or that, as a “normal” individual, he would inherently remain evil. Instances in which the Joker regains sanity, such as when Martian Manhunter reordered his psyche, show immediate remorse for his past crimes, revealing the potential for a sane Joker to exhibit at least some degree of “good” behavior.
