The Joker arguably has the largest single body count of any villain in the DCU. Cheshire, Mongul, Black Adam, and the Secret Society of Super Villains have all devastated entire cities, but the Joker probably has killed the most people in single acts. Part of the reason for the Joker's high murder rate is because he is largely indiscriminate in how he kills, ranging from the traditional methods such as knives, guns, and explosives, to his signature Joker venom and electric buzzer.
This list excludes the Emperor Joker storyline, though it's worth mentioning that in that storyline, the Joker not only murdered Batman dozens of times over, but also destroyed first the entire planet, and then nearly the cosmos (luckily, it was all undone).
By Volume
- Action Comics #714 - murdered two security guards, two bodyguards: 4
- Action Comics #719 - murdered Phillip Drum, a scientist who created a designer drug for him: 1
- Action Comics #765 - 0
- Adventures of Superman #527 - murdered two teenage petty crooks: 2
- Arkham Asylum: Madness - murdered one guard (he's also depicted as severing the foot and gouging out the eyes of a couple others): 1
- Azrael #27 - 0
- Azrael #28 - 0
- Azrael: Agent of the Bat #53 - 0
- Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56 - 0
- Aztek: The Ultimate Man #6 - Murdered 5+ people on a bus and 2+ patients at a hospital
- Aztek: The Ultimate Man #7 - 0
- Batman #1 - murdered Henry Claridge, Jay Wilde, Brute Nelson and Judge Drake in the first story, and Police Chief Chalmers, the owner of a gem, Edgar Martin and six policemen in the second: 13
- Batman #2 - murdered the owner of a diamond: 1
- Batman #7 - murdered two police officers and a man who's medicine he switched with poison: 3
- Batman #8 - murdered two henchmen and three people in a bus crash: 5
- Batman #9 - murdered a theater manager: 1
- Batman #251 - Murdered his former henchmen Philly Jack Barton, Packy White, Alby, and Bigger Melvin: 4
- Batman #258 - None: 0
- Batman #260 - Murdered Dr. Hamish with a poison flower: 1
- Batman #286 - Murdered his Arkham psychiatrist, Dr. Tugwell: 1
- Batman #294 - killed Jerry Randall, a Batman fanatic who had dressed up as Batman and been caught unaware by Joker: 1
- Batman #319 - Killed two police officers with Joker Venom: 2
- Batman #321 - murdered one of his goons for forgetting to laugh at his jokes: 1
- Batman #353 - Killed his henchman "Craps" with a poisonous snake for not showing him proper respect: 1
- Batman #365 - 0
- Batman #366 - Killed Guatemalan Militiamen in an aerial assault by helicopter: 10
- Batman #373 - 0
- Batman #400 - 0
- Batman #403 - 0
- Batman #408 - Murdered museum security guards to steal a Diamond Necklace: 3
- Batman #415 - 0
- Batman #426 - Killed 8 Arkham guards, 1 Naval Pilot, 1 Terrorist, 1 of his henchmen: 11
- Batman #427 - Murdered Jason Todd : 1
- Batman #428 - Murdered Sheila Haywood and four of his henchmen: 5
- Batman #429 - murdered 6 ambassadors
- Batman #450 - Curtis Base while impersonating The Joker murdered 4 people. This was not done by the actual Joker, so it does not count: 0
- Batman #451 - 0
- Batman #491 - murdered three Arkham Asylum guards: 3
- Batman #494 - Left the Mayor's personal bodyguards for dead (with the assistance of Scarecrow): 2
- Batman #495 - killed 20 SWAT Team Members in an explosion with a bomb; confirmed by Harvey Bullock in Detective Comics Vol 1 662: 20
- Batman #496 - murdered 6 people: a toll booth worker, three transit police officers, one civilian and a tunnel service booth controller: 6
- Batman #544 - Killed 2 Arkham Asylum orderlies with Joker Venom and ate Beelzebub: 3
- Batman #545 - 0
- Batman #546 - 0
- Batman #570 - murdered 16 gang members including some of his own: 16
- Batman #573 - murdered one worker: 1
- Batman #574 - used Pettit's men, disguised them as himself and sent them to be killed by a deranged Pettit Among them was Hendricks. Then he murdered Pettit: 14+
- Batman #613 - Pretends to kill Clayface, whom was impersonating Thomas Elliot: 0
- Batman #614 - 0
- Batman #615 - 0
- Batman #625 - 0
- Batman #638 - 0
- Batman #643 - 0
- Batman #644 - Although none were seen on screen, jokers apologizes to the public for on TV the low fatalities he caused this time: 1+
- Batman #649 - 0
- Batman #650 - 0
- Batman #663 - murdered eleven former henchmen with Harley's assistance and at least one Arkham Asylum orderlie: 11+
- Batman #676 - murdered 9 people at Arkham Asylum and hundreds more outside: 9+
- Batman #680 - murdered two henchmen: 2
- Batman #681 - murdered The Generalissimo, a member of the The Black Glove: 1
- Batman (Volume 2) #13 - snaps the necks of at nineteen GCPD officers [1], shoots John Claridge (son of Henry Claridge) in the head, poisons at least eight more GCPD officers with Joker Venom: 28
- Batman/Judge Dredd Vol 1 2 - Murders 13+ people as a Dark Judge.
- Batman and Captain America Vol 1 1 - Murders 7+ soldiers
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2) #16 - Rigged and detonated a bomb inside an Asian Batman impersonator: 1
- Batman Chronicles #16 - There were found eight dead people in Joker's house; probably the number is higher: 8 (+)
- Batman Chronicles #22 - a prison inmate and a detective's wife: 2
- Batman: Arkham Asylum - Tales of Madness Vol 1 1 - murdered one guard: 1
- Batman: Cacophony Vol 1 1 - murdered 13 children including Maxie Zeus's nephew when he blew up a school.
- Batman: Cacophony Vol 1 2 - murdered a DJ, 6 nightclub patrons, and three henchmen:10
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 7 - murdered three gang members and one police officer
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 8 - murdered one police officer
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 9 - murdered 2+ party goers
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 10 - murdered 3 gang members
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 11 - murdered 1 police officer, 7+ pedestrians, a girl's father, and three hostages
- Batman Confidential Vol 1 12 - murdered 9+ hostages
- Batman: Dark Victory #8 - murdered six henchmen, three businessmen, and Angelo Mirti: 10
- Batman: Dark Victory #12 - reportedly, he murdered two paramedics and an ambulance driver: 3
- Batman: Dark Victory #13 - murdered Bobby Gazzo: 1
- Batman: Gotham Knights #73 - murdered a pilot,a lawyer, a doctor and a security guard: 4
- Batman: Gotham Knights #74 - Murdered one security guard
- Batman: Harley Quinn - Murdered one of The Penguin's henchmen, a dock worker, and one of his henchmen: 3
- Batman: The Killing Joke - murdered the owner of an old theme park: 1
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 - murdered Melvin Reipan and two socialites: 3
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 65 - murdered 9+ pedestrians and 3+ people marching a parade
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #126 - murdered two police officers
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 142: - murdered an Arkham orderly and four of Ra's al Ghul's henchmen
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 143: - murdered Khalid one of Talia al Ghul's henchmen
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 144: - murdered 6 of Ra's al Ghul's henchmen and three scientists
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 126: - killed 2 guards working for Pettit: 2
- Batman: The Long Halloween #3 - murdered Luca Mareli and two of Falcone's bodyguards: 3
- Batman: The Long Halloween #4 - murdered a co-pilot, a navigator, and a stewardess: 3
- Batman: The Long Halloween #13 - killed at least two of Carmine Falcone's bodyguards with Joker Venom: 2+
- Batman: The Man Who Laughs - Murdered ten test subjects for Joker Venom, one reporter, one cameraman, four hospital orderlies, two security guards, and three millionaires. Not counting the two killed by the inmates he released and not mentioned off panel deaths, that's 21 total.
- Batman: Secrets Vol 1 2 - murders one thug: 1
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 - 0
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #3 - 0
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #4 - 0
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #37 - 0
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #38 - murders three hostages: 3
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #81 - killed Wax Man: 1
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #82 - killed an unnamed Arkham inmate: 1
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 - murders one street punk: 1
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #93 - murders two of his own henchmen: 2
- Birds of Prey Vol 1 120 - murders one of Gizmo's scavengers.
- Birds of Prey Vol 1 121 - murders Whizkid
- The Brave and the Bold #111 - Murdered four members of the Norton family
- The Brave and the Bold #118 - 0
- The Brave and the Bold #129 - 0
- The Brave and the Bold #130 - 0
- The Brave and the Bold #141 - Murdered two business men and a magician Antonio
- The Brave and the Bold #191 - murdered one of The Penguin's henchmen: 1
- The Brave and the Bold Vol 3 27 - Murdered Travers Milton aka The Star
- The Brave and the Bold Vol 3 31 - Murdered his parents, a store clerk, a teenage acquaintance, 3+ gang members, and a lawyer.
- Creeper #7 - 0
- Creeper #8 - 0
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 - murdered Harold J. Standish: 1
- DC Comics Presents #41 - not yet counted
- DC Comics Presents #72 - not yet counted
- DC Super-Stars #10 - 0
- Detective Comics #45 - murdered a district attorney
- Detective Comics Vol 1 62 - murdered two comedians Freddie Banter and Ted Allenby
- Detective Comics #472 - 0
- Detective Comics #473 - 0
- Detective Comics #475 - murdered G. Carl Francis and one of his henchmen
- Detective Comics #476 - murdered Thomas Jackson and his cat Ernest
- Detective Comics #486 - 0
- Detective Comics #504 - Murdered toy maker Papetto: 1
- Detective Comics #526 - 0
- Detective Comics #532 - murdered one guerilla soldier working for him: 1
- Detective Comics #569 - 0
- Detective Comics #570 - 0
- Detective Comics #617 - murdered two police security guards: 2
- Detective Comics #661 - 0
- Detective Comics #664 - 0
- Detective Comics #668 - 0
- Detective Comics #669 - 0
- Detective Comics #671 - 0
- Detective Comics #672 - 0
- Detective Comics #673 - Killed three people. One thug and two film writers: 3
- Detective Comics #726 - 0
- Detective Comics #729 - killed 5 of Nicholas Scratch's minions: 5
- Detective Comics Vol 1 737 - killed one of his henchmen Josh for flirting with Harley Quinn
- Detective Comics #740 - 0
- Detective Comics #741 - murdered Sarah Essen: 1
- Detective Comics #780 - 0
- Detective Comics #781 - 0
- Detective Comics #809 - 0
- Detective Comics #810 - 0
- Detective Comics #826 - murdered a husband and wife, six pedestrians, and a fastfood manager: 9
- Detective Comics #833 - Murdered stage magician Ivar Loxias prior to this story and assumed his identity. Murders an assistant during a show
- Detective Comics (Volume 2) #1 - Kills one of Dollmaker's "family members". Later kills at least three police officers with a bomb. It is mentioned by Batman at the beginning of the story that he has killed a total of 114 people by this point.
- Doctor Fate #1 - 0
- Doctor Fate #2 - 0
- Flash #33 - Keystone police captain, murdered by one of Joker's gang using Joker venom.
- Genesis #1 - not yet counted
- Gotham Central #12 - Murders Mayor Daniel Danforth Dickerson III, Superintendent Purnell, and a police coroner.
- Gotham Central #13 - not yet counted
- Gotham Central #14 - not yet counted
- Gotham Central #15 - Murders Lt.Ronald Probson (New Earth), 8+ police officers, and Nate Patton.
- Gotham City Sirens Vol 1 6 - murdered 6 inmates
- Gotham Underground #5 murdered a husband and wife, and and two companions.
- Green Lantern (Volume 2) #117 - not yet counted
- Harley Quinn Vol 1 - murdered a henchman named Martin
- Hitman #3 - 0
- Infinite Crisis #2 - murdered the Royal Flush Gang (4 humans plus one robot)
- Infinite Crisis #7 - murdered Alexander Luthor
- JLA #10 - 0
- JLA #11 - 0
- JLA #12 - 0
- JLA #15 - 0
- Joker #1 - 0
- Joker #2 - Murdered Harold an associate of Willy The Weeper
- Joker #3 - 0
- Joker #4 - Murdered a man who witnessed him kidnapping Dinah Lance.
- Joker #5 - Murdered a night watchman, the Sheriff's deputy, and a museum guard
- Joker #6 - 0
- Joker #7 - Murdered a cameraman
- Joker #8 - Murdered two police officers and one of his henchmen Sonny November
- Joker #9 - Murdered two police officers and Mouth Madigan a friend of Catwoman
- Joker: Last Laugh #1 - Kills Multi-Man at least 79 times, which doesn't count since Multi-Man is immortal: 0
- Joker: Last Laugh #2 - not yet counted
- Joker: Last Laugh #3 - not yet counted
- Joker: Last Laugh #4 - not yet counted
- Joker: Last Laugh #5 - not yet counted
- Joker: Last Laugh #6 - not yet counted
- Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files - not yet counted
- Joker/Mask Vol 1 - Murdered one of his henchmen Snuck,11+ police officers, and a news reporter and helicopter pilot.
- Justice League of America #126 - not yet counted
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #13 - 0
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #14 - 0
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #15 - 0
- Justice League International Annual #2 - Murders two henchmen Jahan and Akbar
- Knight and Squire Vol 1 5 - Murdered Shrike
- Knight and Squire Vol 1 6 - Murders Jade Peabody, Headmaster, Good Shepard, Alley The Cat, and Jarvis Poker (New Earth)
- Legends #4 - not yet counted
- Millennium #2 - not yet counted
- Punisher And Batman: Deadly Knights Vol 1 - Murders one of Jigsaw's thugs
- Robin (Volume 2) #1 - murdered a lawyer and two police officers
- Robin (Volume 2) #2 - 0
- Robin (Volume 2) #3 - 0
- Robin (Volume 2) #4 - 0
- Salvation Run #2 - murdered Psimon
- Salvation Run #3 - murdered Iron Cross and Splitshot
- Salvation Run Vol 1 7 - kills 2+ Parademons
- Secret Origins (Volume 2) #23 - not yet counted
- Showcase '94 #1 - Murdered 3 police officers and a woman named Charity
- Showcase '94 #2 - Murdered 3 henchmen
- Spectre (Volume 3) #51 - not yet counted
- Superman (Volume 2) #9 - murdered nine people inside a bank with a Superman robot
- Superman Vol 2 175 - murdered two Pentagon security guards
- Superman (Volume 2) #10 - 0
- Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #30 - 0
- Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #52 - 0
- Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #66 - 0
- Underworld Unleashed #1 - not yet counted
- Underworld Unleashed #2 - not yet counted
- Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #96 - murdered 17+ hoods who worked for a local mafia boss
- Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #97 - murdered 11+ mafia assassins/thugs
- World War III #1 - not yet counted
- Batman: Dark Detective Vol 1 3 - Kills socialite Mr. Haney and a police inspector using a CD made with cheap plastic and Joker Venom that melts in Haney's CD player, releasing poison gas
- Batman: Dark Detective Vol 1 4 - Blows up a clone of Harvey Dent created by Dr. Double X
- Batman: Dark Detective Vol 1 6 - Five SWAT officers are killed inside Joker's booby-trapped house
- Arkham Asylum: Living Hell Vol 1 6 - Joker decides to go on a palindrome-themed killing spree after escaping from Arkham. He is holding a list of names in one panel, two of which are ticked off, and is about to kill a third person before being taken down by Batman.
- Batman and Robin Vol 1 12 - Revealed to be responsible for five murders as the "Domino Killer"
- Batman and Robin Vol 1 13 - Revealed to have assumed the identity of Oberon Sexton after burying the real Sexton alive with his wife's corpse
- Batman and Robin Vol 1 16 - Kills 12+ members of Professor Pyg's gang, 6+ members of the 99 Fiends, and poisons Doctor Hurt with Joker Toxin and then buries him alive
- Tallied so far: 559+ ("+" stands for many unaccounted victims)
- DCnU: 140+
References
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