The Joker is one of the most complicated villains in fiction because he never seems to be the same person. DC has explored this aspect of the Joker a lot over the decades, with a recent story concretely confirming that the Joker absolutely has three distinct personalities. But I still think there is a fourth Joker personality, and DC has given us a lot of hints about that.
There have been countless different interpretations and explorations of the Joker's different personalities. Some stories, like Three wildcards by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, postulated the idea that the Joker is actually three distinct people.
Chip Zdarsky took a different direction in his Batman run, explaining that The Joker's different personalities come from training with Dr. Daniel Captiothe same person who helped Batman create his Zur-En-Arrh persona. Although Bruce only created one supporting personality for himself, the Joker immediately saw the potential in having multiple and created three separate personalities, as explored in the The Joker Year One arc by Zdarsky, Giuseppe Camuncoli and others.
The original version of the Joker wasn't a true supervillain at first
Art of Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
The three most seen personalities in comics are the mischievous prankster, the brutal serial killer and the sadistic schemer. Their shared existence explains how the Joker is sometimes a completely harmless prankster and sometimes a complete monster, one of the worst serial killers DC has to offer. It's easy to see why most people would think these three personalities are all there is to the Joker. After all, having more than three personalities is a lot, and often the three personalities are how readers see the Joker presented. But I feel like DC left some clues that show the Joker is hiding another personality.
Only after a horrible event was the Joker born.
The Joker wasn't always the Joker, of course: There was a man before the madness. The Joker used to be a regular guy, and while DC is usually pretty tight-lipped about what exactly that backstory was, the most commonly accepted answer is that the Joker used to be a man named Jack. This man lived long enough to have a wife and children, which was detailed in both Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland and Batman: Three Jokers. While DC has held off on confirming that this backstory is true, it is the most widely accepted among fans, so I think it can be treated as canon.
Jack married a woman and loved her enough for the two of them to have a child. Only after a horrible event was the Joker born. So this raises the question of what happened to the Joker's original personality. If your encounter with Batman drove you insane, readers have to ask where that original man who had a wife and children went. Well, after reading a lot of comics, I think I have some answers. Before the Joker met Daniel Captio, O.J.oker Year One reveals that the Joker was terrified of Batman, which contrasts sharply with his three current personalities.
The Joker definitely has a hidden personality within him
I'm convinced there is a fourth wild card
After being trained by Captio, the Joker symbolically killed his original self, truly dedicating himself to becoming the Joker. But killing the original personality isn't exactly easy, even for someone like the Joker. While the Joker may have pushed the man he once went as deep as possible, I don't think he's really goneand there are some cases that prove my point. While the Joker's villainous personalities are certainly in control most of the time, they occasionally disappear, usually after Batman disappears, and the Joker once again becomes the man he originally was.
In Batman: Staying Sane by JM DeMatteis and Joe Staton, the Joker truly believes he managed to kill Batman. Because of this success, the Joker does not spread throughout Gotham City; instead, he simply gives up his criminal ways. He settles down, gets a job, meets a woman and has a life. It is remarkably close to what the Joker originally had before he lost his mind. I don't think it makes sense because the personalities, described as clown, demon and “cold death,“would care about a relationship even if Batman were dead. But the Joker's original personality would.
There's also the strange pattern of the Joker wanting to be a hero. While There is no denying that the Joker is a sadistic killerThere are also several moments in his story where I noticed the Joker trying to help people – which doesn't make sense for the Joker's original personalities, who were created to be pure killers. But if the fourth personality, the normal man that the Joker used to be, was influencing the Joker's other personalities, this desire to be a hero would make a lot more sense.
The Joker is a legitimate hero in at least one alternate universe
Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy
Although he exists in an alternate universe, I think it's also worth highlighting the character Jack Napier from Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy. Despite the alternative history, The characters still mostly follow the same path. This universe makes a point of exploring the Joker's personalities. Specifically, it divides the Joker character into two personalities: the Joker and Jack Napier.
Jack Napier is a good and fair manand he even helps save Gotham City, while the Joker is a horrible, sadistic killer. I find it very interesting that Murphy goes in this direction with the iconic character. Surely he must have based this interpretation on something – possibly the idea that the Joker always had a good personality inside him.
Another important piece of information that suggests the Joker still has a good personality within him is presented in LJA by Grant Morrison. When Martian Manhunter tries to rearrange the Joker's mind, he goes deep into the Joker's subconscious. Deep inside him, the Joker holds a previous memory of an old couple in love. It's never made clear exactly who these people are, but the Joker clearly keeps them around. Considering that Harley Quinn and other characters have stated that the Joker doesn't care about anyone's life, it's strange that he would have this memory stored deep within him – unless it belongs to a fourth personality.
The Joker is mostly a monster, but a small part of him isn't
DC needs to explain where this fourth personality is
The Joker often stopped being a villain when he regained his sanity, but he often stopped being the Joker without anything encouraging him to return to sanity. While the Action comics Jason Aaron and John Timms' “I, Bizarro” arc showed that the Joker would be a helpful man without his insanity, Batman: Staying Sane shows that he does not need to be “cured” to be a normal person, proving that there is something more to the Joker than just his insanity. The Joker's personalities, which are born from insanity, do not need to be removed for him to become good, meaning there must be something else influencing him.
Looking for another recent story starring multiple Jokers? Check it out The Joker: the man who stopped laughing by Matthew Rosenberg, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Francesco Francavilla, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
One of the biggest complaints leveled at Batman is that he should just kill the Joker and be done with it. But if I'm right, then the Joker has a victim no one talks about: the man he used to be. If Batman can reach this fourth personality and bring it back to the surface, then the Joker can lead a normal, healthy life. He could be redeemed. I know this theory is absurd, but all the clues and evidence are there. While the Joker He often changes his personality to remain dangerous and unpredictable, there is yet another personality hidden within him that needs to be saved.
Batman: The Joker Year One is now available from DC Comics!