This costume design is based on the Joker's appearance. The Joker is a supervillain widely considered to be Batman's archenemy. He was first introduced in Batman #1 (Spring 1940) and has remained consistently popular. The Joker has been responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murders of Jason Todd (the second Robin) and Jim Gordon's second wife Sarah Essen.