Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker from the DC Animated Universe is a strong contender for the most iconic Joker of them all. At this point, it’s almost impossible to read a comic and not imagine Hamill’s voice as the Joker. First appearing in Batman: The Animated Series, this version of the Joker has a laugh for almost every occasion, usually while committing some horrific crime that only his twisted mind finds hilarious. While the Joker could be menacing and terrifying, he could also be incredibly hilarious, as the following moments from Batman: The Animated Series clearly demonstrates.
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7 Joker Gets Batman a Christmas Present: A Pie in the Face
Distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution
“Christmas With The Joker” was the second produced episode of Batman: The Animated Series, though it was the thirty-eighth to air. Joker escapes prison on Christmas Eve, taking Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Summer Gleeson hostage, and planning to kill them by midnight unless Batman and Robin find them first. Luckily, the Dynamic Duo find the hostages, but Joker wants to give Batman a Christmas present. Since this is Gotham, mysterious packages delivered by supervillains tend to be very dangerous. Still, Batman opens it and gets… a spring-loaded pie in the face. Joker finds it absolutely hilarious, and honestly, it kind of is. Given that this is the Joker we’re talking about, it’s not hard to imagine all the events of the episode were done just so Joker could pie Batman in the face on Christmas.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Joker Would Rather Fight Batman than the IRS
“Joker’s Millions” is an episode from The New Batman Adventures. A gangster whom Joker hated dies, leaving the Clown Prince of Crime a vast fortune, which Joker uses to erase his criminal record and live like a king. However, the IRS soon comes calling and demands that Joker pay an inheritance tax. To make matters worse, a video will is discovered stating that most of Joker’s new-found wealth is fake, and that he’s probably already blown what little real money he was actually left. What makes the moment so funny is that given the choice between fighting Batman and fighting the IRS, Joker without hesitation picks The Dark Knight. Perhaps he’s learned from history. After all, if he doesn’t pay, he’ll go down for tax evasion, which is the same crime that Al Capone was finally sent to prison for.
5 Joker Tries To Copyright Fish
This episode was adapted from a 1978 comic of the same name. Joker has infected several fish with his trademark Joker toxin and tries to copyright them to get a perfectly legal fortune from royalty fees. It’s funny enough that Joker is willing to legally fill out the paperwork or all this, but it’s the dialogue that makes this scene so hilarious. The pencil pusher Joker wants to talk to says “Great Scott!” when he first walks in, to which Joker responds “Actually, I’m Irish.” Where it reaches peak hilarity is when Joker is told he can’t copyright fish since they’re a natural resource, and Joker responds with “Colonel what’s-his-name has chickens, and they don’t even have mustaches!” Now we know why Joker didn’t try this scheme on chickens, though he does consider using it on cattle later on in the episode. Thankfully, Batman stops him before he can do so.
4 “You Killed Captain Clown!”
“The Last Laugh” is the second episode featuring the Joker, and it takes place on April Fool’s Day. Joker pilots a giant garbage barge loaded with garbage that releases laughing gas, which affects the whole city. While everyone in town is laughing, Joker takes the opportunity to rob the city blind. Batman eventually makes his way on to the barge and does battle with Captain Clown, one of the Joker’s minions. Captain Clown is defeated after Batman tosses him into a car crusher, causing Joker to lament the loss of his henchman. Actually, Joker growls the quote, showing more anger and hurt at losing Captain Clown than he ever did over Harley Quinn. Now might be a good time to mention that Captain Clown is a robot clown in a sailor suit.
3 Begging For Batman’s Help
“Joker’s Favor” is one of the best episodes of the show, and interestingly enough, Batman isn’t the main character. After a bad day at work, everyman Charlie Collins cusses out a motorist who cuts him off. Unfortunately, that motorist is the Joker. Joker promises to let Charlie live if he’ll do a favor for him, which Joker cashes in two years later, when he needs Charlie to open a door so that Harley Quinn can wheel in a cake for an event honoring Commissioner Gordon. Joker plants a bomb on the Commissioner, but Batman shows up and prevents it from killing him. Joker attempts to escape and runs into Charlie, who is holding another bomb and threatening to blow both him and the Joker up. Joker’s response to this? Scream as loud as he can for Batman to rescue him. Yes, really. It’s a riot to see Joker begging for Batman, who does show up. Charlie then reveals that the bomb he’s holding is a dud, which gets a chuckle out of the Dark Knight. A great moment.
2 “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells…”
“Christmas With The Joker” makes its second appearance. As mentioned earlier, this is the first produced episode with the Crown Prince of Crime, so he’ll need a fantastic first scene, one that truly establishes the psychopath that he is. So what does he do in his first ever scene? He sings “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” That’s his first line in the DC Animated Universe. If that wasn’t funny enough, he escapes Arkham Asylum on a rocket-powered Christmas tree after singing “And the Joker got away.” Then he keeps on singing as the tree flies towards Gotham. It’s comedy gold.
1 Joker’s “Eulogy” For Batman
This one comes from another episode where Batman isn’t the main character. “The Man Who Killed Batman” is about a wannabe gangster named Sidney Debris, who wants to be a bigshot despite his incompetence. When the Gotham underworld mistakenly believes Sidney has killed Batman, he becomes targeted by every lowlife in town, including the Joker. In order to prove Batman is really gone, Joker robs a jewelry store, but Batman doesn’t show, convincing Joker Batman is indeed dead. As a result, Joker holds a mock funeral for Batman, and delivers a eulogy. It is without a doubt the funniest thing Joker has done in the DCAU. The eulogy is filled with funny lines, like Joker lamenting over the perfect way to kill Batman, maybe with a cyanide pie in the face (he clearly should’ve done this on Christmas) or an exploding whoopee cushion planted in the Batmobile. Throughout all of this, Harley Quinn is blubbering like crazy, adding to the hilarity. The greatest moment comes from Harley Quinn playing “Amazing Grace” on a kazoo. The whole thing had to be done in one take because everyone in the recording studio was laughing too hard to try again.
