Stan Lee’s Batman Officially Gets His Own Twisted Joker

Stan Lee’s Batman officially gets his own twisted version of The Joker, as the iconic DC Comics villain gets reimagined in the Just Imagine Universe.

Spoilers for Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1 by DC Comics

Stan Lee’s Batman in the Just Imagine universe just officially got his own Joker, as a new version of the villain is about to make his debut in the pages of DC Comics. In the first look at Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1, the legendary comic book creator’s take on Batman learns about a twisted new serial killer named The Choker, who is the world’s take on The Joker.

In a brand-new preview for Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1 for DC Comics, Michael Uslan, Lee Weeks, Trish Mulvihill, and Clayton Cowles, readers are reintroduced to the world of Earth-6, where Wayne Williams’ Batman deals with the chaos in Gotham, as a new serial killer arrives on the scene. The preview shifts to an alleyway, where a woman is attacked by a man named “Jack,” who reveals himself to the “Choker.” The Just Imagine universe’s version of The Joker chokes the woman, telling her he’s going to strangle the life out of the entire city as Batman arrives to take him down.

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Stan Lee’s Just Imagine universe is making a surprise comeback in the upcoming anthology, as several talented creators, including Jerry Ordway, Becky Cloonan, Kevin Maguire, Mark Waid, Kenny Porter, and Lee Weeks, are among the creators tackling the legendary comic book creator’s versions of the Justice League. Famously, Lee briefly worked with DC to create his takes on Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman among a group of heroes and villains whose origins and identities were rewritten entirely. Now, Lee’s Batman is getting his own twisted version of the Joker.

We spoke with Michael Uslan, who helped Stan Lee create his version of the Justice League heroes, and asked him about the new version of The Joker. In our conversation about his story alongside Lee Weeks, Uslan said that he could hear Stan Lee laughing when he came up with the backstory behind “The Choker.” Uslan said like Lee’s original mission with the DC heroes and villains; he wanted to flip The Joker on his head in the Just Imagine universe.

Number one, Stan just didn’t want to reflect or be a reflection of the DC superheroes. He wanted to flip them. He wanted moments of flipping. So he already flipped the character of Batman. So without adding to any spoilers in the last panel of my story, I added one more little Stan Lee type of flip that I thought he would appreciate in terms of traditional Batman. And the other thing was, who would the villain be? And there was no question in my mind, I had a big smile on my face because I could hear Stan laughing. I chose a guy who is a serial killer in Gotham City, he’s, he strangles women. And the press labeled him The Choker.

Stan Lee’s Batman facing off against a version of The Joker who isn’t a clown but just as psychotic as the original (if not more) definitely accomplishes Uslan’s goal of flipping the character on its head while paying tribute to the original version while forging something entirely new. Stan Lee’s Batman faces off against The Choker when Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee #1 by DC Comics arrives in comic book stores on Tuesday.

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