Is there a difference between Jack Napier and the Joker?

[The Joker]

The Joker is Jack unchained. Flamboyant and out in the open. .

This.

As Jack Nicholson said himself in the documentary accompanying the Batman '89 SE, following Jack surviving his fall into the vat of chemicals, the guy arouse completely re-wired in his head. Which in turn, brought out his own personal idiosyncrasies to the forefront that probably would have never surfaced otherwise. Much like Alex Ross states about the '89 Joker origin in the same doc, Jack the gangster being transformed into Jack the Joker just brought out a whole new and nasty creative realm for him to go that was completely liberating. As he tells Vicki Vale, comparing himself to other people is pointless. He's an artist now. The world's first, fully functional, homicidal artist even!

Actually, you can say the same holds true for Mark Hamill's Joker in the animated series as well. Both shared pasts as gangsters, both were obviously at some point bleached white, and both got a whole lot more flamboyant/creative following that. Do I need several pity stories possibly explaining why he's crazy or does what he does? Nope. Sometimes it's just a case of a mean kid. Bad seed. Likes to hurt people. Simplicity.

[Edd Grayson]

Very true. On the other hand, those who criticise Jack for being one-note are usually the same type that like a guy that repeated the same things over and over again about anarchy... oh well, to each their own.

[Grissom]

Napier's dark side was increased 10 fold when he became the Joker and his mind slipped into madness. This could be a very long discussion but take for example his narcissism, he's always concerned about his looks and appearance and its expanded when he becomes the Joker. He loves beautiful things and art but this time he'll make art until someone dies.

A-one Nut boy. 

[Edd Grayson]

Napier's dark side was increased 10 fold when he became the Joker and his mind slipped into madness. This could be a very long discussion but take for example his narcissism, he's always concerned about his looks and appearance and its expanded when he becomes the Joker. He loves beautiful things and art but this time he'll make art until someone dies.

A-one Nut boy. 

A-one Nut-boy and you know it! 

[riddler]

I don't think there needs to be a difference because Jack doesn't use the Joker as a secret identity, there never is the big reveal that Jack Napier is the joker, he more or less implies it all along. The Joker is more of a new look for him.


Looks like the Nolanites are getting testy, their films are already fading to obscurity (the dark knight rises is an agonizing film to sit though for a repeated viewing) and so they have the need to remind people Nolan made bat films too as theirs are already failing the test of time.

[The Dark Knight]

Jack doesn't use the Joker as a secret identity

Jack uses the Joker as a secret identity. He says to Grissom, "you can call me Joker, and as you can see I'm a lot happier." And during his TV hijacking he says "Joker here."

[The Laughing Fish]

Jack doesn't use the Joker as a secret identity

Jack uses the Joker as a secret identity. He says to Grissom, "you can call me Joker, and as you can see I'm a lot happier." And during his TV hijacking he says "Joker here."

Yes. As I said in the Suicide Squad thread last year, Jack couldn't do anything to hide his smile, but he tried to deceive people by hiding his white skin in flesh-coloured make-up. The TV hijacking is one example where he taunts Batman by "unmasking" himself, and challenges him to do the same.

[Slash Man]

It's very much the original Joker that comes through as the prime inspiration. Instead of his tragic backstory in The Killing Joke, he was a bad guy who just got worse. He's a master planner and a gangster with a theatrical touch, which is how I'd sum up the 40s Joker. A lot of people cite the the modern age Joker as the prime inspiration, but I don't see it. At that time, the emphasis was on Joker's psychosis, whereas it's clear that Jack's Joker has a grip on what is right and wrong and takes an active role in committing evil. The spin they put on the Waynes' murder shows it all; Jack was remorseless and never shied away from killing. Which is a big contrast from the traditional Joe Chill and the muggers at the beginning, who are clearly committing crimes out of desperation.

So yes, Joker was different from Jack, but was more like the next evolution instead of a sudden turnaround.

[The Dark Knight]

The more time passes, the more I appreciate what Jack did with the Joker, and what the characterisation was in the first place. I prefer the Joker being an ex-gangster instead of a failed comedian. It ticks more boxes. He has inside knowledge on the gangster scene and therefore knows how to dismantle them. He also has these criminal skill sets at his disposal in the first place and simply doesn't become a master killer overnight.

[Slash Man]

One thing I noticed that's unique to Jack's Joker is that he has a slower descent into madness as opposed to suddenly snapping. It's all about his motives. When he first becomes the Joker, his main priority is much the same as Jack's - seize control of Grissom's empire. After that? Anything goes. He's completely unpredictable, with the exception of his rivalry with Batman.

His relationship with Vicki was the most sporadic. He goes to great efforts to woo her, only to attempt to kill her with acid after a few minutes. Same thing when he spots her at the Cathedral.