Absolute Joker Just Made an 11-Year-Old Throwaway Plot Into a Terrifying Reality

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DC’s revamped, darker universe is proving incredibly popular, and Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, is at the forefront. This fresh take on Batman finds him without his typical gadgets and allies, yet he still rises to defend Gotham City. The ‘Absolute’ universe also presents new versions of Batman’s classic enemies. Some are reimagined as Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends, while others are far more frightening and monstrous than ever before.

The Absolute Joker has captivated fans with a dark and unexpected portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Throughout the series, details about the Absolute Joker have been slowly unveiled, building anticipation. However, many readers were still surprised by the complete story as revealed by MI6 agent Alfred Pennyworth. Issue #15 of Absolute Batman, created by Scott Snyder and Jock (with Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles), reunited the creative team and revisited a concept Snyder originally explored in his previous work on Batman.

The Ruse of the Pale Man During Endgame

When DC launched the New 52, I was really excited about Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo taking over the main Batman comic. They quickly became my favorite creative team on the book! They spent a long time building up the tension between Batman and the Joker, and it all came to a head in the “Endgame” arc, issues #35-40. It was an incredible story, a brutal fight that almost killed both of them, and honestly, it felt like they needed a break after that – the story definitely left things shaken up for a while.

As the events leading up to “Endgame” unfolded, Batman and Gordon began to uncover fragments of an old legend about the Pale Man of Gotham. Various unrelated sources hinted at a disturbing possibility: that The Joker wasn’t a recent threat, but an ancient evil – the Pale Man – who had haunted Gotham City for centuries.

The Joker was exposed to a substance called dionesium, which granted him an amazing ability to heal, making him nearly unkillable. This led him to devise an elaborate plan, the kind that only someone like him – or Batman – would conceive. Ultimately, the story of “The Pale Man of Gotham” is revealed to be a fake.

The Joker crafted an elaborate deception to weaken Batman and his allies before making his final move. He used fake photos, forged documents, and even manipulated memories to make Batman and Gordon believe in a character called the Pale Man. This scheme not only disrupted them but also boosted the Pale Man’s reputation, making the eventual showdown with Batman even more significant.

In Absolute Batman #15, Snyder explores the Joker’s past, similar to previous ideas, but presents a much darker and more disturbing origin story to align with the grim tone of the Absolute universe and Darkseid’s influence.

Absolute Joker Brutally Evolves This Premise

The story presented a complex view of the Joker, also known as Jack Grimm V. He was said to be the fifth in a family of influential figures in the entertainment industry. However, Alfred suggested that all the Grimms were, in fact, the same individual.

Similar to the Gotham legend of the Pale Man, Absolute Joker has terrorized Gotham City for over a century, dating back to the late 1800s. While the Pale Man was a local boogeyman who struck in repeating patterns, Absolute Joker is different. He’s more like a villain who lives through the ages – similar to characters like Vandal Savage or Kang the Conqueror – constantly reinventing himself across generations to conceal how long he’s actually lived.

Absolute Joker is a remarkably powerful and enigmatic figure who leads a vast criminal empire that spans the globe. He’s been building his influence for over a century, and his incredible lifespan—originally rumored to be the result of a deal with a demonic entity—is revealed to be the product of disturbing experiments on orphans. These experiments led to the creation of a life-extending formula that allowed him to live for nearly two hundred years.

The Pale Man was effective because it made people believe The Joker was something even more terrifying than a simple killer and villain. Now, with Absolute Joker, those fears are confirmed and amplified. This new version not only embraces the idea of the Pale Man but also becomes a greater danger than anything Batman has ever confronted – and that’s before even considering its horrifying physical transformation.

Scott Snyder Really Loves an Immortal Joker

Okay, so it’s not just the Pale Man or the Absolute Joker – Snyder really seems to believe the Joker is destined to keep being Batman’s enemy forever. Basically, in his stories, the Joker isn’t someone Batman can ever truly defeat; their conflict is just meant to go on and on. It’s like Snyder sees this endless battle between them as a core part of who both characters are.

In the comic Batman: Last Knight on Earth by Snyder and Capullo, a young Bruce Wayne clone finds the still-living head of the Joker. Alfred had secretly kept it alive as a harsh punishment for all the suffering the Joker caused. Eventually, this clone teams up with the original Batman – who has become a ruthless ruler in a dark, future world – to defeat a powerful threat called Omega.

This version of the Joker surprisingly teamed up with Batman, even piloting the advanced armor previously used by Tim Drake, the former Robin. Like other iterations, this Joker also found a way to survive death. However, compared to the recent portrayal in the Absolute Batman series, this Joker’s story feels surprisingly positive.

The Joker is frightening enough on his own, but an incredibly powerful, seemingly immortal Joker who’s been secretly controlling the world and causing chaos for centuries is truly terrifying. This sets the stage for an unavoidable and epic showdown.

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2025-12-12 05:42