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Oct 1, 2019 · The Joker is a villain that both fascinates and terrifies us. His origin has remained relatively mysterious, sparking questions about how a “psycho killer” is created. Using real methods and theory, clinical expert Dr. Andrea Letamendi examines several iconic portrayals of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Nov 2, 2023 · Explore the fascinating psychology behind the iconic character of the Joker in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece, The Dark Knight. Delve into the depths of the Joker's mind and understand the motivations and complexities that make him one of the most memorable villains in cinematic history.
- Legacy
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Of all the villains in the history of pop culture, the Joker is without doubt one of the most enduring and iconic, sharing ranks with the likes of such immortal fiends as Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter. And though he has always been popular, it is Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledgers mesmerizing interpretation in 2008s The Dark Knight that has inde...
To fully understand the reasons why, we have to delve as deeply as Nolan, Ledger and writer David S. Goyer themselves did while re-envisioning the character. We have to find and recognize that dark, hidden part of our psyche that the Jokers words and actions arouse, a part so deeply embedded that it took a renowned psychologist to uncover. We have ...
We like to think of ourselves as noble, honest, and good, especially in comparison to other people. We like to believe wed never hurt someone, or cause any damage of any kind. Psychologists tell us of whats called illusory superiority, the cognitive bias in us all that causes a person to think far too highly of their positive qualities, and far too...
During the English Civil War of the 1600s, a guy named Thomas Hobbes was a bit ahead of the curve in terms of this illusory superiority thing, even if he never exactly recognized it as such. He didnt agree with most peoples idea that theyre inherently moral and righteous. Instead, he theorized that without enforced rules, humanity would revert righ...
Today, Hobbes is recognized mostly for his theories in political philosophy, whose ideas laid virtually the entire foundation of Western Civilization. His most famous work was a horrifically dense tome called Leviathan. It contains perhaps his most famous quote of all, what amounts to his justification for the existence of government:
Now, if this was Ethics 102, Hobbes and the Joker would be sitting right next to one another, passing notes and giggling. They agree with one another on one thing: when the chips are down, civilized people eat each other.
Hobbes supported government for fear of immoral chaos. The Joker, on the other hand, because hes a downright anarchist psychopath (or psychopathic anarchist), would love nothing more than to see that happen.
Its why he puts bombs on ferries. Its why he murders government officials. Its why he tries to corrupt the one person whos a symbol that we dont have to be afraid of people like him (though we really do). The Joker wants to push a whole city into the wicked gravity of madness and anarchy.
Christopher Nolan directed Following. And Memento. There was that Inception movie too. He started out indie and his films well-thought-out explorations of Existentialism, the stuff of Nietzsche, Sartre, and Camus.
Nietzsche and his boys, such as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, put forth a lot of bizarre ideas at the end of the last century. Those ideas opposed damn near everything that came before them, and scared some people half to death. Carl Jung was an early 20th-century psychologist and psychotherapist, highly influence...
What had them so freaked was the apparent hopelessness of Existentialism. While hopeless may be too strong a word for it, it does appear depressing. (Dont plan a date after your Existentialism class; you wouldnt be any fun at all.)
You hear a lot of people these days questioning rules. Rebelliousness and skepticism is a rule of cool for some, ironically enough. Haughty critics in 2043 will write of the prevalence of Existential themes throughout the films of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Batman, of course, is willing power as well, but while he sometimes struggles with this, the Joker has dived right in. He has embraced his will to power in the world (what an ubermensch does) and tried to assert power and change in the world around him. The Joker puts Batman through challenges that force him to question what he believes in, to teet...
We have seen the philosophical mold in which the preexisting character of the Joker was recast by Nolan and company. Next, Ill explain precisely why we are so captivated by him and why, furthermore, it is healthy for us to be (to a degree).
- Anthony Nowicke
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The Joker is a psychopathic anarchist, nihilist, and criminal mastermind (self-professed "agent of chaos") who rose to power in the criminal underworld by thrusting Gotham City into turmoil, and drew Batman ever closer to crossing the line between hero and vigilante.
In the opening scene of The Dark Knight, the Joker assembles a gang of masked criminals to rob a mafia-controlled bank and tricks them into killing one another, leaving him to escape with the money as the only survivor.
Apr 27, 2016 · The Joker was a disciple of chaos, and wanted to prove that anyone - especially Batman, disciple of law - were as ready to abandon law and morality as he had already done. He had the robbers progressively executing each other in the opening scene.
Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight" may be the most well-known iteration of the character, and there were plans to have the Joker in the second and third films. According to David S. Goyer ...
