Can you think of a connection between a rampaging giant and a psychotic crime lord? Scroll down to understand the connection.
The Incredible Hulk from the Marvel universe and the Joker from the DC universe are two popular characters from their respective universes. Both the characters share a bit of similarity and a deep connection between them. Both the Hulk and the Joker have a mental instability condition, making their thought process a whole lot different than that of an average human being. Apart from being mentally deranged, both of the characters have a weird connection that dates back to the 19th century. As highly unlikely as it may seem, both the Hulk and the Joker were created as the result of inspiration from the works of a French author named Victor Hugo.
The History Of The Hulk And The Joker
The Hulk is a Superhero from Marvel comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who first appeared in 1962. He was a huge green-skinned and strong being who came into existence when a scientist, Dr. Bruce Banner was in an accidental explosion where he was exposed to intense amounts of gamma radiation. Dr. Banner then suffered from a condition where any sort of emotional stress would turn Dr. Banner into a giant green monster with uncontrollable anger. Unable to control his rage, the hulk would wreak havoc where ever he went but with time became a superhero by directing that rage towards his enemies.
On the other hand, the Joker was a supervillain from the DC comics created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson who first appeared in 1940. He was a psychopath with a sadistic sense of humor who became the uncrowned prince of the crime of Gotham.
The Connection
Although the inspiration of the comical Hulk came by combining the characteristics of Frankenstein, Doctor Jeykll, and Mr. Hyde, the first live-action adaptation of the Hulk came from a character of a musical play Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. The musical narrates the story of Jean Valjean who was a former convict who breaks out of his parole to start a new and normal life. However, due to his criminal deeds in the past, Jean is being followed by a police inspector named Javert. A similar condition is witnessed in the life of the Hulk’s alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner who wanders from place to place in search of a cure for his “Condition”.
The only difference that exists in Bruce and Jean’s condition is that Bruce was being pursued by a journalist called Jack McGee who was hellbent on unraveling the truth behind the Hulk. Similarly, the Joker was inspired by another one of the works by Victor Hugo called The Man Who Laughs (1869). The novel revolved around the story of Gwynplaine, a man who suffered from a condition where he constantly kept smiling.
Years later when the novel was adapted into a silent film, the lead character’s grin was created using make-up by the makeup artist Jack Pierce. The Joker’s creepy laughter was purely inspired by a photograph from the film that Kane and Finger have witnessed. And there it is, the strange connection shared by the Hulk and the Joker- both being inspired from the works of a single writer from the 19th century- “Victor Hugo”
