The Conversation

The Joker’s origin story comes at a perfect moment: clowns define our times

Author: Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019): the Joker's humour-filled rebellion has typically contrasted with Batman’s dour moral self-righteousness. Warner Bros

The joker, the trickster, the jester, the provocateur - there is a rich cultural history of these roles going back at least as far as Greek mythology’s Hermes.

One of the most famous...

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