Why is the Joker still alive?

[Dienekes]

Why? It was the Joker. I would pour gasoline over his body, toss a match and then piss on the ashes. Jesus, the mayor of Gotham should declare the day he died a holiday.

It was the last performance of Mark Hamill in his best role as my favorite fictional character of all time.

I almost cried.

[comicshorse]

I remember in 'Gotham Central' the Joker gets loose in a squad room with a gun and is shot by the police. He simply comments : " But that never works " and then passes out.
Later one of the characters is very unsurprised when he receives the news from hospital that the Joker will pull through

Also didn't he die in the Emperor Joker storyline ?

[KnightDisciple]

Actually, there's another option, staring us in the face.

Joker is a Time Lord, one lacking a TARDIS or any equipment, but still possessing several regenerations.

Batman is of course a Time Lord as well, his Batcave is his TARDIS, and he's got a Dalek in his cupboard.

[Prime32]

he's got a Dalek in his cupboard.

Is that the Iron Giant's head above it?

[Avilan the Grey]

He is alive because after his introduction (back when Bats killed all the badguys by the end of the issue) he proved popular enough to miraculously survive (they brought him back in a later issue).

[KnightDisciple]

Is that the Iron Giant's head above it?

That'd be telling!

Or in the words of River Song: "Spoilers!"

[SmartAlec]

Killed early on in Kingdom Come, too.

[Tiki Snakes]

Well, he's killed, nearly killed and or had serious attempts on his life made in almost all of his original appearences apparently. So, yeah. It's safe to say it's not from lack of trying.

[Reluctance]

I've only seen movies/cartoons, but I'm a fan of the insane charisma/crazy like a fox theory.

When he grabs your attention, either through a grand entrance or just from getting into a conversation with you, you're too wrapped up in what this madman will do next to do the prosaic thing and shoot him. Once he starts talking, it's too easy to get caught up in the sheer force of personality.

When he's not drawing attention to himself, he's naturally unpredictable and has layers of goons. Getting to him in the first place, even if he's confined, is no walk in the park.

There's also the basic fact that comic book characters rarely do prosaic things. This is a basic premise of the metaverse.

[Jeivar]

What annoys me the most about Joker's immunity is how the other criminals are never smart enough to kill him. Gotham's small time crooks can't possibly be dumb enough to work for someone who abuses and KILLS them on a whim. Why hasn't one of them gotten fed up and worked up the courage to shoot him in the back of the head? Joker's abuse of his goons annoys, not because I feel sorry for them but because it makes no damn sense for him to have goons.

If I were hired to write a DC miniseries, set in their own continuity, I would start it with the Big Bad Evil Guy rounding up a bunch of villains in a board room to explain his Big Evil Plan.

"First order of business: No wild cards."
Then he unexpectedly shoots the Joker in the head, again and again and again. It would set him up as a pragmatic villain, and earn him admiration from the villains working for him.

[Scowling Dragon]

By this point the joker has probably exhausted all possible insane henchmen. He may be using people with mild ADD by this point to keep his "Theme" going.

[Socratov]

The current Batman storyline is kind of stuck in the psudo-70s/80s storyline where the police are irredeemably corrupt, crime is rampant, and mobsters are everywhere. Seriously, with as active as Batman is, the local jail must be holding 60% of Gotham's population.

As for why the Joker is alive? Whoever is running Arkham Asylum isn't interested in killing him (or anyone else committed) probably due to keeping a steady paycheck for himself. I wouldn't be surprised if one day someone reveals there has been an evil anarchic organization behind putting money into Arkham just to keep such people alive; it would certainly fit the rest of the world.

*dons tinfoil hat* Even worse, alfred is the caretaker of the Wayne family fortune paying not only for Batman and his toys but also for villains to keep sprouting up to help Batman come to terms with living without his parents. that is because the trauma of losing his parent screwed up little bruce wayne in such a way that he may have self induced pity, megalomania and a very severe case of the messiah syndrome, spiced with bit of rubiks syndrome turning him into a degenerate rich boy who needs a strong villain every once in a while to be able to think of an impossible solution (bought with kewl toys) so eh will think he's awesome.

