Warning! Minor spoilers for Absolute Batman!There might be a newJokeraround to torment the DC Universe, but he’s missing the things that make the original so compelling. Fans who have been keeping up with DC Comics’ All In saga know that there’s a new alternate worldknown as the Absolute Universe, and it’s filled with surprising variants of classic DC characters.
The Absolute Universe’s timeline wasshaped by Darkseid’s energy, making it far more challenging for the heroes and giving villains a major advantage.Absolute Batmanhas explored what this has done for the Dark Knight, as well as his greatest enemy, the Joker. While Bruce Wayne is being forced to work on a shoestring budget,the Joker is the world’s richest man, and he’s involved in a number of mysterious and dangerous projects. While it’s an interesting take, this new Joker isn’t exactly the Clown Prince of Crime that fans have come to fear and love.
Absolute Joker is a Ruthless Billionaire (Who Doesn’t Laugh)
There’s Nothing Funny aboutAbsolute Batman’sJoker
Absolute Batman was the first series to officially kick off DC Comics’ new Absolute Universe, and the series doesn’t waste readers’ time showing just how different this world is. Here, Alfred Pennyworth is a secret agent who is in search of an unknown target. However, he’s pulled from his current mission and sent to Gotham in order to investigate the Party Animals, a terrorist gang. The issue’s epilogue reveals thatPennyworth’s original target is one of the richest people on Earth, a man simply known as the Joker.
…Joker one of the top 30 richest people and that he’s used his wealth to travel the world and train with some of the best martial artists…
Unfortunately, the first issue doesn’t show much of Absolute Joker. Bt it does reveal that Joker one of the top 30 richest people and that he’s used his wealth to travel the world and train with some of the best martial artists (much like the Prime Bruce Wayne). Unlike Wayne, Joker murdered all of his teachers. Also, in this world,Joker’s nickname is an ironic one as it was given to him for the fact that he doesn’t laugh at anything.
It’s revealed that Joker is connected to a series of detention centers known as Arks and making moves to give him controlling interests in various research companies. He’s currently working on Ark M in Gotham, and recently tried using international criminal Black Mask and the Party Animals to destabilize Gotham to take control of the city. Absolute Joker was recently seen inAbsolute Batman #6, where it was revealedAbsolute Joker uses the blood of infants to combat an unknown illness that turns his skin pale and gives him sickly green veins.
Absolute Joker also had a sneaky cameo inDC All In 2025 FCBD Special #1in a picture on Mirror Master’s wall!
Absolute Joker Fits DC Comics' New World, But Something’s Off
Joker is Less Like His Counterpart Than Others
To be fair, the Joker isn’t the only person who’s different in the Absolute Universe. When Darkseid’s energy settled on Earth-Alpha, he changed everyone’s histories to be incredibly different from those on the Prime Earth.Just look at Batman, as he’s essentially switched dynamics with Joker, with Bruce having to operate with nothing while Joker has the advantage of privilege and wealth. But the Absolute Universe isn’t so much about flipping traditional dynamics as it is giving particular DC characters greater challenges to overcome in order to thrive.
In the Absolute Universe, Wonder Woman doesn’t have her Amazonian sisters, and she was raised in Hell by the witch Circe. Superman lived on Krypton during his formative years and came to Earth psychologically damaged after witnessing his planet’s destruction. The Flash has no legacy and is a vulnerable teenager with powers he’s still struggling to understand, andAbsolute Green Lantern’sprotagonists are struggling to keep their lives together after being bestowed ‘gifts’ by an alien known as Abin Sur.
While that’s great for them, so far, it’s hard to see how this translates to Batman’s iconic enemy.
But for all these changes, the core of these characters is still there. Superman is still a fighter for the oppressed, Wonder Woman is the kind and loving warrior she always is, and Hal Jordan and Jo Mullein have incredible willpower in the face of cosmic weirdness. The secret of this world is that while the circumstances have changed dramatically for DC’s heroes, their most vital elements remain the same, and they must dig deep and become even greater heroes. While that’s great for them, so far,it’s hard to see how this translates to Batman’s iconic enemy.
Absolute Joker Needs to Be More Than an Evil Bruce Wayne
More Destructive Chaos, Less Evil Machinations
This isn’t to say thatAbsolute Batmanisn’t a good series (it’s quite good). And that’s not to say that Absolute Joker is a bad character. But whileAbsolute Batmanhas done an incredible job when it comes to Bruce’s characterization, it’s hard to say the same thing for Joker. Sure, flipping his dynamic with Batman is interesting, but it’s not enough to just have Bruce’s archenemy be one of the world’s richest men.The Joker needs to stand for the opposite of everything Batman stands for.
Granted, an evil billionaire is the opposite of Absolute Batman, but that’s a little too surface. In the Prime Universe, Batman is a symbol of order and justice and, as such, the Joker usually represents blind chaos. Generally, the Joker prides himself on that. But in the Absolute Universe, its Joker is taking an extremely measured and methodical approach to his evil deeds. He doesn’t want chaos, he wants everything under his control. Butthe core of the Joker is madness and, so far, nothing really reflects that in this new variant.
…the core of the Joker is madness and, so far, nothing really reflects that in this new variant.
Of course, it’s still early yet and there could be a lot of surprises about Absolute Joker waiting around the corner. While there’s interesting ideas withAbsolute Batman’sJoker, it’d be nice to see elements that prove he’s got the core of the ‘true’ Joker inside him. At the end of the day, Joker is the diametric opposite of Batman, so if Absolute Batman is still the grim and serious crusader for justice,Absolute Jokerneeds to be the cackling agent of chaos in one way or another.
