Joker is my favorite character, and I love the Killing Joke but it always struck me that a failed comedian couldn't possibly have the level of knowledge in chemistry that he does. Batman himself has to come up with cures for his Joker venom. Joker is the anti-batman, he can match the Bat, but would a failed comedian really be able to go toe-to-toe with Bruce Wayne (a polymath I believe)

I especially thought this during The Dark Knight. There is no way a failed comedian could pull off what Ledger's Joker did.

Just some cursory thoughts. What do you guys think

@fall1n1: well, let's put it like this. Batman may be the world's greatest detective, but he also lives by some of the world's greatest self-set restrictions, which in turn benifits joker from time to time.

Imagine what Jason Todd with no such restrictions would be in batman's shoes and you have your answer.

@warlock360 would you mind unpacking that a little more? You're referring to Batman's one rule against killing correct? And then you're saying Jason Todd wouldn't have that rule? But would you say the Joker could also kill Batman but chooses not to?

Or have I missed your point entirely, if so I apologize

@fall1n1: joker kind of doesn't want to directly kill batman from what I've understood. He much more thrives on seeing him suffer.

Batman has that code not to kill, mostly not to use guns iirc and also tends to send them to prison or arkham without exacting a form of noticeable concequences.

Let's say my only psychotic criminal goal in life would be to murder one person bat's is close to, and do it. He catches me, maybe brutalizes me and sends me to prison or arkham to rot. But I've achieved my goal and don't care.

Unless I find a next target... Etc.

This is also a "flaw" in todays society imo.

@fall1n1 said:

If I'm not wrong in that story he was a chemist, but he quit his job to try (and fail) to became a comedian. Anyway I think the best Joker's origins is don't have origins: he worked perfectly well for decades before "The killing joke" and he could continue to work perfectly well also without that story.