Freud would have a field day with it.

[The Glyphstone]

What annoys me the most about Joker's immunity is how the other criminals are never smart enough to kill him. Gotham's small time crooks can't possibly be dumb enough to work for someone who abuses and KILLS them on a whim. Why hasn't one of them gotten fed up and worked up the courage to shoot him in the back of the head? Joker's abuse of his goons annoys, not because I feel sorry for them but because it makes no damn sense for him to have goons.

If I were hired to write a DC miniseries, set in their own continuity, I would start it with the Big Bad Evil Guy rounding up a bunch of villains in a board room to explain his Big Evil Plan.

"First order of business: No wild cards."
Then he unexpectedly shoots the Joker in the head, again and again and again. It would set him up as a pragmatic villain, and earn him admiration from the villains working for him.

*Editor-Logic Engaged*

Except that the person he shot was a Joker body double sent by the real Joker for some unexplained reason. The real Joker is seen alive by the end of the story arc, maybe after ruining one of the Big Bad's secondary plans and helping another independently.

*Editor-Logic Disengaged*

[Tiki Snakes]

What annoys me the most about Joker's immunity is how the other criminals are never smart enough to kill him. Gotham's small time crooks can't possibly be dumb enough to work for someone who abuses and KILLS them on a whim. Why hasn't one of them gotten fed up and worked up the courage to shoot him in the back of the head? Joker's abuse of his goons annoys, not because I feel sorry for them but because it makes no damn sense for him to have goons.

If I were hired to write a DC miniseries, set in their own continuity, I would start it with the Big Bad Evil Guy rounding up a bunch of villains in a board room to explain his Big Evil Plan.

"First order of business: No wild cards."
Then he unexpectedly shoots the Joker in the head, again and again and again. It would set him up as a pragmatic villain, and earn him admiration from the villains working for him.

I kind of enjoyed Arkham City's suggestion on this, actually. Gotham's Goons are a subculture, basically. The idea of working for a non-costumed, gimickless criminal just isn't the same for them. It's a prestige thing. Sure, applying to be one of jokers clowns is a risky business, but once your inside, you're one of the Joker's men. What, you gonna give that up to knock over post offices?

As one of the most dangerously brilliant costumed criminals in Gotham, Joker is one of the most prestigious of the gang leaders, so he has no real trouble attracting goons. Not inspite of his behaviour, but because of it.

Which is weird, but kind of cool.

[Dienekes]

*dons tinfoil hat* Even worse, alfred is the caretaker of the Wayne family fortune paying not only for Batman and his toys but also for villains to keep sprouting up to help Batman come to terms with living without his parents. that is because the trauma of losing his parent screwed up little bruce wayne in such a way that he may have self induced pity, megalomania and a very severe case of the messiah syndrome, spiced with bit of rubiks syndrome turning him into a degenerate rich boy who needs a strong villain every once in a while to be able to think of an impossible solution (bought with kewl toys) so eh will think he's awesome.

Freud would have a field day with it.

You ever read Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

[Blue Lantern]

Did you ever watch that animated series in the 90s, 'Gargoyles'?

Batman and the Joker have a similar deal going to two of the characters from that show. Macbeth and Demona were cursed by witches to bear a kind of invincible plot armor that would prevent their deaths for all time, save for a death inflicted by the other.

Obviously, Batman and the Joker, long ago, were cursed by those same witches, and have sense made an agreement never to kill one another, for their own mutual benefit. Batman can go around shooting gods, and the Joker can go around causing whatever mayhem he wishes, and neither will ever be truly threatened.

This made my day

[DiscipleofBob]

*Editor-Logic Engaged*

Except that the person he shot was a Joker body double sent by the real Joker for some unexplained reason. The real Joker is seen alive by the end of the story arc, maybe after ruining one of the Big Bad's secondary plans and helping another independently.

*Editor-Logic Disengaged*

Alternate ending:

The villains go through their plan and in the final act the Big Bad the other villains are rallying behind pulls off his mask... It was the Joker all along!

