DC K.O., the crisis event rocking the DC Universe as a tournament-style deathmatch, has been chock-full of nonstop twists, including Joker’s participation in the tournament. Now, a new twist has brought back the Clown Prince of Crime’s strongest form after 26 years.
Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Xermánico, Javier Fernández, and Alejandro Sánchez’s DC K.O. #3 sees eight remaining champions left in the tournament-style deathmatch as they continue to fight each other to determine a singular champion worthy of the power of the Heart of Apokolips so they can defeat Omega King Darkseid.
This round of DC K.O. is unique, as it allows the champions to bring back one previous tournament participant to face off in pairs. Zatanna and Joker are set to battle each other; Zatanna chooses to revive Constantine as her partner, while Joker selects none other than Mister Mxyzptlk.
Emperor Joker Returns After 26 Long Years
Comic Page Comes From Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson’s DC K.O. #3 (2026) – Art by Javier Fernández & Alejandro Sánchez
For long-time fans of the comics, seeing Joker and Mister Mxyzptlk together may already signal what this means: the return of Emperor Joker. Emperor Joker first debuted in Superman Vol. 2 #160 (2000) and was a form the Joker took after tricking Mister Mxyzptlk into donating 99.99% of his reality-warping powers to him.
As a result, Joker became near-omnipotent and gained access to Mxyzptlk’s fifth-dimensional powers, making this one of, if not the, most overpowered forms the Clown Prince has ever taken on. By choosing Mxyzptlk as his battle partner in DC K.O., Joker resumes this form and is able to take on Zatanna and Constantine with laughable ease.
Not only does DC bring Emperor Joker back in name and power, but Javier Fernández and Alejandro Sánchez also bring this form back to life in an incredible modern rendition of the classic character design, which sees the Clown Prince of Crime donning an over-the-top emperor ensemble. However, this form is not intended to last; once Joker defeats Zatanna and Constantine, he returns Mxyzptlkto the fifth dimension.
DC K.O. #3 is now available to read from DC Comics!