Growing up, I was always a huge fan of Batman and his movies. He is the hero that everyone idolizes because he is a hero that saves people and asks for nothing in return. In fact, people do not even know who he is because he does not want any recognition. He was my childhood hero and that is why I grew up despising the Joker. The Joker, one of the most recognized villains in popular media, is an eccentric psychopath, who uses his intelligence and humor to create havoc in Gotham for Batman. In the movie “The Dark Knight”, the joker is portrayed throughout the movie as the crazy villain, who will not go away until Batman is dead.
The Joker was the new villain in Gotham, who was trying to take over. He creates a bad his reputation for himself by robbing a mafia-owned bank and having the perfect get away without being caught. Although the rest of the mob bosses were impressed by the Joker’s brilliance, they were threatened by him because he could take over all crime operations in Gotham, which were being monitored heavily by the police. The mob was being prosecuted by the courts because of their drug-related crimes. This is when the Joker took over the mob and started putting his focus on killing Batman. Joker announces to Gotham, through a gruesome video of him killing a police officer, if Batman does not reveal himself to Gotham that people will die every day that he doesn’t. Batman does not reveal himself, so the Joker kills the judge presiding over the mob trials and Commissioner Loeb. Bruce Wayne then decides to reveal himself as Batman, but Harvey Dent, the district attorney, beats him to the chase. This leads up to the point in the film when the Joker reveals his sick brilliance.
Harvey Dent, after he lied about being Batman, was in danger because the Joker was pursuing him. However, the real Batman came to the rescue and saved Dent and also captured Joker. While Batman was beating and questioning him in prison, he managed to still capture Dent and his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes. He had Harvey Dent in a certain location on one side of the city, while Rachel Dawes, Batman’s secret lover, was on the opposite side of the city. They were both attached to explosive devices and tied up in chairs. In order for Batman to stop beating the Joker, he explains the situation to Batman. He tells Batman that Rachel was in the place where Harvey Dent actually was and that Dent was on the other side of town. So Batman goes after Rachel, while the police go after Dent. When Batman gets to the location he realizes what the Joker had done, but it was too late so he saved Dent. Meanwhile, Rachel is killed on the other side of town. This is the perfect example of how brilliant and sick the Joker was. In the end, the Joker gets away and continues his disturbing crimes.
A villain is the antagonist in a story and has a negative effect on the other characters. The villain is the “evil” character who disturbs the peace and has no appreciation for the law. The Joker is the perfect example of a villain because of his negative effect on Batman and the rest of Gotham. He believes that he is not required to follow the laws of Gotham and has all the characteristics that are opposite of a heroes. This fictional character is the definition of what it means to be a villain.
#1 by urpm6au on February 28, 2011 - 3:31 am
The idea that a villain is one that “disturbs the peace” is quite interesting and quite paradoxical. While some people may picture revolutionaries such as George Washington, Liu Xiaobo, and Nelson Mandela as archetypes of true heroism, it is interesting that, at the same time, they break the peace and could thus be defined as villains.
I do not personally agree with the aforesaid statement, and I am curious if you meant that villains incorporate a sense of chaos, instead of “breaking the peace”. If so, then our beloved heroes throughout history could also be pictured as villains.
#2 by Cedrick Lindsay on February 28, 2011 - 4:14 am
I have to agree with this post because the joker is one of the most hated villains of all time but he is actually one of the greatest in my opinion. The Joker keeps you on your heels in every scene. The thing that I like most about the joker is that he plays people off each other because he believe that people are corrupt enough that you don’t have to to help them be corrupt its just how they are. In my opinion the joker is a villain that isn’t really that bad he just kind of likes to have fun.
#3 by Cedrick Lindsay on February 28, 2011 - 1:48 pm
to urpm6au post about “breaking the peace If so, then our beloved heroes throughout history could also be pictured as villains.” well i feel like that could very much happen for example many poeple looked at Tiger Woods as a Hero until he broke the peace now he is looked at like a villain by many. So i believe that what he said is right about breaking the peace.
#4 by Timothy Chang on March 2, 2011 - 7:27 pm
I really enjoy this blog because it talks about the joker in a somewhat objective tone. Also, I appreciated how the author emphasized how intelligent yet twisted the Joker really is. Furthermore, the title of “The Joker: The Perfect Villain” is appropriate to this blog because the Joker outwits his opponents and never gets caught. In a way, this blog sort of praises The Joker for being so intelligent yet so evil at the same time it starts to get one thinking about how society views the villain in this day and age. The Joker is one of my favorite villains.
#5 by tuckertyrrell on March 3, 2011 - 3:17 am
The Joker is the epitome of all that is evil, corrupt, and wrong with this world. He comes from a terrible background that shapes him into the savant like villainous character that he is during his encounters with Batman. His schemes and plots to cause chaos are beyond genius as he makes people make impossible moral decisions. The Joker makes it his goal to mess with the inner workings and gears of society as much as physically possible. This makes the Joker one of my favorite villains and his characteristics make you love to hate him.
#6 by urmn9sg on March 3, 2011 - 9:23 pm
i think the joker is such an iconic villain because he does not rely on brute strength, or overwhelming technological power to disrupt the world around him. the fact that the joker relies entirely on his intellect the cause havoc makes him an even more dangerous villain in many ways than a mad man with a nuclear device. because the joker is able to cooly calculate his crimes and the mass hysteria he creates, he is able to create complex and devious puzzles that, while they may not cause widespread physical damage, manage to effect tremendous psychological terrorism on the people of Gotham. the fear he instills has just as much of a negative effect on the city as wide spread death, and the damage it causes will follow his victims for the rest of their lives.