Villains and Villainy- The Joker

Whew! I'm back. I know I haven't been updating for the past couple of weeks. Ending the school year and moving back home has been crazy. But at last the summer has begun and we can continue our villain series where we left off.

This Wednesday, we're covering a villain type which can be easily lumped in with ‘The Crazies’ but is different in some ways. I call it the Joker. And yes, the Joker himself is a member of this little sect, but more on him in our villain spotlight Friday.

A villain can be a joker without being crazy. Though often the two do seem linked. I’ve talked about villains who have fun with their work and the joker is the epitome of that.

Joker villains have a twisted sense of humor about life. They’re often smiling and usually have a witty quip ready to go no matter how devious their actions. They take the heroes pursuit of them not as an offense to their power but rather as a fun game to play. Often times, the most psychopathic of villains fall into this group because they find humor in the darkest of things. They’re terrifying but always interesting to watch.

The joker is a very flexible villain type as well. They can be the mastermind, the henchman or an agent of chaos out for themselves, but they’re always intriguing. It is important however, to ground them. They can’t find everything funny. They have a method to their sense of humor. And there are probably some things they can’t laugh off. Making a joker that can laugh at anything makes them untouchable which dispels any tension between the hero and the villain. We want to have hope that the hero can get to them or we’ll detach from the conflict.

So go ahead, make your villain a comedian or a clown. Give them a sense of humor as black as pitch. But remember, there’s a human face behind the makeup that will make them all the more interesting.