There is a lot of speculation about the Joker's origins. Does anyone know if there is a specific story as to who he really is?

That's the whole point of the Joker. Not knowing his origins.
His Killing Joke origin is the most popular among the fans though.
BB

Yeah, you're really not supposed to know his origin. Some writers express a preference for one origin over another, but there is no correct answer. Honestly, I subscribe to the idea that all of the past versions of his life (outside of falling in the vat of chemicals) are lies.

The Killing Joke would be the closest thing. He has no definitive origin though.

@PaperDemon: He has none.

My guess is Joker had a mother and a father. Joker is probably an american and the usual weird one. The white skin of the Joker maybe comes from cosmetic surgery and the Joker used to be maybe African American.

@SmashBrawler has it.

The Joker's original name, back story etc, is intentionally ambiguous. The character believes that anyone could become like him, as shown in "The Killing Joke".

I go with the origin in The Killing Joke.

He had a bad day..

hmm...so the story where falls into the chemicals, and is red hood, is that accepted?

Fan made

Batman 0 seems to imply that Snyder wants to give Joker a definitive origin in the New 52... Not a fan of the idea. Joker's ambiguous origin is too perfect for his character.

I wouldn't sweat it too much at this point @SupBatz . Snyder's shown good instincts for the Bat-verse in both his Detective run and current Batman run.

@The_Lunact_And_Manic said:

He had a bad day..

If you want to be technical Bob Kane based in on a silent movie "The Man Who Laughs"

Read Batman #0. People speculate Snyder is going to give Joker an updated origin for the New 52 and it's hinted in that issue.

@SupBatz said:

Batman 0 seems to imply that Snyder wants to give Joker a definitive origin in the New 52... Not a fan of the idea. Joker's ambiguous origin is too perfect for his character.

@serpent222 ok

synder is giving joker the origin that he fell in to the chemical waste like the classic tim burton film but hardly any other details about his origin if your concerning the new 52

@BiteMe-Fanboy said:

I go with the origin in The Killing Joke.

@PaperDemon: Most people are going to tell you to read the Killing Joke. Personally though, I really liked Lovers and Madmen from Batman Confidential.

@ colonyofcells. Why do you think he is African American? I don't get that impression at all.

One day the Joker saw Batman on Tv, then put some make up and say, i am going to fight that guy forever.

His origin was lost in that chemical soup.

@colonyofcells said:

My guess is Joker had a mother and a father. Joker is probably an american and the usual weird one. The white skin of the Joker maybe comes from cosmetic surgery and the Joker used to be maybe African American.

You mean he wanted to be Michael Jackson? :)

More like MJ wanted to be The Joker. The Joker came way before MJ.

The fact that he does not have a definitive origin makes him the Joker. You may take the Killing Joke or you may take it as yet another lie. The Dark Night Movie did this very well. Just because the Joker tells you its the truth means less than nothing. He lies. He makes up stuff. No one will ever know.

he had a really bad prostate exam one day than decided to start a life of crime.....................

Most people go with the Killing Joke where he starts off as an everymna. I honestly have to differ, he seems to know alot about the criminal and judical underworld, an every man who just got laid off and got screwed over only like a few times would be that omniscient

@Glitch_Spawn said:

I prefer the mystery. That's his appeal to me. (everyone?)

Am I the only one who likes the idea of him having a definitive origin?

@Crash_Recovery said:

@SmashBrawler has it.

The Joker's original name, back story etc, is intentionally ambiguous. The character believes that anyone could become like him, as shown in "The Killing Joke".

This is what I believe is the general idea. While I'm definitely the type of person that prefers a definitive origin, I think in the Joker's case this treatment is more appropriate for the mythos of batman. I look at in a sociological manner, viewing Joker as a representation of what anyone of us could become when the fears and pressures of modern society push us past the breaking point. Joker's entire MO involves around shattering the people's perception of the world as an orderly place with some kind of meaning by plunging the city into chaos.

That people buy into this false world is the joke, and each one of Joker's crimes is a punchline.

Or something like that. I don't know man, I'm just spitballing.

The Joker probably doesn't even know the origin of The Joker.

I always thought that he had something involve with the royal flush gang. Red hood… joker. I looked at black hood to see if there is clue connected with it. You know red and black colors. Due to DC rebooting it is wonder if the joker knew what is going on and he became crazy by it.

I like the idea from Mask of the Phantasm where he is a gangster/hitman before becoming the Joker.

@Durfee: I think there's a lot of validity to what you're saying.

People say that Batman and the Joker are opposites and there are aspects of truth in that.

Not because clowns and bats are opposites. The difference between Batman and the Joker is one of trauma. While the Joker's trauma signaled his descent into madness, Batman's trauma was his baptism into a more ordered life (or the Joker would argue a different form of madness.)

@JoeEddie said:

I like the idea from Mask of the Phantasm where he is a gangster/hitman before becoming the Joker.

This one and Killing Joke's origin are my favorites. I do enjoy the mystery and speculation of it though.

@fps_dean said:

@colonyofcells said:

My guess is Joker had a mother and a father. Joker is probably an american and the usual weird one. The white skin of the Joker maybe comes from cosmetic surgery and the Joker used to be maybe African American.

You mean he wanted to be Michael Jackson? :)

LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

The problem with giving Joker a definitive origin is that you basically say "someone would become the Joker under these conditions" which defeats the purpose of the Joker being truly chaotic because you've set it up so that technically anyone could turn out to be just like the Joker under the exact conditions.

Maybe Joker is just the weirdo uncle of Bruce Wayne : Uncle Phil ?

@cyberchop979 said:

The Joker probably doesn't even know the origin of The Joker.

Thats true,he basically says that in the Killing Joke.Which some people swear by to be his origin.But all you can say to that is it might be his origin or it might not be.

Its laughably boring that he probably wouldn't want to share.

There is no confirmed origin of the Joker. Personally, I think its better that way. One of the scary things about criminals is you don't know who they are or why they do what they do. Having a comic book villain with that same characteristic just seems right.

My theory is that he has a very similar origin to Batman (this seems to make sense in the terms of they are depicted as polar opposites in personality) E.g. maybe Joker's parents were killed in front of him too, in the sense Batman chose to avenge their death but Joker took it the wrong way and it drove him insane.

I've always thought it might be a bit of both like maybe he was an ex con trying to put his life together and his old life kept causing causing him trouble like cops showing up to harass him at work and old "friends" trying to pull him back into a life of crime and then at the end it cost him his family and as a consequence he went insane.

I agree with me from 2 years ago.

So who is the Joker then ?

Batman knows the Joker's true name. I hope they reveal it ASAP.

I dont think he should have one. He is more mysterious and cool without an origin story.