Throughout his comic book history, the Joker has employed a variety of deadly gags in his crimes. These deceptively dangerous tricks have left Batman and the rest of Gotham City stunned and horrified. One classic gag, the deadly “fake” gun, debuted during the Clown Prince of Crime’s birthday party.
Way back in 1965’s Detective Comics #341, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the Joker employed a fake gun, which merely shot a flag out of its barrel. The flag humorously declared “Bang! You’re shot!” For a while, this gag gun was harmless, until 1980’s Batman #321, by Len Wein and Walter Simonson.
In this issue, the Joker threw himself a birthday party, kidnapping guests such as Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred and a few others. The Joker strapped his hostages onto a giant birthday cake in the middle of the Gotham Coliseum, where he paralyzed an audience of captive Gothamites. While telling a joke, the Clown Prince of Crime noticed that his henchman, Sidney, didn’t laugh. This offended the Joker, who threatened to shoot Sidney.
When the Joker pulled the trigger, the flag emerged, exclaiming “Bang, you’re dead.” Sidney was relieved for a moment, until the Joker pulled the trigger again, shooting Sidney in the face with the flag. This shocking turn of events subverted expectations, turning a seemingly harmless gag into a lethal weapon. Batman later arrived and agreed to strap himself to an explosive candle on the Joker’s cake in order to free his friends.
Eventually, Batman freed himself from this death trap, and he and Robin defeated the Joker’s goons. The Joker himself vanished in a motorboat explosion, but his plans were foiled. Ever since then, the Joker’s fake gun has been an essential part of his arsenal. The fake gun stands alongside the acid-spewing flower, the joy-buzzer that electrocutes people and several of the Joker’s other trademark weapons.
As part of this unique array of tricks, the fake gun adds a sense of flair to the Joker’s crimes and contributes to the Harlequin of Hate’s disturbing brand. The fake gun has also added a sense of unpredictability to the Joker’s crimes, keeping his victims on their toes. In the 1988 classic, Batman: The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, the Joker fired his gun, but this time when the flag emerged, it revealed that the Joker had run out of ammo. In this particular case, the fake gun left the Joker at something of a disadvantage.
Of course, there are cases in which the fake gun itself was harmless, yet the Joker still proved to be a lethal villain. For example, in 2005’s Batman: The Man Who Laughs, by Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke, the Joker almost killed a news cameraman before revealing he was only holding his fake gun. Immediately afterward, however, the Joker pulled out a real gun and shot the cameraman.
Just because the Joker’s flag gun isn’t always dangerous, doesn’t mean the Joker himself is any less deadly. The unpredictable nature of this fake gun defines the Joker as a character. Depending on the scenario, the Joker could be a harmless prankster or a ruthless murderer.
The gun is famous enough that it even made an appearance in director Tim Burton’s 1989 movie Batman. Another one of this fake gun’s most infamous uses came during the 2000 animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. In a flashback, the Joker brainwashed Tim Drake into a miniature version of himself. Breaking free from his mind-control, Tim fired the fake gun twice, impaling the Joker with the “bang” flag.
This moment was monumental, marking the death of the Joker in the DCAU. No matter the medium, the Joker’s fake gun is a trademark weapon. Throughout its history, this fake gun has inflicted both whimsy and violence as part of the Joker’s numerous crimes.
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