Max Leibman (Taylor's Version) on Nostr: My head canon on the Joker is that mental illness is not his problem; he may be a ...

My head canon on the Joker is that mental illness is not his problem; he may be a psychopath, but he’s the Joker just because “the Joker” is who he is—evil, sadistic, hedonistic, self-aggrandizing—not because of mental health issues. That he’s fully self-aware, and the asylum and the insanity talk is something he’s taken on as his brand because it’s the only framework the authorities have for dealing with him and it fits his goals.

Trying to actually explain who he is from a mental health perspective and giving him a backstory makes him less interesting as a character, and less effective. Bruce Wayne’s life is a tragedy. The Joker’s shouldn’t be. And, worse, as you point out, trying to explain him in this way just reinforces stigmas about people who struggle with mental health.