With the new Absolute Universe, DC has achieved something seemingly impossible: The universe surrounding Batman feels fresh and new again. The Joker is also quite different. This is shown by his disturbing backstory, which turns him into a true horror monster.
What is the Absolute Universe? In October 2024, DC launched the Absolute Universe. This is a new world where familiar heroes are reinterpreted entirely. They are darker and more challenging for the heroes. So Absolute Batman was not born as a wealthy heir, but as the son of a family living in the lower class of Gotham. Yet even without money, Bruce became a superhero who protects Gotham.
But not only he became more brutal. His villains also received new variants, including Bane, Mr. Freeze, or Black Mask. Of course, his arch-nemesis Joker couldn’t be missing.
After being portrayed as a true horror monster, he now also received a new backstory. And this turns the clown prince into something that hasn’t been achieved in his almost 86-year history: I fear him.
Immortal Serial Killer with Infinite Resources
Who is the Joker in the Absolute Universe? In the comic Absolute Batman: ARK M No. 1 , the backstory of Arkham Asylum in the Absolute Universe is shown. In this world, Amadeus Arkham also founded the psychiatric hospital where people with mental illnesses are supposed to be treated. That is at least the public perception. Inside, many of the patients are suffering terribly.
In 1885, a blood-soaked child came to him, which he adopted. The child became interested early on in the work of his adoptive father, especially in the patient Jack Doe, who was imprisoned and restrained due to violent incidents.
A year later, in 1886, a terrible incident occurred. Jack Doe is said to have freed the other patients, kidnapped the child, and fled. The patients committed many crimes but could be captured. Only Jack himself could not be caught, whom Amadeus thinks is Jack The Ripper: A man who could be more than just a man, but evil itself. A smiling demon, a hellish jokester.
In the comic, Amadeus Arkham tells this story to a potential buyer. In the boiler room in the basement, the buyer is still looking at the walled-up wall through which Jack has escaped. The buyer whispers something to him, which terrifies Arkham completely. At night, he goes to the basement and discovers the corpse of Jack Doe in the bricked-up wall. He realizes that his son is the monster he believes to be Jack The Ripper. One still sees how Arkham Asylum is destroyed by flames.
In the end, one sees the present in Gotham, how Joseph Jack Grimm, the 5th, plans his next steps against Batman.
Finally a Truly Scary Interpretation of the Joker
Why is this backstory so effective? Since 1940, the Joker has plagued Gotham and Batman. Often, his backstories do not work or are only vaguely told. The Absolute Universe changes that now, and it is really good.
With ARK M No. 1, there are many Gothic elements that one knows from vampire stories. It fits that the Absolute Joker is probably several hundred years old. The comic explains: The child from back then is the Joker, who terrorizes Batman and the world today.
Additionally, there is the contrast to Absolute Batman: The Joker has infinite money resources and builds ARKs around the world, a far worse version of Arkham Asylum. There, he creates the grotesque monsters that Batman must confront.
Coincidentally, the wealthy serial killer also has a monstrous form that can be visually terrifying.
I fear the Joker for the first time. Not because of his form, but because he has infinite resources and acts as a cold serial killer, more calculated than Batman in his prime. He is thematically not only the blight that plagues Gotham in the Absolute Universe, he is an ancient monster that wants full control over politics, cities, and the world.
The main series of Absolute Batman has already released 3 issues in Germany and will continue. Anyone wanting to see a true reinterpretation of the hero and his villains should definitely check it out. More Batman can be found here: The 10 best animated films of Batman that will shorten your wait for the next movie
