DC failed to transform the Joker into a huge monster sixteen years ago, but 2025’s second attempt promises to avoid the same flaws. DC’s Absolute Universe has delivered some of the most fascinatingly exaggerated reinterpretations of DC’s mythology. Every character who steps into this continuity has received an overhaul, from the apocalyptic Absolute Superman to the titanic mountain of muscle that is Absolute Bane.

Absolute Batman has quickly become the crown jewel of the entire line. So far, DC’s Absolute Gotham has introduced increasingly terrifying villain redesigns. As is natural, the Joker is the character who receives the biggest and most anticipated reinvention. But his terrifying overhaul should feel familiar, as a similar transformation was introduced sixteen years ago.

Absolute Batman Redeems Arkham Asylum’s Disappointing Venom Joker

DC Brings Back The Joker’s Monstruous Transformation 16 Years Later

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a groundbreaking part of both Batman and video game history as a whole, but its final battle remains one of the biggest disappointments in its franchise. After injecting himself with Venom, the Joker transforms into a hulking monster, giving Batman the chance to have their first true hand-to-hand showdown. However, the fight quickly devolves into Joker sending wave after wave of generic thugs while he stands in the background, posing for the police.

The little actual combat with Titan Joker briefly takes place in the preceding cutscene, and whatever is left is composed of the Joker swinging his elongated fingers and missing Batman every time. The Joker wastes his superhuman strength and seemingly throws away all his schemes just to gloat. Arkham Asylum‘s final battle should have been the ultimate boss fight, but it ended up being the most anticlimactic.

Absolute Joker finally redeems Arkham Asylum‘s misstep by delivering an even more monstrous version of the Joker. Larger, more terrifying, and far more grotesque than Arkham’s Titan Joker, DC’s Absolute Joker terrifies with his physical presence alone. Even before his first encounter with Absolute Batman, Absolute Joker cements himself as the scariest, most physically powerful iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Absolute Batman’s Monstrous Joker Needs To Meet Expectations

Fans Won’t Forgive A Disappointing Face-Off Between Absolute Batman & Absolute Joker

Absolute Joker’s brief appearances across Absolute Batman‘s first thirteen issues and multiple preview covers have already created sky-high expectations for the villain. Fans have now seen a monstrous Joker fall flat in Arkham Asylum, and DC cannot afford to waste the second one. Absolute Joker must be a true nightmare given form, too powerful to be dismissed as yet another Batman enemy bigger than him, and more imposing than the hulking Absolute Bane and Absolute Killer Croc.

Surpassing Arkham Asylum’s Venom Joker should be easy, as simply portraying Absolute Joker as a genuine eldritch horror beyond comprehension is enough to set him apart. But DC can and should go much further. To justify the buildup, Absolute Joker must inflict real, scarring damage on Batman or his allies. A couple of major casualties in the Absolute Universe is the least DC could try to do this Joker justice.

Created By

Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson

Alias

Red Hood, Clown Prince of Crime, Ace of Knaves

Video Games

Batman: Return of the Joker, The Adventures of Batman & Robin (SNES), Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Batman: Arkham Asylum (dupe), Batman: Arkham City, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: Arkham Origins, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat 11, Injustice 2, Gotham Knights

Comic Books

Joker #1, The Joker #5, Joker: Killer Smile #1, Batman: Three Jokers #1, Batman: The Joker War Zone #1, DC’s Year of the Villain: Joker #1, Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1, The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1, Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files #1, The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1