The exact origin and upbringing of Patient #42540 remains a mystery, possibly even to Patient #42540 himself. What is known is that during the early career of the vigilante known as the Bat-Man, he encountered a costumed criminal known as the Red Hood, leader of a gang of the same name. For months, the Red Hood Gang had terrorized Gotham City, and the Bat-Man had finally cornered them in the old Ace Chemical Plant. With the other members of the gang killed either by mishaps or gunfire from the GCPD, the Red Hood faced the Caped Crusader alone over a vat of volatile chemicals. And the rest, tragically, has been part of Gotham's dark and sad history ever since.

Ever since adopting the persona of 'The Joker,' Patient #42540 has displayed extreme violent and anti-social behavior, covered in layers of performative flamboyance. This persona seems to be the purest possible distillation of the concept of the so-called 'super-villain,' a master of extravagant acts of terrorism, all in the singular goal of antagonizing the Bat-Man. Indeed, despite hundreds, perhaps thousands, of men and women falling victim to his acts of wanton mayhem over the years, the only common motivation behind any of his actions is an obsessive fixation on the masked vigilante. Many speculate that were the Dark Knight to be killed, crippled, or left otherwise incapable of carrying on his war on crime, the persona of the Joker would recede and perhaps disappear completely.

Even after years of both giving and receiving horrific violence, Patient #42540 remains an extreme danger to everyone around him. He is deceptively strong and fast, and while he does not display any known form of martial arts training, the finesse with which he wields weaponry suggests there is far more to his past than the various "sad, put-upon everyman" stories he tells. And that does not even begin to discuss his seemingly endless arsenal of lethal 'pranks,' from electric joy-buzzers to squirting flowers filled with acid. Perhaps his deadliest weapon, however, is his intellect, which has driven no fewer than seven psychiatrists and twelve Arkham guards to suicide-- and given what he did to Dr. Harleen Quinzell, they may have been the fortunate ones.

However, years of broken bones, spinal trauma, and skull fractures have begun to take their toll. Patient #42540's reflexes have slowed considerably. His hands have grown shaky. And orderlies have noted moments of total dissociation, possibly even catatonia. It may be that in such a perennially damaged state, his body and mind are breaking down for good. While the staff at Arkham Asylum are of course dedicated to the treatment of even their most troubled patients, there are many who are secretly hoping the scourge of the Joker is finally coming to an end.

DRIVING CHARACTER

This is a story that I've wanted to tell for years, bits of it forming all the way back in the Superherohype days. And with MB playing an older, sadder Bruce, this is just about the perfect time to make it happen. Plus, with a fully stocked Bat-Family, there's plenty of players to bounce off of.

The Clown Prince of Crime is getting frail, having been on the losing end of a hundred fist-fights with the Dark Knight. His body is falling apart, and he's not quite as sharp as he used to be. Like any artist, he's looking back on his body of work, and wondering if it was all worth it. With the clock ticking, Mister J has decided that it's finally time.

Oh, he's had hits in the past. Shooting Jim Gordon's wife in the face. Breaking Dr. Quinzell's mind and sculpting her into Harley Quinn. And the ever-popular murder of Jason Todd. This, though, is the big one. The Joker's working on his Sistine Chapel, his Statue of David, his glorious Ninth Symphony, his Dark Side of the Moon. His masterpiece.

First, though, he's got other issues to deal with. Someone's been picking off some of his old favorite henchmen, and if he's going to get the band back together for the big hoorah, he's got to make sure there's at least some semblance of a band left. So for the first time in his life, the Joker is going to have to try and stop a string of murders.

Joker is largely going to be contained to Gotham City, of course, but given his long and notorious career in supervillainy, I can imagine he's had his fair share of interactions with the other heroes and villains of the setting. He's almost certainly had run-ins with the Justice League and the Avengers, either by himself or as part of a Legion of Doom/Masters of Evil/whatever sort of team-up, so if you want to say your character has encountered him in the past, I'm going to abide by the cardinal rule of improv comedy and say "Yes And."

The primary arc I've got in mind, while large in scale, is going to be somewhat limited in duration. It's got a very definite beginning, middle, and end. While he's going to be a driving force in Gotham for a while, well....you'll see (assuming I get approved).