What is Joker (character)?
[[File:The Joker at Wax Museum Plus.jpg|thumb|[[Jack Nicholson]] as the Joker. Wax figure at the ''National Wax Museum Plus'', [[Dublin]].]] The '''Joker''' is a [[fictional character]], a [[comic book]] supervillain published by [[DC Comics]]. He is an archenemy of [[Batman]]. The character's creator has been disputed between [[Jerry Robinson]], [[Bill Finger]], and [[Bob Kane]], even though many believe Robinson created the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jerry-robinson-dead-batman-artist-271446|title=Batman Artist Jerry Robinson Dies at 89|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/books/05robinson.html|title=The Joker in the Deck: Birth of a Supervillain|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 4, 2011}}</ref> The Joker first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940). ==Background== Throughout his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a master criminal whose characterization has varied from that of a violent psychopath to a goofy trickster-thief. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Joker's creation was inspired by [[Conrad Veidt]]'s role in the 1928 silent movie ''[[The Man Who Laughs (1928 movie)|The Man Who Laughs]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/conrad-veidt-joker-batman-villain-man-who-laughs-silent-film-1463490|title=CONRAD VEIDT JOKER: HOW BATMAN VILLAIN WAS INSPIRED BY SILENT FILM 'THE MAN WHO LAUGHS'|publisher=Newsweek|date=October 17, 2019}}</ref> The Joker possesses no superhuman abilities, instead using his expertise in chemical engineering to develop poisonous or lethal concoctions and thematic weaponry, including razor-tipped playing cards, deadly joy buzzers, and acid-spraying lapel flowers. The Joker sometimes works with other [[Gotham City]] supervillains, such as the [[Penguin (comics)|Pengui