[CarpeGuitarrem]

You ever read Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

My exact thoughts too.

[Socratov]

You ever read Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

My exact thoughts too.

Sorry, can't say I have

[comicshorse]

What annoys me the most about Joker's immunity is how the other criminals are never smart enough to kill him. Gotham's small time crooks can't possibly be dumb enough to work for someone who abuses and KILLS them on a whim. Why hasn't one of them gotten fed up and worked up the courage to shoot him in the back of the head? Joker's abuse of his goons annoys, not because I feel sorry for them but because it makes no damn sense for him to have goons.

To use an example from another comic there's a scene I remember where two of the Joker's minions are discussing why they've been sent to kidnap a certain kid. One of them comments in the time he's been working for the Joker he's seen him whimsically kill his minions and whimsically make them millionaires. For a small time crook this might seem a fair gamble.
Though this does of course raise the question how the hell the Joker makes money ( and so affords to pay his minions and purchase deathtraps and the like) as his crimes always seem to be designed towards killing people and not actually make any money

[Scowling Dragon]

You know what?

Her is my explanation:

Its because his hair is green. They can't kill him because his hair is green.

[Giggling Ghast]

It was the last performance of Mark Hamill in his best role as my favorite fictional character of all time.

I almost cried.

Oh, I get you. Fair enough.

[Yora]

What annoys me the most about Joker's immunity is how the other criminals are never smart enough to kill him.

Does it matter? He's a superhero comic character. Nobody ever dies. If anyone would kill him, he would be back the next issue. Just like every other character.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Sorry, can't say I have

Short version?

Whenever Batman dies, he gets reincarnated in another universe. As Batman.

[Ravens_cry]

But what Batman is . . .changes.
The Batman of the Golden Age, who was willing to use a gun and kill people, the Batman of the first TV show, who danced the batusie, the Batman of the Timm-verse , Nolen-verse Batman, Batnipple Batman, Frank Miller Batman, Killing Joke Batman, etcetera.
They are all very different people.
Yet, they are all Batman.

[Bouregard]

It was the last performance of Mark Hamill in his best role as my favorite fictional character of all time.

I almost cried.

However I have to say the Under the red hood Joker, voiced by John DiMaggio is also quite good and easily the second best voiceactor up to this point.

Roundabout the first few minutes of the movie, not a really spoiler but definitly not something for kids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCQxl...eature=related


But back to topic... I like the theory that he's just that badass. Being immortal would somehow cheapen Batmans obsession with not killing him.

The Joker is lucky, extremly skilled and quite intelligent, so it stands to reason that hes hard to kill and will quite possible will always have an exit stage left ready.

[Ravens_cry]

Though 'The Batman' Joker was very different, both in character design and voice, I think he got the Joker across pretty well.
Hamill is still the one though. He could go from nigh-inarticulate foaming mouth rage to smooth lounge lizard schmarm at the drop of hat.

[KnightDisciple]

But what Batman is . . .changes.
The Batman of the Golden Age, who was willing to use a gun and kill people, the Batman of the first TV show, who danced the batusie, the Batman of the Timm-verse , Nolan-verse Batman, Batnipple Batman, Frank Miller Batman, Killing Joke Batman, etcetera.
They are all very different people.
Yet, they are all Batman.

Actually, there's another option, staring us in the face.

Joker is a Time Lord, one lacking a TARDIS or any equipment, but still possessing several regenerations.

Batman is of course a Time Lord as well, his Batcave is his TARDIS, and he's got a Dalek in his cupboard.

[SoC175]

Though this does of course raise the question how the hell the Joker makes money ( and so affords to pay his minions and purchase deathtraps and the like) as his crimes always seem to be designed towards killing people and not actually make any money

Offscreen he works in the same company than Wile E. Coyote

[Dienekes]

Short version?

Whenever Batman dies, he gets reincarnated in another universe. As Batman.

Yes but it is way cooler than this sounds. Hell, it's Neil Gaiman writing a love letter to Batman