Tdk as in i am only refering to the Dark Knight (heath ledger) Joker lol, last night i saw the Dark Knight high for the first time (i know, lol) which was an epic expierence in itself, but i also desperatly wanted to know the joker's origins, at least in this incarnation (not the comic book/jack napier chemical bath thing) as i watched the movie, i remember one site mentioned he couldve been a former soldier either suffering from severe PTSD or some mental problem which seems a bit odd, but i noticed alot of things that made me feel like it couldve been - he is effcient in hand to hand combat, both with knives and weapon, despite him being a lunatic(i am familiar with hand to hand combat myself and i know one must be trained in all types of fighting, one can't just pick it up spontaneously one day but who knows) - highly intelligent, capable of forming complex plans executed in precise manners - he knows how to use all types of firearms, shotguns, semi-auto's, pistols, a sniper rifle and even an RPG, in the context of the film which i assume takes place in modern day, where else can one learn to fire and use an RPG except overseas (iraq, middle east, russian mountains etc) - he always mentions how people, when faced with desperation will ultimately turn on each other, how schemers will sacrifice the lives of many just to keep thier own plans in check - he also belives humans are corruptible and that chaos/anarchy is the best way to live as it allows everyone to shed thier true colors lol- my theory is that maybe he was a former solider who may or may not have been already mentally screwed, and was soldout by his commanders or NCO"S during an ambush, like leaving him and other behind then maybe he was captured, taken as a pow by the enemy and tortured, alas the scars he probably saw his fellow pow's willing to kill each other for the false promises of these captors (ie- free release, quick death etc)-yet he knew they were all going to die, no matter how far they turn on each other maybe he somehow escaped, killed everyone and was never the same again he also harbors severe resentment for humanity, as a result of his abandonment lol i was soo baked but this is what i came up with BUT please, feel free to add your own theories or add to this one REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY ABOUT THE HEATH LEDGER VERSION i understand the joker's origins are somewhat revealed in the comics, but its cool to have a real-world interpretation of his origins
His dad was a drinker and a fiend. He has a wife that can't stand the sight of him. That screws up people.
You do know this is fiction? So therefore he can have whatever attributes and skill sets as the writers wanna give him. So if they wanted he could be a plumber from new york but be badass with hand to hand and an assortment of firearms. He's probably schizophrenic too
I think he, in the movie, said that his father gave him his Chelsea grin; remember the scene where his goons deliver him in a "body bag" to the black gangster boss, right before he gives the boss a Glasgow grin? So that pretty much annihilates your theory. Think about it, he had very noticable scars since a very young age, therefore he couldn't have been in the army. Why? If you remember, later on in the movie, at the GPD station Gordon them, if I remember correctly, try to find background info on him; they couldn't find anything, because Joker's fingerprints weren't in the database. This could prove that he was never in the army. Also he would have been remembered for his peculiar grimace; he could havve been easily traced as he went on a highly broadcast crime spree before being caught. If I had to put forth my own theory, then I'll say he was ... I wanted to say he was somehow put in Arkham as a juvenile, but that wouldn't make sense, as his peculiar features would have led to him being easily identified after he commited all those crimes. My theory is that he lived a very isolated life; I'm not sure whether he lived in Gotham before taking over his Joker persona or if he was drawn to Gotham after seeing the virtuous and idealistic (qualities that in his cynical perception of the world isn't universal to all humans) Batman trying to clean the streets of Gotham. Whatever the case Nolan didn't provide much background to the Joker, maybe he wanted to flesh out the enigmatic character in TDKR, but sadly we lost Ledger; now we'll never know.
That was rambly, but this subject is too complex to be discussed in a single post, one that anyone would care to read anyway. But if you come up with an alternate theory OP, I'd be glad to hear it.
His dad carved the smile into his face, he tells Gambol this right after he is brought into Gambol's house in the body bag. His dad drank, went after his mom with a knife, then went after him. This is why "Why So Serious?" became so big, that's what his dad said to him when he carved him. The Joker also mentions to Rachel, however, that he cut his face like that after his wife was carved up over a gambling debt, and that after he did she left him because she couldn't look at him. So, I'd say he's just a schizophrenic psychopath with a knack for fucking shit up.