You know him, you love him, you might be scared of him, he's The Joker, Clown Prince of Crime. Portrayed by the incomparable Cesar Romero, the Ace of Knaves is one of Batman's most iconic and well-known foes thanks in part to the '66 series. Drenched in the camp of the Silver Age of Comics, Batman embraces the sillier side of the Caped Crusader and his rogue gallery, often to hilarious results. Here are 5 of The Joker's kookiest capers.
Creating his own Utility Belt — ''The Joker's Wild''
Starting things off relatively tame, for Joker that is, the villain's first introduction to the series has him springing himself from prison and infiltratitng a musuem to steal precious jewels. Thanks to the intervention of the Dynamic Duo, and specifically Batman's utility belt, the two are able to stop the heist. Fed up with the Duo always getting the better of him, Joker makes his own utitlity belt, which is able to get him out of multiple conflicts with them. The two are finally able to triumph against Joker after being brought to his hideout after faking paralysis from the knockout gas he deployed.
Kidnapping a Foreign Dignitary — "The Joker Trumps an Ace"
Yes, you read that right, Joker commits a few crimes with international consequences. When the Maharajah of Nimpah comes to visit Gotham City, Joker and his flunkies spring into action. Ambushing the dignitary at the Winnie Koto Country Club, Joker releases knockout gas onto the course and spirits the Maharajah away, with the Dynamic Duo in pursuit. After the Duo escape a trap sprung on them by Joker, they follow the clues to the Maharajah's location, only to be outwitted by Joker again. Finally, when the Duo are apprised of the Maharajah's location by Joker himself, they finally discover that there was in fact no Maharajah at all, and that Joker was using the alias to discredit the Dynamic Duo.
Various Key-Related Crimes with a "Magic Box" — "The Impractical Jokers''
While many of Joker's plans are out there, this one definitley takes the cake in that regard. After vandalizing multiple properties that have the "key" in the name (like Keystone Tower), Joker sets his sights on the famous jeweled key of Kaincardine, a Scottish heirloom passed down through the generations. Using his "magic box," Joker is able to hypnotize the Dynamic Duo and take the key for himself. After being captured by Joker, the Dynamic Duo escapes with their lives to regoup at the Batcave. Across town, we learn that Joker's "magic box" can now control time — for some reason — and he's going to use it to pollute the city's water supply. How do our heroes get out of this one? Why with Alfred posing as a guard at the waterworks of course! The Dynamic Duo and their longtime butler are able to thwart Joker's plan and save the city once again.
Rigging a Surfing Contest — ''Surf's Up! Joker's Under!''
Even The Joker wants to hit the waves! When the World Surfing Championship comes to the beaches of Gotham Point, the Clown Prince of Crime leaps into action to make sure that he can win the prize money. Kidnapping Gotham's surf star Skip Parker, Joker plans to learn all of the idol's knowledge so he can shred the waves. With Batman and Robin on his tail, Joker transfers all of Skip's knowledge of surfing to himself and when the Dynamic Duo arrives, he paralyzes them with venom from a sea urchin and attempts to turn them into human surfboards. Narrowly escaping their grizzly end, Batman and Robin return to the beach, where Batman and Joker fight things out in a surf contest for the ages. Batman is able to pull out the victory by using his shark-repellant to chase away a shark while The Joker is chased away by the beach's patrons.
Creating his own UFO — "The Joker's Flying Saucer"
Out of any dastardly deeds that the Clown Prince of Crime committed, this is surely one of the strangest. In order to make Gotham City submit to his whims, The Joker and his crew begin spreading rumors of an alien invasion. The city descends into panic as "little green men" are seen around the streets at night, causing The Dynamic Duo to take the case. Using a surplus of beryllium from the Wayne Foundation's research division, Joker and his goons are miraculously able to construct a flying saucer, while also capturing Batgirl and Alfred in the process. With the two allies of the Dynamic Duo in tow, Joker blasts off in his UFO to terrorize Gotham and the rest of the world. Batman and Robin, with the help of Alfred on board, are able to bring the flying saucer back to its take-off point. There, the Terrific Trio fight back against Joker and his goons, ending the terror in the skies for good.