The Joker is a comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He is widely considered to be Batman's archenemy. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, with contributions by artist Jerry Robinson, the Joker's first appearance was in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).
The Joker is a master criminal with a clown-like appearance. Initially portrayed as a violent sociopath who murders people for his own amusement, the Joker, later in the 1940s, began to be written as a goofy trickster-thief. That characterization continued through the late 1950s and 1960s before the character became again depicted as a vicious killer who carves smiles into his victims. The Joker has been responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murders of Jason Todd (the second Robin) and Jim Gordon's second wife Sarah Essen. He has been described by the Martian Manhunter in the JLA series as "the most corrupted of human souls."
Interpretations of the Joker in other media include Cesar Romero's in the 1960s Batman television series, Jack Nicholson's in Tim Burton's Batman, and Mark Hamill's in Batman: The Animated Series and other DC Animated Universe shows. Wizard magazine listed him the #1 villain of all time in 2006. As played by Nicholson, The Joker ranks #45 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 film villains of all time. Heath Ledger will portray the Joker for director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight.