There Have Been This Many Jokers!! How Batman’s Greatest Foe Was Born and Evolved… Revisiting the “Allure of Villains” with “LEGO DC Super-Villains” [Feature]

Since the third Saturday of September is “Batman Day” every year, various initiatives were carried out in 2026—including events held on September 19—to celebrate the occasion.

Batman first appeared in “Detective Comics #27” in 1939, and his history spans a remarkable 87 years.Over the years, he has taken on various “masks”—ranging from a hero with a dark, supernatural flair to a cheerful, family-friendly hero; from a mystery-solving hero true to his title as “the world’s greatest detective” to a superhero battling aliens and interdimensional creatures.

In recent years, he has continued his triumphant run in DC Comics’ new series called “Absolute Universe.” Unlike the standard universe, this series features a martial-arts-trained Batman raised in the slums who fights using only his physical strength, gaining popularity for the unique appeal of its distinct worldview.

*“Absolute Universe” is a series based on the concept: “What if heroes raised in privileged environments were stripped of those ‘privileges’?” In this series, Batman’s status as a millionaire has been removed, and he is instead portrayed as having grown up in the slums.In this universe, he possesses none of the gadgets or equipment created with a lavish budget; instead, he relies solely on his own well-trained physique to take on challenges.

And Batman, who has shown various facets of his character throughout his long history, has also been portrayed in a multifaceted way in live-action movies and TV series.

Starting with the black-and-white serial films of 1943 and 1949, the 1989 live-action film became a unique work that blended a 1930s-inspired world with director Tim Burton’s distinctive style.

Director Joel Schumacher’s film adopted a comical, fluorescent-colored style reminiscent of the 1966 TV series.

Furthermore, Christopher Nolan’s version—which focused on realism by drawing on the series’ nickname, “The Dark Knight”—became a hit with its serious storyline, while the DCEU version (part of the DC Comics multiverse) featured the protagonist battling superheroes rather than criminals.Furthermore, there’s the version starring Robert Pattinson, which features strong mystery elements centered on the “world’s greatest detective,” and so on…

And the same goes for the villains. In particular, the Joker—Batman’s arch-nemesis who debuted in 1940—is no exception; he has evolved in various ways throughout his long history.

In this article, I’d like to take a closer look at these DC Comics villains—particularly the Joker—and reintroduce the puzzle-based action-adventure game *The LEGO® DC Super-Villains*, which features DC villains as the main characters.

◆ “LEGO® DC Super-Villains”: Character Creation Is a Blast

Released in 2018 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, *LEGO® DC Super-Villains* is an action-adventure game in which DC Comics villains team up to take on their “business rivals.”The system, which incorporates LEGO elements, features strong puzzle-solving mechanics—such as reassembling destroyed objects to create new gadgets and using them to forge new paths.

The scenario features a completely original story for this title: with the Justice League having mysteriously vanished and the “Justice Syndicate”—a self-proclaimed team of heroes from a universe known as Earth-3—gaining new popularity, villains who have discovered the Syndicate’s true, sinister nature rise up to eliminate their business rivals.

While the premise is similar to *Suicide Squad*, a major highlight of this game is that it features over 200 (*) playable characters.

*Includes DLC and select superheroes.

Players take on the role of a villain incarcerated in a prison on Striker Island. Aside from being referred to as “the Newcomer,” this character is silent and has no specific backstory, allowing players to create their own unique avatar as a complete stand-in for themselves.

In addition to customizing their appearance, players can choose skills, weapons, whether or not to fly, and which team to join, among other options. Ultimately, players can choose not only villains but also heroes or a neutral faction; however, since faction does not affect gameplay, it is purely a matter of personal preference.

Character creation offers a wide range of options, allowing you to combine various parts for the head, torso, waist, legs, and arms. You can also wear helmets and masks, and choose from several cape designs. Of course, you’re free to go without a cape if you prefer.There are also preset parts for characters like Batman and Superman, so you can create an original body by adding a bat emblem to a generic body, change the color scheme of the preset Batman body, or even create your own unique version of Batman—the possibilities are endless. Plus, depending on your skill settings, you can even fly through the air.

