After moving to New York City, the Joker to fight. Based off some recent comments, it seems like John Ridley is going to develop Jace Fox’s dynamic with the new clown prince, following his appearance in a recent comic.
The events of Future State saw the rise of new second generation heroes, including Jace Fox who is coming into his own as the next Dark Knight. Leaving Gotham for its real world inspiration of New York, he now has his own city to protect and defend. As he continues to settle into his role as a bat vigilante, he is encountering different threats and challenges from Bruce Wayne.
In a trailer posted on comics with the Next Batman, saying, “Expect his own rogues, expect his own partners, expect his own dilemmas. Who is his Joker going to be?” Such rites of age are bound to continuously solidify Jace in his role as New York City’s guardian protector. When the Next Joker appeared in Future State: Gotham #10, Red Hood AKA Peacekeeper Red called Jace Fox for backup. As the two vigilantes teamed up, they embody the next generation of heroes following the original Batman.
Fans only get a brief idea of what to expect from the Next Joker, who is revealed to be cannibalistic in Future State: Gotham #10 written by Dennis Culver with art by Giannis Milonogiannis. Instead of the actual Joker’s laugh, the Next Joker laughs “Hawr! Hawr! Hawr!” From his appearance, it’s even hard to immediately tell whether he’s human. Wearing a dome shaped mask, he’s more disguised than the iconic villain and seems more removed from a sense of humanity.
Whether the Next Batman is in Gotham City or New York City, the Dark Knight always has a Joker to fight. Throughout comic book history, it’s been questioned whether Batman inspires the Joker and other villains to rise up, or he is only a symptom of their presence. This sequence of events makes it seem that a Joker is a response to a Batman, as it required more than Jason Todd to show up. Just as the DC Universe has a new generation of heroes following in the footsteps of the Justice League, the next iteration of villains seem to be echoing their enemies. The Next Joker is promised to have a developing dynamic with the Next Batman.
