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Hey, aren't you that plant lady, Poison Oaky? The title of this article is conjectural.
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Joker venom (also known as Joker toxin) was probably the most common name for the favorite chemical weapon of the Joker. Derived from some of the same chemicals that caused his ghoulish disfigurement, the venom was a poison which caused a slow, painful death in its victims which would end with a ghastly smile.
Symptoms
Victims of the venom would first begin laughing uncontrollably until the convulsions became so violent that they would begin to inflict painful self-injury. Asphyxiation would soon come as the victim's breathing would become interrupted. Worst of all, the muscles of the face would contort and twist, leaving the victim with a wide-mouthed grin as they finally began to die.
The Joker would vary the strength of his venom doses according to whim, and it is very likely he had different versions of the lethal toxin; some victims would literally howl with laughter and take several minutes to die, others would die smiling almost instantly. There is also a non-lethal version of the venom which the Joker used often as well, which was usually referred to as "laughing gas."
Uses
Being highly insane and highly intelligent, the Joker had many ways of using the toxin. One particular incident involved using a very similar chemical agent to poison the fish of Gotham Harbor, in an unsuccessful attempt to patent the resulting "Joker Fish."
Joker venom was administered in several ways, including but not limited to the following:
- Introduced into food or beverages
- Hidden in hygenic products
- Injected into the bloodstream
- Applied to projectiles (bullets or darts)
- Aerosol form (gas, smoke, or mist)
Cure
The Batman was able to develop an antidote for the venom which was usually applied with an injector. This saved many lives, including Batman's own on several occasions.
A modified version of the chemicals which transformed the Joker also turned Jack Ryder into the maniacal hero, the Creeper.