It may be a mystery to most people in the DC Universe, but one surprising hero actually knows the origin of the Joker. When no one else had the power to save the villain's life, a certain Justice Leaguer discovered the Harlequin of Hate's surprising beginning.
While he's one of the most infamous villains in the entire DCU, very little is known about the Joker, including where he came from. Over the years hints towards his past have emerged, such as him being a failed stand-up comedian or being a member of the Red Hood gang. But there's no confirmed origin for the Joker, leaving him one of the most enigmatic presences around. Having no true origin story has only helped sell the Joker as a disturbing villain, and has bolstered his reputation as one of the most mysterious DC characters to date.
The Atom Discovered the Joker's Hidden Past
But it looks like one particular member of the Justice League knows everything there is to know about the Clown Prince of Crime. In The Brave and the Bold #31 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chad Hardin, The Atom is approached by Arkham Asylum’s medical staff to help them treat the Joker. Thanks to the synapses in his brain misfiring, the Joker needs an experimental procedure that only the Atom can deliver directly into the Joker’s nervous system. Against his wishes, Ray Palmer agrees and ventures into the villain’s mind. However, while inside the Joker’s brain, Atom is hit by the synapses, and he begins seeing flashes of the Joker’s past. Ray sees everything, from the Joker's youth to when he killed his parents in a house fire, all the way to his repeated conflicts with his archenemy, Batman.
Granted, the Joker has told several variations on his past and nearly all of them are questionable. He’s even itted in that he has trouble ing his past and prefers it to be “multiple choice”. Obviously the villain isn’t a reliable source of information when it comes to asking where he came from. However, Ray experiences these flashes of memory while the Joker is comatose, so the past that Atom sees isn’t a direct lie. In fact, it may be the closest to the truth anyone in the DC Universe has come to discovering the Joker’s origin.
The Joker Secretly Knows Where He Came From
Whether Joker genuinely doesn’t his past or is simply lying doesn’t matter, the brain can store memories people aren’t even actively aware of. By hitting the Atom with the electric impulses, the Joker unintentionally gave Palmer an in-depth look at the deepest recesses of the villain's mind. Is it possible that this is a false memory brought on by Joker’s erratic mind or possibly what the Atom wants to believe is Joker’s backstory? Perhaps. But no one else has actually crawled around in the villains mind and lived to tell of what’s inside. For now, it seems that the Atom is the only one aware of the Joker’s secret origin story.
