Why So Serious? Answering the Joker's Decade-Old Question

Next week, a new movie is being released about the origin of the Joker, Batman’s most famous villain and foil. He’s the chaos and depravity to match Batman’s sense of justice and order. He’s a disturbing killer hidden behind the face-paint of an innocent clown.

This movie’s been in development for a long time, and financially it makes sense. After all, ever since Heath Ledger’s chilling performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight, Joker has been a subject of morbid fascination in superhero pop culture. Yes, he’s evil, but it’s a dark, disturbing evil. Even worse, it’s a magnetic, charismatic evil that hypnotizes the viewer to laugh with the Joker when we should be disgusted and disturbed.

I haven’t decided yet whether I want to see The Joker. I don’t really like the idea of a villain movie absent of the hero that grounds the story’s morality. I admit, Venom surprised me, exceeding my admittedly-low expectations—but Venom has a comic book history of being an antihero apart from his duels with Spider-Man.

But the thing that worries me about The Joker is the fact that people will be even more endeared to the character, only increasing some of the problems Ledger’s Joker caused in the aftermath of The Dark Knight.

In The Dark Knight, Ledger really does steal the show. (If you’re interested in hearing more of my thoughts on The Dark Knight Trilogy, check out my previous post from January, Dark Knight of the Soul.) Even though The Dark Knight was a batman movie, a disturbing amount of people laughed along with the Joker’s atrocities.

That’s what I mean by magnetic and charismatic evil. One of the ways he draws the viewer in is by a simple question: “Why…so…serious?”

To my knowledge, no one bothered to actually answer the question. And seeing how delighted people are to see The Joker center stage on the big screen, this time without Batman, Lego Batman, or the Suicide Squad to temper him, I’d say it’s a question you need to ask yourself before you get carried away in the Joker’s hypnotic madness.

Possible Answers to the Joker’s Question

Why so serious?

One: Because you’re a grown man in clown makeup.

You’re not at a birthday party or a circus. You’re not at work. You’re not doing your job. You’re wearing makeup at part of your masked identity. You’re hiding your true self to build yourself to be a faceless legend, a man from nowhere, a specter of chaos, an apparition intent on the deconstruction of society and morality.

You’re both hiding your face and recreating your identity to be something entirely not clown-like. Clowns are fun, kind, and entertaining. You are the inverse of clown. You are a perversion.

Why so serious?

Two: You’re killing people.

I know, you’re creative. You can make a pencil disappear. You’re such a funny guy.

But you’re also a murderer with no moral center. You have no God and no sense of justice or compassion. Even worse, you’re a terrorist intentionally striking fear and hopeless pandemonium into all you come across and affect.

To you, killing is a game, but it’s not actually funny.

Why so serious?

Three: Why wouldn’t we be serious?

If we’re not serious about a clown blowing up hospitals, what else would we possibly be serious about? You may be acting like you’re joking or having fun, but all of your actions are serious. By definition, everything you do in its effects on real people (I know it’s fiction, but bear with me) is serious, impacting people in irreversible ways.

If you don’t want me to be serious, don’t act in such a way that demands a sober response.

Why so serious?

Because I’m not stupid.

Which leads to other questions…

Because I know some Joker fans will want to be defensive.

You can laugh. It’s not a big deal. It’s a movie! He’s a comic book character. Nobody’s actually dying!

I mean, could talk about Heath Ledger here, but I feel like that would be a cheap shot. I understand that it’s entertainment, but even so, why should we put our approval over something depraved?

I didn’t watch The Dark Knight to cheer for the Joker. IF I watch The Joker, I’m not going to see it to cheer for the Joker. I’m going to look at the humanity behind the character and see it as a cautionary tale.

But why can’t you sympathize with the Joker, respect where he’s coming from, and appreciate how he became that iconic villain to begin with?

I can, but only to a degree.

I can affirm a character’s humanity in relation to the human condition. I can empathize with tragic circumstances. That doesn’t mean I have to approve of the Joker or become his fan.

I anticipate The Joker to provide an explanation as to how the Joker became the twisted man we see him in the movies, television shows, and comics.

But an explanation is not an excuse. If I see The Joker, I’m seeing a movie about a villain. Yes, he should get mental help. Maybe he is a victim of terrible circumstances. But that doesn’t let him off the hook for his reprehensible behavior, his unfiltered perversity, his palpable evil.

Why so serious?

Because evil isn’t a joke. And the only punchline I want to see in The Joker is the line from Batman’s fist to the Joker’s face.