The Joker has the most fearsome reputation around. There are more powerful villains out there, but few are as unpredictable or have the kind of body count the Clown Prince of Crime does. Even fewer of those powerful villains try to vie with Batman, and an even smaller number than that have ever outsmarted the Dark Knight. Joker is a rare breed of villain; one who earned the respect and fear of everyone he's fought over the years.
The Joker's wits are how he pulls off his chaotic schemes in Gotham, and his success rate is alarming. If he can pull the wool over Batman's eyes, he could definitely outsmart some of Marvel's finest heroes.
10 Danny Rand's A Great Fighter But Joker Will Chew Him Up And Spit Him Out
Danny Rand spent years as the Iron Fist, using his martial arts skills and chi control to defeat all challengers. He worked with Luke Cage as the Heroes for Hire, posed as Daredevil for a time, and even joined the Avengers. He's tough as nails and whip-smart, but that doesn't mean the Joker couldn't out-think him.
Rand is great in a fight, but he's never experienced anything like a Joker plan. The Clown Prince of Crime would enjoy breaking someone like Rand, a hero who is flippant and enjoys what he does. Joker would put him through the wringer, and Danny would be very different afterward.
9 Kate Pryde Wouldn't Even Know Where To Start With The Joker
Kate Pryde has been an X-Man for a significant portion of her life. She's been through a lot with that team, Excalibur, and as leader of the Marauders, and she's a clever, skilled hero with the best defensive power out there - intangibility. Kate has faced everything from supervillains to undead ninja to interdimensional demons, but the Joker would be a road too far.
The Joker and Sabretooth - someone that Kate knows a thing or two about - have a lot in common, but not enough to fully prepare her for a battle of wits against the clown. The Joker knows how to find the right buttons to push and would hit Kate in the only place he could: her mind.
8 The Joker Would Push Hawkeye Over The Edge
Hawkeye is one of the more temperamental Avengers, something that has been a bit of a problem for him. He's matured a lot over the years, but Clint is still just as liable to jump in and attack without thinking. Luckily for Hawkeye, he's very good at what he does, so he's been able to survive every time so far. However, that tendency is going to hurt him against the Joker.
Hawkeye is a person who will leap before he looks, and the Joker loves that. Hawkeye is great at improvisation, but Joker is the king of improvising. Even Clint's battles against Bullseye haven't prepared him for what the Joker would do to him.
7 Spider-Man Would Be Too Easy For The Joker To Play With
Spider-Man has tackled the most terrifying villains imaginable, which puts him in good stead against the Joker. He's matched wits with all manner of opponents and triumphed more often than not, although at times he's fallen back on his powers. The problem comes in that Spider-Man's sense of responsibility is easy to exploit.
Joker knows exactly how to deal with someone like Spider-Man and would use misdirection, bluffs, and his various other tricks to take advantage of the Wall-Crawler's bleeding heart heroism. Spider-Man is smarter than the Joker in a lot of ways, but the clown would still play him like a fiddle.
6 Captain America Isn't Going To Outsmart The Joker
Steve Rogers has done amazing things in his long superheroic career. He's considered one of the greats, having led the heroes of the Earth in the most desperate battles. Cap has carried them through to the other side every time and has matched wits with all kinds of villains. He's the best of the best, but he's never faced someone like Joker.
Steve Rogers has every physical advantage over the Joker, and he's obviously a better strategist. However, he's not exactly the detective type and his heroic nature is pretty easy to use against him. Joker would use these two factors to his advantage and outsmart the Sentinel of Liberty.
5 Daredevil's Mental State Is Going To Be A Snap For Joker To Take Advantage Of
Daredevil has battled some of the most dangerous criminals and villains in his adventures. He's probably the closest equivalent to Batman in the Marvel Universe, which would make him and the Joker natural enemies. While Daredevil has been able to outthink Kingpin, Bullseye, and Owl, Joker would quickly figure out how to play him.
Much like Batman, Daredevil has some personal issues that the Joker could exploit. Daredevil has been taken advantage of in this way several times during his career, but no one is as good at it as the Joker. With that strategy, Joker would easily outsmart the hero of Hell's Kitchen.
4 Thor Would Have No Chance In A Battle Of Wits With The Joker
Thor has faced down the most dangerous villains in the universe. Usually, these battles are won by displays of power, with Thor reaching deep down and finding new reserves of power and skill. The Odinson can be a crafty combatant and is smarter than he gets credit for, but he's not exactly someone who is known for outsmarting others.
There's no doubt that once Thor gets his hands on Joker, he's going to smash the Clown Prince of Crime. A big reason why will be just how angry the Joker has made him. The Joker would outsmart Thor at every turn, making Loki look minor league in comparison.
3 The Beast's Arrogance Means Joker Has All The Cards
The Beast is one of the smartest mutants on the planet and has recently embraced a much more amoral way of doing things. The biggest problem with this is that he's not as good at those types of things as he likes to believe. Beast is arrogant, and a lot of the time that arrogance is completely undeserved. That's going to cost him against the Joker.
The Joker loves finding someone who thinks they'll do whatever it takes to win and testing them to their breaking point. The Beast's arrogance is going to make it even easier on the Joker; by the time Beast realizes he was never in control, it will be far too late.
2 The Joker Is A Problem Reed Richards Can't Solve
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The Fantastic Four has faced some improbable situations together, and Reed Richards has been a big part of their success. His stretching powers are great, but it's his mind that has made all the difference. Reed is one of the most intelligent people in the Marvel Universe, and he's faced down things that would chill most heroes' blood.
The Joker is something Reed and his rational mind have never faced, though. The Joker will engage Richards' analytical mind as a feint, drawing the scientist deeper and deeper in until Reed couldn't get out, trapped in the mind of the Joker.
1 The Joker Takes A Different Set Of Skills Than Iron Man Has
Iron Man is very smart, but he's also lousy at making decisions. He's an engineer by trade, so to him, everything is a problem that has to be solved in an orderly fashion. Iron Man is the embodiment of the expression, "When you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." This is why the Joker would outsmart him.
Iron Man isn't used to facing someone like the Joker. He's great against enemies that take an armor upgrade to beat, but that's not the Joker at all. Iron Man is all around too logical to deal with what the Joker is going to throw at him, and he just doesn't have the skills to overcome the Joker's mind games.