The story is also entertaining, and seeing villains from various DC works gathered in one place offers a different kind of thrill from the movie *Justice League*. These elements are what make this game so appealing.

As for the villains, the game features not only the main ones—such as Killer Frost, who was an ally in the TV series *The Flash*; Gorilla Grodd, who is slated for a TV adaptation; and Clayface, whose standalone horror movie is set to premiere in October—but also a wide range of characters that fans of the shows and movies will recognize, making it a constant stream of “I know this one!” moments.Additionally, Robo—who appeared in the movie *Supergirl*—has a surprising cameo, making this a title that fans who’ve been following the media franchise will thoroughly enjoy.

While this game is often overlooked because it’s villain-centric, as an all-star DC character game, it’s likely the console title with the largest number of characters in history, so I really hope you’ll enjoy it—especially the character creation features.

◆ The Secret Behind Charismatic Villains: “Tragedy” and “Hate”

Playing *LEGO® DC Super-Villains* brings to mind the many villains from Batman’s history. Batman’s villains are characterized by their tragic backstories, which make them compelling characters that lend themselves well to portrayal in feature films.

For example, Mr. Freeze—played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie *Batman & Robin: The Return of Mr. Freeze*—had been devoted to research in an effort to cure his beloved wife Nora’s terminal illness, but an accident left him with a body that can only survive at cryogenic temperatures.As a result, even in video game series like the “Arkham Series,” there were scenes where Batman tried to persuade him or show him compassion, portraying him as a villain worthy of sympathy.

Similarly, Two-Face—who lost half his body after being doused with strong acid during a trial—was originally a prosecutor with a strong sense of justice; had he not lost his sanity, he would likely have been a character capable of fighting alongside Batman.In fact, in the movie *The Dark Knight*, Bruce took an interest in him as a potential successor to Batman. While superheroes also gain their superpowers through unforeseen accidents, what is it that determines their fate? Readers empathize with the room this leaves for such speculation.

The most fascinating of all, however, was Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker.

However, he is not a tragic character; rather, he occupies the position of an eternal rival bound by a powerful, fateful connection. In the past, his actions have even driven Batman to the brink of murder, and in another universe, he committed crimes severe enough to distort Batman’s very personality.

The Joker first appeared in 1940, the year following the 1939 launch of the Batman series. Initially intended to be a one-time guest villain, the eccentricity of his clown makeup became a talking point, leading to his return. From then on, he appeared frequently, consistently plaguing Batman.

It was the 1988 publications *Batman: The Killing Joke* and *Batman: Death in the Family* that transformed him from “just a formidable foe” into a delusional, vicious terrorist, forging a deep and enduring connection with Batman.These stories ventured into territory that had never been explored before, leaving indelible emotional scars—not only for Batman and his family, but also for the readers.

“Batman: The Killing Joke” is famous as the story that depicts the Joker’s origin, but the content is deeply shocking—combined with the realistic world crafted by Alan Moore—as it includes the Joker kidnapping Commissioner Gordon and shooting Batgirl, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

Another key point is that this story reveals the Joker and Batman to be mirror images of each other—a concept highly appreciated by fans. Although both wear masks and wreak havoc in the same way, Batman is celebrated by the citizens of Gotham, while the Joker is feared. This philosophical perspective was incredibly shocking for its time.

It’s worth noting that while the Joker’s origin story mentioned in this work would later be adopted in the “Arkham Series” and various other media adaptations, the details presented in *The Killing Joke* are merely fragments of the Joker’s hazy memories—uncertain accounts that could very well be delusions. The fact that it isn’t a definitive past was a fitting conclusion, true to the Joker’s character.

Furthermore, in *Batman: Death in the Family*, the Joker caused a stir by blowing up Jason Todd—the second Robin—even if it was based on the results of a reader poll.In the movie *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*, there’s a scene where a tattered Robin suit is shown for just a split second—and the episode that served as the inspiration for that very moment was *Death in the Family*.

