Jokerz

The Jokerz is the name of a fictional street gang in the DC animated universe featured in Batman Beyond. The elements of the Jokerz later crossed over into the mainstream comics.[1]

Jokerz
Promotional image of Batman Beyond featuring the street gang Jokerz, with the new Batman in pursuit.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceBatman Beyond
Created byPaul Dini (writer)
Bruce Timm (artist)
In-story information
Member(s)see below

Description

The Jokerz are a notorious street gang 35 years in the future of Gotham City that take their inspiration from the supervillain Joker, who had mysteriously disappeared for decades following his final battle with the original Batman. They tend to dress in clownish costumes and make-up (similar to the later real-life Juggalo gangs), as did their namesake, but have none of the style or humor of the original. However, they occasionally clashed with the Dark Knight's successor, and his allies.

The Jokerz are known to be rivals of another street gang known as the T's.

Appearances

DC Animated Universe

In the animated series Batman Beyond, Batman battled different versions of the gang on several occasions. In a Justice League Unlimited episode the member Ghoul stated that there are 9,453 active Jokerz that are divided into approximately 200 separate groups (however, it is likely that the proliferation of the Jokerz membership is due to Chronos' manipulation of the time stream).

There have been three featured groups of the Jokerz:

  • The first group of Jokerz are known for committing petty pranks and harassment around Gotham City. They first appeared in "Rebirth" Pt. 1 encountered Terry McGinnis outside a club. He did fight some of its members until he managed to steal one of their motorcycles. This led to a motorcycle chase all the way to Wayne Manor. With the help of an elderly Bruce Wayne, the gang were repelled. Derek Powers' henchman Mr. Fixx incriminated them for the murder of Terry's father Warren McGinnis in "Rebirth" Pt. 2. Their leader is J-Man, who dresses in a style similar to the Joker.
  • A second group of Jokerz appeared in the episode "Hidden Agenda" led by a Jokerz member named Terminal, a top-tier student at Hamilton Hill High and a would-be killer of rival candidate for valedictorian Max Gibson. Max's search to determine who is after her leads her to find out Terry's secret life as Batman.
  • In the direct-to-video feature Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a third group (including Harley Quinn's twin granddaughters) was actually led by the revived Joker himself, who was using Tim Drake's body. This third group was defeated and the host seemingly freed from the Joker's influence. This group of Jokerz later appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2. In this episode, the group of Jokerz from Return of the Joker are shown to be working for a time-traveling villain called David Clinton (known in the comics as the Atom's nemesis, Chronos). This team of Jokerz has been enhanced with super-powers and/or cybernetic enhancements that Clinton pulled from the future and Bonk (who was murdered by the Joker in Return of the Joker) is part of the group. This group of Jokerz has killed most of the Justice League of that time leaving only Static, Warhawk, that timeline's Batman, and an elderly Bruce Wayne. The present-day Batman, Green Lantern John Stewart and Wonder Woman chase Clinton to this future, and were able stop Clinton and undo the damage he did to the timestream, erasing all of the events of the episode.
The purported remains of the Joker, buried in an abandoned mineshaft.

In the series episode "Joyride" the Jokerz are shown initiating a new member. The initiation involves an abandoned mineshaft. During the sequence the leader of the group shines a flashlight toward the bottom of the shaft. When the bottom of the shaft is illuminated the viewer is shown a close up of a skeleton. The remains of the skeleton's clothing are purple with a white flower over its chest, suggesting that it may belong to the Joker.

Comics

In the comic book series Batman Beyond Unlimited, it is revealed that Doug Tan (The brother of Dana Tan, Terry McGinnis' girlfriend) becomes the leader of the Jokerz gang. Tan declares himself as the Joker King, leading the Jokerz to cause chaos in the Neo-Gotham City, intending to follow the Joker's footsteps but ultimately killed following the first and last battle with Batman and his allies.

In the mainstream comics, Dick Grayson (who was operating as Batman at the time) encountered a gang called the Jokerz which is led by a man impersonating the real Joker.[2]

Members

DC Animated Universe version

1st Jokerz Group

The first group of Jokerz was introduced in the series premiere "Rebirth", committing petty pranks and harassment before being framed for the murder of Terry's father. They have appeared throughout the series since.

  • J-Man (voiced by Bruce Timm) - Dresses very similarly to the original Joker. Bruce Timm is the producer for the DCAU shows, and joked in DVD Commentary that his performance as J-Man was 'Emmy-Award-winning material'.
  • Dottie (voiced by Lauren Tom in the first appearance, Cree Summer in later appearances) - A member of the Jokerz who wears a polka-dot dress. She wields a rubber chicken with spikes on it.
  • Smirk (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum) - J-Man's "right-hand clown."
  • Coe (voiced by Scott Valentine) - A member of the Jokerz who wears a jester's hat and a jacket with one of the sleeves ripped off. He wields a baseball bat.
  • Spike (voiced by Joe Lala in the first appearance, Mark Slaughter in later appearances) - A member of the Jokerz who wears a green trench-coat and carries an acid pie with him.
  • Scab (voiced by Marc Worden) - A member of the Jokerz that wears a red single-coned jester's cap. Scab was possibly inspired by Harley Quinn. He wears a giant boxing glove on his right hand.
  • Top Hat (voiced by Bruce Timm) - A member of the Jokerz that wears an outfit that is similar to the DCAU version of Penguin.
  • Lee (voiced by Ethan Embry) - A student at Hamilton Hill. He dropped out to join the Jokerz. When Scab and Coe stole an experimental aircraft during his initiation, he began to doubt his dreams to be a member of the Jokerz. When the reactor became unstable, he knocked out Scab and shut the reactor. Lee then left the Jokerz afterwards.

