What Is The Joker's Real Name (In The Comics & New Movie)?
Last Updated: December 15, 2019
There has never been a true origin that explains who the Joker is, with a number of conflicting backstories being proposed. The first came in a 1951 issue of Detective Comics, where the character was formerly an unnamed laboratory worker who dons a Red Hood to become a thief. He falls in a vat of chemicals following a confrontation with Batman, resulting in his skin being bleached and driving him insane. Alan Moore would elaborate on this take with his acclaimed one-shot tale Batman: The Killing Joke, depicting the character as a failed comedian who dons the Red Hood to provide for his pregnant wife. The death of his wife and his disfigurement push him over the edge of sanity, but the Joker himself later casts doubt on this origin, claiming to remember differently depending on the day.
The failed comedian backstory is often considered the most likely origin, but even then, the Joker’s real name is a mystery. There have been many different interpretations of the Joker across movies, comics, and games, however, with writers reinventing the character as they see fit. Like the Joker states in Moore’s The Killing Joke, he prefers his backstory to be multiple choice.
In the 2007 "Lovers and Madmen" arc of the comic Batman Confidential, The Joker is a former mob hitman named Jack, although a last name isn't given. Conversely, in Batman: Streets of Gotham's 2010 "The House of Hush" arc, The Joker is revealed to be named Sonny, a little boy who's kidnapped by a mobster named Sallie Guzzo, and abused both physically and sexually for many years. Later on, The Joker kills Sallie, and repeats words only Sonny could know. Most recently, the Batman: White Knight limited series had Joker be named Jack Napier, which traces back to the next section.
Joker's most widely recognized real name was introduced in Tim Burton’s Batman, with the character being a gangster named Jack Napier. This name is said to be a combination of Joker performer Jack Nicholson and Alan Napier, who played Alfred on the 1960s series. Burton’s movie again depicted Joker’s origins with the character falling into a vat of chemicals and driven insane by his disfigurement, and this name would become the Joker’s most common alias. Batman: The Animated Series would name him Jack Napier in one episode, and the aforementioned comic series Batman: White Knight revealed the Joker's real name was Jack Napier.
In 2008's The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's Joker gets absolutely zero backstory, with director Christopher Nolan opting to keep the character completely mysterious and chaotic. Jared Leto's Suicide Squad Joker also doesn't receive background information. This would be made up for in a way by 2019's standalone Joker origin film, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Clearly inspired by The Killing Joke, Joker begins as a failed stand-up comic named Arthur Fleck, who it's teased may be the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne, although that's not confirmed to be true.
While FOX TV series Gotham was denied actually labeling their take on the villain Joker, twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska (Cameron Monaghan) both offered a unique reinvention of the character. Jerome was seemingly insane from birth, while Jeremiah was ultimately corrupted by his brother. Jerome was all about chaos, while Jeremiah's plans proved much more complex and layered. There will likely never be a canonical origin or true real name given to the Joker - and nor should there be. The Joker's creator Jerry Robinson never intended to reveal his backstory and believed the mystery was way more intriguing, which is probably why the character remains so popular 80 years after his first appearance.