The DC Universe has been busy of late, what with finishing next year’s “Dawn of Justice: Batman vs. Superman,” the first live-action film to feature both heroes. However, there’s another movie in the works involving characters a little less upstanding.

“Suicide Squad” focuses not on the heroes but the supervillains including Killer Croc, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and of course, the Joker played by Jared Leto.

Leto’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime is just the latest in the iconic villain’s reincarnations. In the 75 years since his first appearance in the comics courtesy of 1940’s “Batman,” he has undergone several transformations. His persona has ranged from harmless prankster to psychotic killer.

Just compare Cesar Romero’s campy version in the ’60s “Batman” TV series to Heath Ledger’s ruthless Joker in 2008’s “The Dark Knight.” Our fascination with the Joker has sustained itself as the story lines and conflicts have become more complex.

Part of that fascination stems from the fact the Joker, unlike other supervillains, has no official backstory. The 1988 comic book “The Killing Joke” shows his past as a failed stand-up comic and desperate widower who accidentally fell into a vat of chemicals. It then switches back to his present mad, cartoonish state where he kidnaps the police commissioner while simultaneously attempting to murder his daughter.

This Joker was once a good man who cracked so badly his life became a joke. His punchline? Showing everyone else how meaningless their existence was.

The Joker, unlike other supervillains, has no official backstory.

This theme, one of a deeply disturbed man who delights in ruining other people’s lives, has gained popularity with fans, but it’s not the only interpretation. Consider director Tim Burton’s “Batman,” the 1989 smash starring Jack Nicholson in greasepaint and purple pants.

Instead of a sympathetic backstory, Nicholson’s Joker has always been cruel, twisted further by an acid tank bath. Nicholson carried the elements of prankster and murderer, with laughing gas that killed and a joy buzzer that fried a mob boss. His fight with Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader wouldn’t be the Joker’s swan song.

Mark Hamill brought new energy to the character starting in the ’90s with animated “Batman” tales. Significantly more goofy and carrying an almost infectious laugh, this Joker was terrifying in a way Nicholson could never reach. The blend of clown and criminal gelled much more naturally.

Animation gave Hamill an edge over the two-time Oscar winner. The 1989 Joker was basically Nicholson as a colorful serial killer. Hamill, unseen in a recording studio, became the clown prince’s quintessential voice, one young adults still recognize today.

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Though Hamill voiced the character via animated movies and the Arkham video game series, a new version emerge courtesy of director Christopher Nolan. Ledger’s portrayal was far more deadly and chaotic than any previous version. Unlike Hamill and Nicholson, the humor was dulled in favor of psychological torment.

The 1989 Joker was basically Nicholson as a colorful serial killer.

The character’s farcical image was abandoned for crude makeup, unkempt hair and a hunchbacked posture. Any attempt at humor this Joker made rarely evoked laughter. Ledger’s Joker was less a clown and more a man uncontrolled by the forces of human nature. He alludes many times to a traumatic events experienced as a child and reveled in pushing people, especially Batman, to their mental limits.

It is this psychological scarring from a past life that follows the Joker everywhere, no matter what adaption. It will certainly be a treat to see what direction Leto will take. Will he be an agent of chaos? Or perhaps something more sinister?

The intrigue is undeniable. Never has a character so vile had a history so ambiguous. If the Joker were as cut and dried as other villains like “Harry Potter’s” Lord Voldemort, he might not be so interesting. But it is exactly his turbulent nature that draws us in. He’s unpredictable in all incarnations. That is the true appeal of the Joker,In the end (other than his nightly duels with Batman). Maybe that is the true designation of the Clown Prince of Crime. To keep his audience guessing as to what trick he’ll pull next.