As such, the Joker of recent years has become even more deranged, showing a tendency toward escalation—from peeling off his own facial skin to, in another universe, driving Batman mad and creating “Fu Lafs,” a Batman imbued with the Joker’s psyche.Just as Batman has shown many different faces over these 87 years, the Joker has also continued to evolve as a worthy arch-nemesis.

While characters like Mr. Freeze and Two-Face gained popularity for their tragic backstories, the Joker has evolved into a character with the ideal background for an arch-nemesis—one who is powerful and whose management of hatred provides perfect catharsis.

◆Looking Back at the Joker Through the Ages in Film and TV

Now, speaking of the Joker, he has shown us even more diverse facets in film and television than Batman himself.

The first actor to portray the Joker in a live-action production was Caesar Romero, who played the role in the 1966 TV series *Batman*. Using a bold technique—painting over his trademark mustache with white makeup—he delivered a clown-like performance as a cheerful and amusing gang boss.

The next live-action Joker was played by Jack Nicholson, who appeared in the 1989 film *Batman*. In this film, an original backstory was introduced: the Joker was a robber who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents, creating a deep-seated rivalry with Batman.In the source material, he is a terrorist whose real name is unknown, but in this film, he appeared as a gang boss named Jack Napier. In terms of personality, he followed the same clown-like approach as in the 1966 TV series.

The third is Heath Ledger’s portrayal, which left a striking impression in the movie *The Dark Knight*.Beyond his striking appearance—marked by the scar at the corner of his mouth—he was a mysterious figure whose thoughts were impossible to fathom, and whose ruthlessness in assassinating VIPs without hesitation made him a character that seemed to take the “madman” vibe—which had intensified since *The Killing Joke*—to its absolute extreme.The scene where he films his hostages also heightened the sense of fear, making him seem like a real terrorist.

The fourth is Cameron Monaghan’s version, which appeared in the TV series *Gotham*. This version has the most unique backstory, originating from the twins Jerome Valesca and Jeremiah Valesca.The series itself is a crime thriller centered on a young Gordon, and since it depicts Gotham City before the birth of Batman, it portrayed his origin story with an air of mystery.

The fifth is the DCEU version of the Joker, who appeared in films such as *Suicide Squad*. He was portrayed by Jared Leto.His metal-punk aesthetic set him apart from the “Dark Knight” version. In a post-apocalyptic world dominated by a threat known as the Dark Side, he was slated to join forces with Batman and other survivors to combat the Dark Side—making him a character whose absence from the universe is deeply regrettable.

The sixth character is Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Since the project began with a somewhat unconventional approach—aiming to create a film in the vein of *Taxi Driver*—it featured a setting distinct from the traditional *Batman* universe and conveyed a strong social message.Of course, the character of Arthur Fleck himself is an original creation for this film. Personally, I felt the film was so sympathetic toward the Joker that it almost seemed like a “brainwashing movie created by the Joker to incite the masses,” which gave it a certain sense of “reality.”

And the most recent version is Barry Cogan’s Joker, who appeared at the end of *THE BATMAN*. Since he’s shown in prison and isn’t wearing clown makeup, this has heightened anticipation for the sequel scheduled for release in 2028.

Finally, I’d like to introduce the film *The Man Who Laughs*, which served as the inspiration for the Joker.

This is a 1928 silent film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel *The Man Who Laughs*.Set in 17th-century England, the story depicts the tragedy of Gwynplaine—a young man with an “ugly face” who was forced to wear a grinning mask through plastic surgery—and his adopted sister Dea, whom he took in as a child.

Although only his appearance influenced “Batman,” he looks exactly like the Joker, and the story itself is fascinating and well worth a watch. Since you can now watch it with subtitles on streaming services, why not check out the “true origin” for yourself?

After all, to fully express a superhero’s strength, they need a formidable foe who surpasses them, and to achieve the catharsis that comes from defeating that foe, it’s crucial to craft a character that audiences genuinely despise. The Joker is the ultimate villain who fulfills both of these criteria, which is likely why he continues to enjoy such charismatic popularity as one of DC Comics’ most iconic villains.

Behind this 87-year-long saga, the Joker has been the bedrock of its popularity… “Batman Day” served as a reminder of that fact.