For as long as comic book fans have been rooting on Batman to clean up the streets of Gotham City, Joker has been there to throw a wrench in the works. The comic book supervillain first made his debut in Batman #1, which was released back in 1940, and he's been causing trouble for the Caped Crusader ever since.
Now, with the Clown Prince of Crime getting his own standalone movie in Joker, we're taking a look back at the long history of the character, as well as the many times he's been adapted to the big and small screen. While Joaquin Phoenix may be the latest face to wear clown makeup for the role, it's possible no other comic book villain has been portrayed by more actors, from Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's take on the franchise, to the late Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
Follow along as we trace the history of the Joker and his various origin stories. Who is the Joker and what makes him tick? There's no single answer that is widely accepted. With the help of this video, though, you should have a much better idea. Then when you sit down to watch the standalone Joker movie, you can prepare to watch yet another brand new idea of where the character comes from and what he means to the DC universe.