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The Joker from the JLA: The Nail reality is a horrifying variation of the character — especially when he goes to hell and becomes even more powerful.
The Joker is one of DC’s most fearsome foes, a murderous monster who has killed countless people over the years. But even the current mainstream incarnation of the character has had his limits — unlike some other variations of the character, who gained genuinely terrifying powers.
In the Elseworld stories JLA: The Nail and JLA: Another Nail by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer, the Joker was finally killed after a devastating loss — but he only returned in a new demonic form that might be one of his most impressively dangerous variants.
The world of JLA: The Nail took a major deviation years before the present-superhero community had ever formed. In this reality, Jonathan and Martha Kent suffered a flat tire and never discovered the ship containing Kal-El. Instead, a kindly Amish family took him in — resulting in a world where the young man never left the farm and Superman never came to be. As a result, the superhero community is far more mistrusted by the public, and Lex Luthor (alongside Jimmy Olsen as his assistant) is able to procure power in a largely anti-alien/anti-meta human Metropolis. In Gotham, Batman still serves as a hero, working with his partners Robin and Batgirl while also fighting alongside the Justice League. But a breakout at Arkham Asylum took a dark turn and led the Dark Knight on a devastating path.
Given powerful Kryptonian weapons by Jimmy Olsen in an attempt to sew discord across the country, Joker is able to attack Arkham Asylum and free all the inmates. Batman and his allies arrive on the scene, but Joker uses his technology to hold Batman at bay — and then brutally and gruesomely murder his two sidekicks in front of his eyes. When Catwoman breaks him free, Batman beats Joker in a rage and ends up snapping his neck on live television — making the public terrified of him and all other heroes. Although Catwoman got through to him and convinced him to keep fighting, he still couldn’t escape the shadow of the Joker’s actions.
In the sequel story “Another Nail,” Batman and Selina Kyle (now going by Batwoman) are romantically involved and crime-fighting partners, having left the JLA behind to focus on Gotham City. When he learns from Deadman that demons are escaping from hell, Batman investigates — and discovers that the Joker’s soul has actually adjusted well to the afterlife. The demons can appreciate the darkness inherent to the Joker, and he’s meanwhile mastered the ability to morph his body into weapons. Given physical form by the demons he works with, Batman holds his own until Doctor Fate arrives to send the demons back to hell. Joker almost manages to bring Batwoman with him, but Batman drags him through the portal himself to save her.
Trapped in hell, Batman and Joker continue to pummel each other — until the spirits of Batgirl and Robin arrive to save Batman — returning him to the material world and reuniting him with Selina Kyle. Even though he’s ultimately defeated, a demonically enhanced Joker proves to quickly be a big enough threat that Batman is willing to fully abandon the world and trap himself within hell itself if it means defeating him. It’s lucky he had holy backup, as otherwise, this variation of the Joker may have had one final laugh at the expense of his greatest enemy. The only bright side is that there’s a counter to his darker new form — but it’s still a horrifying take on the villain.
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