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Of all ofBatman’smany villains , The Jokerboasts one of the most frightening faces . vernal readers who control the pale , green - haired man leer at them from the comic book panel likely develop an straightaway fear of clowns . A great pile of this fear comes from his grin – a horrible , lasting grin that shows everyone just how deform his sickish mind really is .
Ironically , however , the Joker ’s famous disfiguration was inspire by another famous literary and flick character who , unlike theClown Prince of Crime , was a decent , kind - hearted man with a tragic backstory . Although his freakish grin is now synonymous with evil , the valet de chambre who allow the model for the Joker ’s terrifying appearance was actually a sympathetic hero !
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In 1939 , creative person Bob Kane and author Bill Finger were toilsome at study creating a new hero who could stand next to toss off refinement ’s new sense experience , Superman . take in inspiration from a variety of sources , including monsters like Dracula , flesh magazine anti - heroes like the Shadow , and classical detectives like Sherlock Holmes , Kane and Finger developed Batman , a nocturnal retaliator born of the darkest literary characters .
When it came prison term to design Batman ’s scalawag ’ heading , however , Kane and Finger discover inspiration from other sources – including a 1928 dumb flick entitledThe Man Who Laughs . Based on a novel save by Victor Hugo ( the writer ofLes Miserables),The Man Who Laughswas a similarly tragic tale about a young man named Gwynplaine . The son of a lord , Gwynplaine suffer his don when King James II condemn him to expiry . Gwynplaine then fall into the clutches of sadistic child - buyer Dr. Hardquannone , who disfigures him with a lasting grin .
Unlike the Joker , however , Gwynplaine ’s misshapenness does not labour him mad . Instead , when his captor desolate him in the C , he rescues a blind young woman and earns money for them by joining a freak show and performing as the “ Laughing Man . ” Although the work is humbling , over the eld , he becomes the show ’s star performer and fall in love with the now - adult unsighted woman , Dea . Gwynplaine keep back himself distant from Dea , however , feeling she does n’t deserve to be with a addict like him .
Things change for “ The Laughing Man , ” however when his reliable lineage is uncovered and the owner of his demesne , the dark seductress Duchess Josiana , becomes draw in to his scarred appearance . Gwynplaine is abducted by Queen Anne who tries to force Josiana to get hitched with him – however , he renounces his title and escapes . Although both Gwynplaine and Dea expire in the novel , the film terminate happily with the two admitting their touch sensation for each other and sailing to England .
Although portrayed empathetically by actor Conrad Veidt , Gwynplaine ’s permanent smile , dour eye , and sweep - back hair give him a ghoulish tone that Bob Kane reproduced almost just in his initial designs for the Joker . Over the years , as theJoker develop in popularity , Gwynplaine ’s direful but tragic look became consumed by theJoker ’s evil . Their data link stay to be referenced , however , both in the comics and in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightwhen Heath Ledger ’s version of the Joker uncover his permanent grin was also the result of mutilation .
While it seems unsufferable today for anyone to find anything but terror from the Joker ’s face , the real - life line of his facial disfigurement reveal that his literary predecessor was anything but a homicidal maniac . Alternate versions of theJokerhave shown the Clown Princecandisplay a heroic side … perhaps leftover of Gwynplaine are peek through his literary descendant ?
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