What Would Joker Do?

The Evil Overlord List, as mentioned in previous posts, is located at http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html. Go ahead and give it a read, if you are unfamiliar with it. It has been around for a very long time, and you may have first seen it in an e-mail forward sent to you by someone who does that sort of thing.

It was first mentioned (By Liz, in the comments) in conjunction with a post about Batman's famous nemesis, The Joker, so I thought it would be fun to see how many of the rules the Clown Prince of Crime would almost certainly break in the upcoming movie. Here are the ones that stuck out.

He doesn't even get past number one.

#1 - My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.

In the opening sequence henchmen are wearing clown masks. All the Face-concealment of the worst helmet, but with none of the protection.

#6 - I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.

Very Un-Joker-like.

#11 - I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.

We already know that the Joker leaves his "Calling Card" at the scene of his crimes. That's at the very end of "Batman Begins".

#20 - Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.

Aww, Come ON! Maniacal Laughter is His Specialty!

#29 - I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.

Hey, there is one he gets RIGHT!

#44 -I will only employ bounty hunters who work for money. Those who work for the pleasure of the hunt tend to do dumb things like even the odds to give the other guy a sporting chance.

Another one right! If you read the Story over at LatinoReview.com, then you know that he assembles his army of mobsters to go after ol' Bat-Ears by offering them (their own) money.

#56 - If it becomes necessary to escape, I will never stop to pose dramatically and toss off a one-liner.

Hey! One-Liners are his Specialty. After Maniacal Laughter, that is. One tends to go along with the other.

#61 - If my advisors ask "Why are you risking everything on such a mad scheme?", I will not proceed until I have a response that satisfies them
#64 - I will see a competent psychiatrist and get cured of all extremely unusual phobias and bizarre compulsive habits which could prove to be a disadvantage.

Madness. It's not always a good thing.

#73 - I will not agree to let the heroes go free if they win a rigged contest, even though my advisors assure me it is impossible for them to win.

I love/hate it when this happens in movies. The Evil Evil Bad Guy, who is evil enough to maim, rob, and kill to get his way, is corrupt enough to rig the competition so that the good guys can't possibly win, but is somehow honor-bound to release them when they do win anyway. Batman villains in general are susceptible to this sort of thing.

#87 - My vats of hazardous chemicals will be covered when not in use. Also, I will not construct walkways above them.

In the original Batman, this is how we got the Joker. Comic books, in general, would be in a pretty poor state if they had to do without their walkways over chemical vats.

#92 - If I ever talk to the hero on the phone, I will not taunt him. Instead I will say this his dogged perseverance has given me new insight on the futility of my evil ways and that if he leaves me alone for a few months of quiet contemplation I will likely return to the path of righteousness. (Heroes are incredibly gullible in this regard.)

I don't think Batman would buy it if Joker tried the penitent act, but I don't think the Joker would try it anyway. After all, Taunting is his Specialty! After One-Liners, that is. And Maniacal Laughter. He has a lot of specialties. He's very special.

He may break some other rules once the movie comes out, and if he does, I will let you know about it here, on The Daily Blog of the Day!