2nd Jokerz Group

The second group of Jokerz was introduced in the episode "Hidden Agenda", shown committing more violent and arsonist acts than the first group. They have appeared throughout the series since with the exception of Terminal.

  • Terminal (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum) - The leader of the second band of Jokerz who dresses in a gothic fashion differing from many Jokerz. He is secretly Carter Wilson, a student at Hamilton Hill High School.
  • Trey (voiced by Omar Gooding) - Terminal's "right-hand clown." He dropped out of school in 6th grade to join the Jokerz. He used to be a member of J-Man's gang but eventually joined up Terminal afterwards.
  • Tayko (voiced by Cree Summer) - A member of Terminal's gang who is an amazing gymnast.
  • Weasel (voiced by Will Friedle) - Known for his high-pitched holler, Weasel carries a flail around and has many other weapons in his jacket. He used to be a member of J-Man's branch of the Jokerz, but joined Terminal's branch of the Jokerz later on.

3rd Jokerz Group

The third group of Jokerz was introduced in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker where they worked for what appeared to be the original Joker. They later appeared in an episode of Justice League Unlimited, now working for Chronos and enhanced with super powers. When Chronos is defeated, this timeline is erased.

  • Bonk (voiced by Henry Rollins in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Adam Baldwin in Justice League Unlimited) - A powerful, but surly enforcer/muscleman in the Jokerz' ranks. Though amazingly strong, Bonk is not a thug who takes orders willingly (especially if it has to do with swiping what he calls "a lot of geek junk" instead of cash). He's got a hair-trigger, and is liable to start up with anyone who gets in his way, be it Batman or Bonk's own Jokerz allies. This is his undoing when he argues with the Joker, accusing him of being a fake. In return, the Joker murders him either with a venomous spear gun disguised as a BANG! flag gun, or with laughing gas (depending on the censored or uncut version of the movie). He appears during the Justice League Unlimited multi-part episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2 equipped with a massive hammer that comes out of his arm. He's able to deliver massive damage with this weapon.
  • Chucko (voiced by Don Harvey) - obese with tight-fitting pink clothes and a clown mask. He is a nasty bullying type who truly enjoys inflicting misery on others. A head enforcer for the Jokerz gang, he's a lot stronger and faster than his flabby gut would lead one to believe. True to his sadistic nature, Chucko's face is always hidden behind his mocking clown mask (Aside from the heist at Wayne Enterprises, where he was wearing a gas mask). He uses a bazooka as a weapon. An alternate-time stream version of Chucko appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2. He appears here with a hovering ball instead of his normal legs and carries a lightsaber-like object. The ball offers more maneuverability than he previously had with his legs and the saber adds extra "oomph." He betrays Chronos by tipping off the Justice League Unlimited and is sent back to the prehistoric age at the moment when the meteor that killed the dinosaurs arrived. This incident serves as a warning to the other Jokerz members.
  • Dee Dee (voiced by Melissa Joan Hart) - The identical twin granddaughters of Harley Quinn. Delia and Deidre Dennis (often referred to by the collective name "Dee Dee" or simply, "the Deeds") are cute, charming, funny, and completely rotten to the core. They love the thrill of being a part of the Jokerz gang and think it's a large charge to be working for the big man himself, The Joker. They use an acrobatics-based fighting style very similar to Harley's. They fight in unison, acting almost like one person controlling two bodies, even finishing each other's sentences. They are imprisoned at the end of Return of the Joker, but bailed out by Harley Quinn whom they refer to as "Nana Harley." They appear in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2 with the power to multiply themselves upon impact. They also carry an energy whip which electrocutes the victim on contact. This whip is what led to Terry and Kai-Ro's alternate deaths until this timeline was erased. It had been assumed that they were the Joker's biological granddaughters, however events that take place in Batman and Harley Quinn strongly suggest that they are in fact the biological granddaughters of Dick Grayson and Harley Quinn.
  • Ghoul (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum impersonating Christopher Walken) - He wears ragged clothing and has grey skin, numerous stitching/scar marks and skull-like features; possibly genetically altered his appearance to make himself look undead. His appearance vaguely mimics that of previous Batman nemesis Scarecrow. A jaded young runaway from a wealthy home, Ghoul joined up with the Jokerz for kicks. He's heavily into techno-goth music and has adapted the horror look into his costume. Ghoul is never without his plastic Halloween pumpkin which he keeps filled with a number of monster-inspired weapons and tricks. Ghoul eventually returned in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2. He is now armed with a spinning blade in his right arm which he can deploy or retract at will. It is also revealed in this episode that he wet the bed until he was 14.
  • Woof (voiced by Frank Welker in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Dee Bradley Baker in Justice League Unlimited) - Woof was just a nameless underling in the Jokerz gang until he decided to try gene-splicing. Infusing his cellular structure with that of a spotted hyena, Woof quickly transformed (some say devolved) into the giggling, bestial nightmare that he is today. Though he sometimes appears to be nothing more than the Jokerz comical mascot, Woof's crushing jaws, sharp teeth, and razor-like claws make him a deadly adversary. He appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing" Pt. 2. In this appearance, he is equipped with cybernetic arms which allow him to run faster than he previously could. The arms are also able to gouge materials as hard as concrete and steel, as they are sharper and sturdier than his claws once were.

In other media

Video games
  • The Jokerz appear in Gotham City Imposters. The Jokerz are the name of an army of criminals who dress up like the Joker. The game is played from the perspective of the Jokerz and the "Bats" (who dress up like Batman).
  • Bonk appears in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. He is a part of the Batman Beyond DLC as a playable character.
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References
  1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. Detective Comics #867
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