DC Reveals Clownhunter’s Origin

Over the course of Joker War fans have gotten to know one of the newest vigilantes in Gotham, Clownhunter, though until now we didn’t know his full origin story. It’s been revealed in previous issues that the Joker was responsible for the death of his parents and that Harley was around during these events, but we didn’t know all the tragic details. That’s all changed thanks to Batman Annual #5, in which we get the full details on how their deaths happened, the role Joker and Harley played, and where his hatred for Batman started.

We first see Bao having a very typical family disagreement with his mother and father, who run a local restaurant in Gotham. After prying Bao away from his video games to help set up for dinner, things are going fine until the restaurant gets several unfortunate customers.

Joker, Harley, and several of Joker’s men all come into the restaurant after pulling some heists in the city. Harley tells them that she grew up on Pho and wanted Joker to try some, and then Joker comes in and sits down for a meal.

Joker and Harley are laughing it up until Harley says she’s ready to go try on some of her newly stolen outfits. Joker says he’s going to settle the check and that she can head home, and that’s when Bao’s parents tell Joker the meal is on the house and they hope he enjoyed it as Bao stands behind them. Joker then tells them that’s nice and that he is going to give them a tip, which is not to breathe as he unleashes his Joker gas.

They succumb to the gas right in front of Bao, and as they lay dead Joker tells him he did him a favor, as Parents only get in the way. We then flash forward a bit and see Gordon introducing Bao to Batman, who makes a promise that he will make Joker pay for what he did to his parents.

But that never happens in Bao’s eyes, as we see him watching various confrontations between Batman and Joker over the years, and he never truly stops Joker’s rampages. Things get even worse after the Joker War begins, as Bao watches on helplessly as a neighbor is set on fire. He gets so angry that he throws a Batarang he has at the wall but it hits his bat, and that’s where he get5s the idea for his weapon. He then takes one of the clown masks and fashions his costume, and thus the story of Clownhunter begins.

Batman Annual #5 is in comic stores now.