The Joker's Face: Really?

Okay, as obvious as this sounds, I've never seen a thread that STRICTLY dealt with answers on this: Why on Earth would they make Joker have his face cut off, then rigged back on? I doubt it's just for shits and giggles. I think his face has something KEY to the plot that we are all overlooking. What does it symbolize? Why would he want to do it? What tricks would it allow him to play? The whole face-thing clearly has something big to do with the story, since that's an enourmous character change with his face literally rotting off.

I agree.

Joker may be crazy, but his not batsh!t crazy(no pun attended) There is a method to his madness and that is something only a completely gonzo person would do. Unless... there's another reason/purpose behind it.

Probably just so this scene could happen:

@ImTheDamnBatman Joker wanted a make over.

I think it was Tony Daniel's idea, and then when he got taken off of Detective Comics, DC just made Scott Snyder roll with it.

I have a theory which would make it important for Joker not to have his face...

@TheCannon: come on you cant tease us, tell us.

Maybe it's not the Joker, that's what some of us think, that is until Batman #17

@BiMor:

It's highly unlikely, but it's just a little thing I thought of:

What if it wasn't really Joker?

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

leather face

I had always thought Joker had his face cut off because he wanted to "retire" but something happened to him while he was out of the picture that sent him even more over the edge and just had to come back to funk that bat-fam up once and for all.

@TheCannon said:

@BiMor:

It's highly unlikely, but it's just a little thing I thought of:

What if it wasn't really Joker?

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

That was in Paul Dini's run. It was colloquially referred to as "the saga of Tommy Elliot." It consists of four trades:

1. Batman: Heart of Hush
2. Batman: Streets of Gotham - Hush Money
3. Batman: Streets of Gotham - Leviathan
4. Batman: Streets of Gotham - House of Hush

Tommy had decided to take advantage of Bruce Wayne's supposed death or disappearance by surgically altering his face to match Bruce's. It wasn't even that successful either, he wasn't able to convince anyone remotely close to the real Bruce. Selina knew right away. These stories take place after Final Crisis and Battle For the Cowl, and before The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint.

@JakeN7 said:

@TheCannon said:

@BiMor:

It's highly unlikely, but it's just a little thing I thought of:

What if it wasn't really Joker?

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

That was in Paul Dini's run. It was colloquially referred to as "the saga of Tommy Elliot." It consists of four trades:

1. Batman: Heart of Hush
2. Batman: Streets of Gotham - Hush Money
3. Batman: Streets of Gotham - Leviathan
4. Batman: Streets of Gotham - House of Hush

Tommy had decided to take advantage of Bruce Wayne's supposed death or disappearance by surgically altering his face to match Bruce's. It wasn't even that successful either, he wasn't able to convince anyone remotely close to the real Bruce. Selina knew right away. These stories take place after Final Crisis and Battle For the Cowl, and before The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint.

He also appeared as Bruce Wayne in Gotham City Sirens #4, which was also written by Paul Dini. Selina wasn't convinced in that either.

For now, I'm thinking this face removal just represents another evolution/stage to Joker's character. However, not ruling out the idea that it's not the real Mr J.

I agree there's a method to Joker's madness here but I hope it is actually him and not an imposter. It better not be Alfred.

@V_Scarlotte_Rose: Ah. Thanks. I've been meaning to read Gotham City Sirens for a while now.

@JakeN7 said:

@V_Scarlotte_Rose: Ah. Thanks. I've been meaning to read Gotham City Sirens for a while now.

No problem. I'd recommend it, it's a good series.

@ImTheDamnBatman: What if Joker has cut off Alfred's face off after making him temporarily blind. Then Joker attaches his face to Alfred's head permanently. That seems like something crazy Scott would do?

We'll see.

I'm yelling "THOU ART NO JOKER!" at every single panel he's in, let's see if I'm right...

wait til Wednesday........

@The_Tree said:

I think it was Tony Daniel's idea, and then when he got taken off of Detective Comics, DC just made Scott Snyder roll with it.

Tony Daniel...

Worst run ever. My only regret is that I waited around, thinking it would magically get better.