The Joker has had various possible origin stories during his decades of appearances. As Batman's nemesis, the Joker has been part of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Jason Todd-the second Robin and Batman's ward-and the paralysis of one of Batman's allies, Barbara Gordon. Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, the character became a goofy prankster in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the Comics Code Authority, before returning to his darker roots during the early 1970s. In his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind. Although the Joker was planned to be killed off during his initial appearance, he was spared by editorial intervention, allowing the character to endure as the archenemy of the superhero Batman. Credit for the Joker's creation is disputed Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the Joker's design while acknowledging Finger's writing contribution. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book Batman on April 25, 1940. All this due to a single film’s misinformed presentation.įilms have the power to perpetuate stigma and fear, which is why the misrepresentation of severe mental illness in Joker should not be dismissed lightly.The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is widely acknowledged within psychiatry that Cuckoo’s Nest led to inappropriate levels of suspicion and misinformation regarding electro-convulsive therapy, and may have meant many people did not receive treatment that is proved and effective. Whether intentionally or not, Arthur comes across as a hysterically laughing supervillain, stereotypically “mad” to the untrained eye a murderous clown laughing alone on a bus.Ĭinematic depictions of mental illness – most infamously, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – have profound and lasting implications in the real world. Joker may make an attempt to unpick the difference between the psychiatric and the neurological – between a mental illness and a medical disorder – but it runs the risk of conflating the two with a haunting, stigmatising and problematic image. Presumably, he suffers from the neurological condition pseudobulbar affect – also known as “emotional incontinence” – perhaps caused by his childhood head trauma. ![]() The result of this is to – disappointingly – remove Arthur’s agency and divert attention from a potentially more stimulating conversation about wealth inequality and its responsibility for societal collapse.Īrthur’s chilling quirk – his bursts of incongruous and uncontrolled laughter – is no laughing matter either. This restoration of order via Arkham Asylum affirms the overarching inference of the film: Arthur’s descent into violence and destruction is triggered by his mental deterioration. Interesting, then, that Joker’s earnest attempt to create an empathetic character with mental illness – who writes: “The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t” – contributes to the very prejudice that Arthur longs to evade.Īrthur’s supposed loss of grip on reality is suggested by a peppering of nods to psychotic symptoms: delusional ideas of a grandiose nature (“I am an undiscovered comedic genius”) and hallucinations of his neighbour – which are confirmed by his eventual admission to a psychiatric institution. Studies show this association is exaggerated and people with severe mental illness are more vulnerable to violence from others than the general population. The notion that mental deterioration necessarily leads to violence against others – implied by the juxtaposition of Phoenix’s character Arthur stopping his medication with his increasingly frequent acts of violence – is not only misinformed but further amplifies stigma and fear. One of the more toxic ideas that Joker subscribes to is the hackneyed association between serious mental illness and extreme violence. Portrayals of mental illness in film can perpetuate unfounded stereotypes and spread misinformation. However, severe mental health conditions, such as psychotic illnesses, remain shrouded in stigma and are consistently misrepresented and misunderstood.
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