In Marvel and DC Comics, Green Goblin and Joker are two iconic enemies of two even more iconic superheroes, and in a limited series from the mid-90s, Goblin has a sonic laugh that would work far better for the Clown Prince of Crime! Suffice it to say, Joker getting a superpowered laugh would most definitely make him an even more formidable comic book villain than he already is, and fans should take note.
Introduced in 1995 and then given a solo series later that year, this version of Green Goblin isn’t the same Spider-Man villain fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the years. Often shown to be either Norman Osborn or his son, Harry Osborn, under the mask, this iteration of the Green Goblin character is instead revealed to be Phil Ulrich -- the nephew of the Daily Bugle reporter, Ben Ulrich -- and compared to the previous appearances of the villain, immediately comes across as something far more unique than what had done withe the character before.
Receiving Goblin-level strength, speed, endurance, reflexes, and more after he stumbles across an old Goblin hideout and is dosed with the Goblin serum, Phil Ulrich decides to do something new with his version of Spider-Man’s greatest foe. Determined to take the mantle of Green Goblin and turn it into a heroic endeavor, Phil equips himself with all the toys available to him, including a glider, a wide range of Pumpkin Bombs, and of course, the wholly original power dubbed “Lunatic Laugh."
Capable of creating a sort of sound wave with his guffaws, the Lunatic Laugh ability is not only capable of disorienting Phil’s enemies with a well-placed chuckle, but is powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with the giant metal Sentinels of X-Men lore as well. Originally thought to be a piece of tech that allowed Ulrich to easily weaponize his laughter, it’s revealed that this ability is an actual superpower, and as it’s shown in his series, is something that would be a realistic fit for Batman’s arch-nemesis.
Admittedly not working all that well within the confines of Goblin’s bad guy theme, Lunatic Laugh is perfectly on-brand for the Joker whose laugh may not physically hurt people in the same way that Goblin’s does, but is still one that works on his victims on a psychological level and in ways that they can’t easily deal with mentally. Give him a way to use his laughs to hurt, maim, or kill his latest hostage or even Batman himself, and you have a perfect way to introduce a superpowered Joker while leaning into what makes his thematic shtick so great, to begin with.
So although this version of Green Goblin and his sweet Lunatic Laugh power wasn’t meant to last, Joker developing his own version of this power would be a great fit for the Clown Prince of Crime. Green Goblin and Joker share more than a few similarities in terms of who they are as characters, and now this forgotten power of Goblin’s shows that even more so.