It’s hard to believe we’ve seen our last Joker. He has been portrayed by at least 23 actors since the Batman TV show debuted in 1966. The Joker continues to come back as a favorite throughout the years. It’s too simple to say he represents the villainous intentions inside all of us.Ī Joker tattoo does represent the darker side of life, but he also represents perseverance. You may be asking yourself “what does a Joker tattoo symbolize?” Let’s explore The Joker and what a tattoo of him may symbolize.

So who is this face who launched 1000 Joker tattoos? Initially a small character, he has now become a pop culture phenomenon portrayed by some of Hollywood’s most exciting lead men.

That all started to change when The Joker came on the scene.ĭC Comics released the first-ever Batman comic book on April 25th, 1940. No matter how scary the villains were in early comic books, they were never any match for our hero. The villains were menacing and cruel, and the heroes were gallant and chivalrous. In the earliest incarnation of these comic books, villains were there only to make our hero look strong and superhuman. They wear their shadow selves on their sleeve, which can feel both liberating and frightening to watch. Villains represent the dark sides of ourselves we’re not always willing to admit to. While we root for the hero, we often get more entertainment value out of the villain.

That is, they reflect our heroes’ good traits by being so negative. In superhero narratives, the villains work as “foils” to our hero. Having a tattoo of a character who’s a little chaotic and against the grain feels right. Villains make for popular tattoos because, in some social arenas, tattoos are still considered taboo. The only thing from the “nerd world” that’s more ubiquitous than our favorite heroes are their villain counterparts. Go to any tattoo convention, and it won’t be long before you see something from the Marvel or DC universe. Superheroes are everywhere, from commercial packaging, to pop art, to tattoos. Refer to one, and even someone who’s never seen a single Marvel or DC movie or read one page of a comic book will probably know who you’re talking about. It feels like superheroes are embedded into the very fabric of our lives.

Old batman joker