"The Man Behind The Red Hood!" (1951) is a comic book story originally appearing in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' #168. It features Batman and a few university students trying to crack a decade-old case, and has the earliest

origin story In entertainment, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist, and it adds to the overall interest and complexity of a narrative, often giving reasons for their intent ...

for the Joker.

Plot summary

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

and

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

have been asked by Dean Chalmers, head of Gotham University, to volunteer as teachers for his criminology class. Batman agrees. Over the course of a month, Batman teaches the students many things and decides that they are ready for a real case—that of " The Red Hood". Batman gives the students clues about the mysterious burglar's crimes and encounters with Batman. The students discover that the Red Hood decided to steal one million dollars from the Monarch Playing Card Company, but was thought to have been killed after jumping into a basin of the company's chemicals following a confrontation with Batman. The Red Hood hears of the re-opening of the case and attacks the school. Finally, when Batman unmasks him, the Red Hood turns out to be the school gardener. Batman questions him and finds out that the school gardener had captured the real Red Hood and left him locked inside a tool shed. He decided to commit crimes and frame the Red Hood. Batman, Robin and the students discover that the "Red Hood" is in fact their old nemesis, the Joker. The Joker explains that years ago, he was a lab worker who decided to steal from the Monarch Playing Card Company. After being thwarted by Batman, however, he jumped into the chemical waste to escape. He survived, but was left with his trademark green hair, chalk white skin, and red lips. Driven insane by the accident, he dedicated his life to getting revenge on Batman.

Reprints

In addition to having been printed in ''Detective Comics'' #168, "The Man Behind The Red Hood!" has been reprinted in: * Batman #213 * Batman Archives Vol.8 () * Batman In The Fifties () * Batman With Robin the Boy Wonder From the 30's to the 70's () * The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told () * Limited Collector's Edition C-39

Cultural impact

This story includes the first origin story of The Joker, Batman's greatest enemy. The Joker's origin from this comic has been used in various ''Batman''-related media, including the 1989 film. The story would be updated in later storylines, including ''The Killing Joke'' and ''Zero Year''. It was chosen as one of the comic books to represent "Batman In The Fifties" "Batman From The '30s To The '70s", and as one of "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told".

References

External links

Joker
at the DC Comics wikia {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Behind the Red Hood! Joker (character) titles Red Hood titles