Unlike Batman, whose origin story seems to be told again and again (and again in Batman vs. Superman), his arch-nemesis The Joker has remained a mystery. Despite some hints at his past, most notably in Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, comic readers have never definitively learned his true identity. But that’s all about to change.

DC Comics announced at WonderCon over the weekend that in Justice League #50, set to hit shelves May 25, readers will finally discover who The Joker really is.

The payoff is the climax of a storyline that began in issue #42 when Batman sat in the Mobius Chair, the time-space/dimensional vehicle created by Metreon, which contains all knowledge of the New Gods. Batman tests the chair out by asking who killed his parents (because of course he does) and then asks the million dollar question.

Batman Joker identity
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DC’s Geoff Johns told IGN that the answer to the question is one that “probably won’t be an answer people predict,” so if you’re looking into past issues for hints, you may be barking up the wrong tree. The answer may even be someone we don’t know yet.

After keeping The Joker’s identity a secret for over 75 years, why would DC Comics reveal it now? Well, the answer is that it’s one of their last remaining mysteries and revealing it now will surely spike sales of that episode and may even help draw interest to the upcoming release of Suicide Squad later in the summer. As for whether it’s necessary (or whether anyone really wants to know the answer), that’s another question entirely.

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