Joker’s Most Outrageous Costume Was Censored by DC

When it comes to visual designs, DC Comics’ iconic Batman villain, Joker, has one of the most well-regarded looks of all time, yet his wildest costume was one that was actually censored by DC, and for an odd reason at that. Luckily, some portion of this outrageous look was kept, but the original idea of having Joker dressed like Madonna in a cone bra was never realized.

Initially a design that was supposed to appear in 1989’s seminal Batman graphic novel, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, DC had some hangups in regards to a costume intended to take inspiration from pop-star sensation Madonna. Stemming from the legendary comic mind of Grant Morrison, the idea of this costume came from a preliminary version of their script and contrasted Batman’s simple macho persona against a more fluid Joker as the Dark Knight began a harrowing journey through the depths of Arkham Asylum.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Being a decidedly inspired and controversial choice for a baddie who’s constantly reinventing his villainous mind and overly theatrical criminal tendencies, wanting Joker to appear as if he were ripped straight out of a 1980s music video actually isn’t the weirdest part of this costume-related story. In fact, the decision to ultimately scrap most of what was pitched for his look was due to the release of the 1989 film, Batman, and the upcoming movie version of the Clown Prince of Crime, played by the one and only Jack Nicholson, as revealed in Grant Morrison’s Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero.

Joker’s intended Arkham Asylum costume was one that Morrison pushed hard for but ultimately was only able to salvage a small piece of. Revealed in a handful of interviews in the years since, as well as in Supergods, Grant Morrison says that, “The first shock came when I was told that the book had been canceled. Eager to embrace influences from Cabaret to the Theater of Cruelty, the Joker was to have been dressed in the conical bra worn by Madonna for her “Open Your Heart” video.”

Morrison continues, “Warner Bros. objected to my portrayal on the grounds that it would encourage the widespread belief that Jack Nicholson, the feted actor lined up to play the Joker in an upcoming $40 million Batman movie, was a transvestite,” the reason for DC apparently passing on Morrison’s wishes was an odd one, as a more family friendly movie influenced what still remains one of the Dark Knight’s darkest stories. Writing a “long, impassioned letter” Morrison “managed to keep the Joker in high heels at least” a small victory for a creator who has proven their brilliance time and time again, especially where Batman and his arch-nemesis are concerned.

So while Morrison was able to salvage a tiny bit of this outrageous costume idea, being unable to dress Joker up like Madonna is an odd censorship choice, but one that can apparently be traced back to the old conundrum of balancing creative freedom against commercial concerns. Warner Bros. might have allegedly been scared by the thought of Joker sporting some stylishly feminine clothing, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have pulled it off with ease, all the while dragging Batman through hell.

Source: Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero

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