The Joker is returning to fighting games, turning up as the fifth Kombat Pack character in Mortal Kombat 11. However, this is far from the first appearance of DC's Clown Prince of Crime.
From a 2D sprite to a fleshed-out 3-dimensional character receiving top-notch voice talent, the Joker has appeared in plenty of video games for the past 30 years. But where did he start?
8-Bit Jester
The earliest appearance of the Joker in a video game was the 1988 Batman: The Caped Crusader, predating any appearance he would have in console gaming. The 8-bit computer game was pretty rudimentary by modern standards but there just couldn't be a Batman game without his arch-nemesis to plague him. Fans attentive to the release date will notice the importance of Joker's inclusion in subsequent video game projects, as the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman would spawn several game adaptations on everything from Atari, to Commodore, to SNES.
The Game Boy adaption of Batman: The Animated Series marked the DC Animated Universe's adaptation into video games. The DCAU proved an important connection for Joker's relationship with video games as Batman: Vengeance in 2001 marked the first time the character was voiced by Mark Hamill in a video game. Hamill brought the same vibrancy and lunacy to the roll that he had for Batman: The Animated Series, making Joker a truly stand out character. Further appearances in Batman: Chaos in Gotham, Justice League: Injustice for All, Batman: Dark Tomorrow and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu solidified Joker's place in Batman's video game Rogues Gallery.
Brick Baddie
The Lego version of The Joker seemed to skew closer to Cesar Romero than any other version, but the games did help show off the sheer variety of zaniness he enjoyed throughout his long history in comics.
The Lego Batman trilogy of games all featured Joker with an assortment of familiar tricks like exploding pies and acid spray. What was most notable about Joker's history with the Lego Batman franchise was that they actually allowed players to control The Joker, albeit a fairly tame, kid-friendly version that wouldn't be seen again for some time.
A Rage and Roaring Laughter
Though officially considered to be Mortal Kombat 8, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is one that fans would prefer to forget. However, it allowed fans to fight as Joker for the first time against other villains and heroes of the DC Universe (and the Mortal Kombat one, for that matter). With his fighting style built around beyond a jokey prankster while still serving as a deadly threat, Joker brought style and substance to the game in a way only he could.
At the same time, Joker took part in the overarching plot that felt so much less generic than his previous "crazy mastermind" plots from other games. Since the conflict that brought the DC and MK universes together was a struggle between godlike entities Darkseid and Shao Khan, it was nice to see Joker play a more henchman-like role. Unfortunately, the DC licensing watered down the mature themes of the MK series, forcing the publisher to edit Joker's Fatality for its North American release so that his gunshot coup de grace would not be seen on camera.
Running The Asylum
It would be hard to argue that any other version of a video game Joker could stand toe-to-toe in terms of sheer quality to his Arkham iteration. While playing a prominent role in the plot of almost every game in the franchise, the Joker managed to earn his place as Batman's arch-nemesis without stealing the spotlight from the sheer variety and detail in the rest of the world of Arkham.
Mark Hamill returned to voice The Joker, providing raw mania and emotion in every scene. In Arkham Asylum, Joker leads Batman through the twisting hallways of Arkham Asylum and beyond as one of the best video game nemesis to date. Even in Arkham Knight, taking place after the character's death and beginning with the cremation of his body, he haunted Batman's psyche and threatened his sanity as the stakes grew ever higher. For many fans, this proves to be the definitive iteration of the character even with comics and movies included, and it might just deserve the credit.
The Mysterious Joe
While the point-and-click adventures of the Batman: The Telltale Series may not rate among the other entries on this list in terms of gameplay, it's sheer storytelling ability gives the Arkham series a run for its money.
Without spoiling much of the plot, all that's necessary to hook anyone's interest is the promise of seeing Joker from his earliest days in Arkham Asylum. The choices make all the difference in the outcome, however, so for the first time ever players can feel that same question that haunts Batman throughout his life: Could the Joker ever be stopped?
Superman's Worst Nightmare
While Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe gave fans a taste of what it was like to play as Joker in a fighting game, it was the Injustice series that really let loose and showed what he could do. Unhampered by the censorship of the violence so integral to the character, the Injustice: Gods Among Us and its sequel featured a Joker playfully puppeteering corpses and having fun every minute of it.
Joker is a critical element of the Injustice series, having tricked Superman into murdering Lois Lane, and Joker's death serving as the point of no return for The Man of Steel. Joker would return for the follow-up, Injustice 2, but in the storyline was merely a hallucination induced by Scarecrow on Harley Quinn. As a fighter, Joker relied on tricks, gadgets and parries, proving to be a deadly and hard to read opponent. In the hands of NetherRealm Studios, The Joker became a truly devastating fighting game character. It remains to be seen if the Mortal Kombat 11 Joker is the one from Injustice or a new, deadlier version, but we'll be finding out when he becomes available for download January 28th.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC.