From there, he became one of the most wanted voiceover artists in the field. More flamboyant and completely mad like the Joker, Hamill played the villain totally over the top, and it was his portrayal that cemented the actor’s part as the Joker in the DC Comics Animated Universe for over two decades. The showrunners looked to Mark Hamill to fill that role as the crazed Trickster. All they needed was a Jack Nicholson-like Joker. The look of the show, the sound (with music by Danny Elfman), even the Gothic cityscapes, and period atmosphere – all were tying into that Batmania cash cow. The original series was inspired and designed to ape the then-mega-popular Tim Burton Batman. In the aforementioned CBS TV series “The Flash,” the most popular episodes, two that were eventually edited into one movie and released theatrically in Europe to help bankroll what was at the time one of the most expensive shows even done, featured Mark Hamill as the Trickster. Jesse was not pleased with this young punk anarchist becoming his legacy without his permission, and much hostility exists between the two. This retirement inspired young Axel Walker to not only take on the villain’s name, but his methods and weapons as well. He eventually retired from crime permanently, working with the FBI later on. The Trickster has often worked both sides of the law, becoming a law-abiding ally of the Blue Devil (who we know is also in continuity because of Easter eggs over in “ Arrow“) after the death of the Barry Allen Flash in the Crisis. As with many other villains of Central City, the Trickster soon became a card-carrying member of the Flash’s Rogues Gallery. He immediately moved to combat with the Flash. That, combined with his penchant for gadgetry and practical jokes, led to his nom de guerre, the Trickster. The outlandishly costumed circus acrobat developed shoes that allowed him to actually run on air. In the comics, James Jesse (an inspirational stage name, his real one being Giovanni Giuseppe) first appears in 1960’s Flash #113. Meet me after the super speed jump for my thoughts on “Tricksters!” Now Hamill returns, in the role that eventually won him fame as the Joker, in the newest episode of this series. In that series, the Flash’s most challenging foe was the Trickster, played by the manic Mark Hamill. There was also a 1990-91 TV series on CBS that lasted barely a season and starred John Wesley Shipp in the title role, now cast as Barry Allen wrongfully jailed father in the current series. Many folks aren’t aware that the CW’s “ The Flash” isn’t the first time the scarlet speedster has graced prime time television.
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