The Dark Knight The Joker's (real) background

[Herofan]

Is it most likely that he was a soldier and getting injured in battle was what got him disgusted with society and wanting to dismantle it?

He promoted the idea that his makeup was like war paint and he made his whatever doesn't kill you makes you stranger comment to himself, not trying to impress or trick anyone else. Although I guess he could have had an injury or near-death experience from another context, even self-inflicted injury for some reason.

 

[stlblues84]

I'd buy that. It would also tie in well with a fascination with playing cards, if you want to go as far as making him a veteran of the War on Terror. They handed out decks of cards to soldiers with different members of terrorist organizations on them. A of Spades was Bin Laden, etc.

He became fascinated with being the Joker of the deck of cards.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

His whole crime spree is due to a massive case of PTSD.

 

[saborlord123]

It always seemed the most likely theory to me.

 

[killface]

And the fact that The Joker knew how to handle guns (the extended clips in the bank robbery scene, use of silencers, RPGs, and explosives.) and had tactical combat knowledge (crashing the helicopters, dressing up the hostages as henchmen)

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

His PTSD from being in war could also explain his psychosis.

 

[elgaz]

I've rewatched the film so many times and Nolan was careful not to drop anything solid that could explain the Joker's background. There's hints, there's lots of circumstantial things, there's even things he says (though they change depending on who he's talking to) - but nothing that is really 100% solid.

So it's essentially all speculation. With that said, if you subscribe to the PTSD theory, there are certainly a lot of facets of the film that align very well with that theory. None of them independently are conclusive of anything, but when you combine them ........................ the scars, his mastery of guns/explosives/knives/weaponry, some fighting ability given his slight stature, the intelligence he seems to possess (not just literal IQ, but military type intelligence). There's also his ability to strategise in a very complex way despite his assertions that it's all chaos and he just ........ does stuff.

The line he uttered to Dent ("If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot or a truckload of soldiers will be blowing up, nobody panics because it's all part of the plan") may have alluded slightly to this also - a cynical and grim assertion that the deaths of those sent to war have little value to the general public.

 

[Schlosser85]

I'd really have loved to have gotten more of Heath Ledger's thoughts about the way he played The Joker.

 

[AncientVanguard]

It's a great theory.

The entire mystique around TDK Joker is great. The unknown of him. An unbridled force.

The piece about him in the TDKR novel even is mystifying.
“The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really even sure. Not even Selina”

The mystery surrounding him is truly apart of what makes that iteration of The Joker so iconic still to this day.

 

[shauner111]

The part of that quote that always made me confused was the “even Selina”. Like why would she know about his whereabouts more than others? What does she have to do with Arkham or the Joker?

 

[elgaz]

The entire mystique around TDK Joker is great. The unknown of him. An unbridled force.

It really does enhance the character so much because we know so little about him. Nolan could have given him some complex backstory to rival Bruce's, but I think that would have lost a lot of the effect.

Even within the confines of the story, he leaves everyone scratching their heads

"Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name. No other alias."

 

[Schlosser85]

The part of that quote that always made me confused was the “even Selina”. Like why would she know about his whereabouts more than others? What does she have to do with Arkham or the Joker?

I guess because she's someone "in the know" in the criminal underworld who probably hears about a lot of stuff?