Villain 1: The Joker

(www.myfreewallpapers.net)

To start off my montage of Super-villains I will first analyze my personal favorite villain. You know him, he has green hair, white skin, has an obsession with a Man who runs around Gotham City dressed like Bat, and has the Emotional stability of Phineas Gage. If you guessed the Joker then you are correct. The Joker is my favorite Villain because of his deep emotional backstory portrayed in Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" and because he is so much fun to analyze (I have done this many times before).


Their is no doubt about the fact that The Joker is totally insane, he feels no remorse for blowing up Metropolis (population of about 11 million), he laughed when he tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane (who was at the time pregnant with a Kryptonian baby), and he was able to get Batman to laugh (which I believe is The Joker's greatest accomplishment because he is the only person to ever do that).The video to the right is a cinematic scene from the opening of "Injustice: Gods Among Us". The video truly shows how insane The Joker is based on his actions even at what seems like the end of his life. Anyway so the Joker's persona is due to deep emotional pain and suffering due to the death of his wife, and taking a plunge into a vat of chemicals which turned his skin white and his hair green.

The Jokers emotional state truly is one of a Romantic value because although his appearance is that of a Clown which are supposed to bring joy and laughter, he is an insane mass murder on the inside. This is like the Poems of Emily Dickinson, which are light sounding on the outside but most of them have a Dark meaning behind them to show her tortured soul. The Joker as well has a lot of time to think just like many romantic authors, because the Joker is in Arkham Asylum a large amount of the time. The Joker has many monolougues that show his deep emotional struggle, one that comes to mind as an incredible moment for the Joker is in "The Killing Joke" in this monologue The Joker says:
"MEMORY'S ARE SO TREACHEROUS. ONE MOMENT YOU'RE LOST IN A CARNIVAL OF DELIGHTS, WITH POIGNANT CHILDHOOD AROMAS , THE FLASHING NEON OF PUBERTY, ALL THAT SENTIMENTAL CANDY-FLOSS...THEN NEXT , IT LEADS YOU SOMEWHERE YOU DON'T WANT TO GO......SOMEWHERE DARK AND COLD, FILLED WITH THE DAMP, AMBIGUOUS SHAPES OF THINGS YOU'D HOPED WERE FORGOTTEN. MEMORIES CAN BE VILE, REPULSIVE LITTLE BRUTES. LIKE CHILDREN, I SUPPOSE. HAHA. BUT CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT THEM? MEMORIES ARE WHAT OUR REASON IS BASED UPON. IF WE CAN'T FACE THEM, WE DENY REASON ITSELF! ALTHOUGH, WHY NOT? WE AREN'T CONTRACTUALLY TIED DOWN TO RATIONALITY! THERE IS NO SANITY CLAUSE! SO WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF LOCKED ONTO AN UNPLEASANT TRAIN OF THOUGHT, HEADING FOR THE PLACES IN YOUR PAST WHERE THE SCREAMING IS UNBEARABLE, REMEMBER THERE'S ALWAYS MADNESS. MADNESS IS THE EMERGENCY EXIT... YOU CAN JUST STEP OUTSIDE, AND CLOSE THE DOOR ON ALL THOSE DREADFUL THINGS THAT HAPPENED. YOU CAN LOCK THEM AWAY... FOREVER.” 

This monologue shows The Joker's deep pain, and his true insanity. In many Romantic ways he relates to the past, and the nature of all humans, and how it is flawed. The Joker also relates to the joys of childhood, and how they eventually turn into memories that you don't want to keep. This flaw in human nature is a major romantic value. Overall The Joker is truly an outrageous example of a Romantic period character.