The Crown Prince of Gotham is one of the most enigmatic characters in comic book history. Joker is the literal personification of the limit to which the human psyche can be corrupted; however, fans have long theorized about a secret Joker superpower that made him so unique.
This superpower was recently made canonical in Batman #145 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez. In the comic, it is revealed that Daniel Captio, the mentor of Batman, also trained Joker in the same mental techniques, unlocking his superhuman power.
Batman Faces Super-Joker
In the storyline, Batman is imprisoned in Blackgate prison, and his violent and sadistic Zur-En-Arrh personality has taken over Failsafe, a titular robot that is part of Batman’s contingency plan. As Batman tries to take over control, he is overpowered and presented before Blackgate’s warden, who turns out to be Daniel Captio.
While talking to Batman, Captio reveals that he trained Joker in the same mental techniques that he taught Batman. Caption admits that he did so to deliberately pit Joker against Batman’s unhinged Zur-En-Arrh personality so that the two personalities would continuously evolve with each other.
Captio remarked that a mere suggestion to Joker started an ever-evolving reaction in Joker’s mind that has fully developed into a superpower in its own right. This superpower allows Joker to walk away from lethal encounters unscathed and predetermine his victim’s actions.
Curious Case of Daniel Captio
On Prime Earth, Dr. Daniel Captio is a nomadic psychologist whom Bruce Wayne sought to train himself in mental resilience. The character was created by Chip Zdarsky and Carmir Giandomenico and first appeared in Batman: The Knight #8.
In the latest issue, Captio dropped the bombshell of training both Batman and Joker in mental fortitude. The genius move pitting Joker against Batman also shows Captio’s preparedness and concern for Bruce Wayne as he is well aware of the consequences of unleashing an unhinged Batman.
Joker Turns Super-Sane! The Joker’s unique psyche has been credited with “super-sanity,” which is an advanced mutation of human perception. Moreover, the Clown Prince of Gotham’s anarchic, narcissistic, and violent madness is so unique that it does not conform to traditional classification.
Now, with the confirmation provided by Captio, it can be very well said that Joker indeed possesses a heightened level of consciousness that aids him in unleashing his anarchic rule over Gotham. This newly revealed also settles the prevalent argument of how Batman can be easily bested by a mere clown with no superpower.
Additionally, this superpower also adds a new dimension to the complex and intricate relationship between the Joker and the Dark Knight. Seeing as how both the characters are trained by Daniel Capito, the tussle between them to gain control over each other becomes more fun to witness.
