John Doe (Telltale)

"I can feel someone… a few layers deep. Pacing, like an animal in a cage. Just looking for something to start it…"

- John hints at the monster within himself.

John Doe is a major character in the Telltale Batman games. He is an interpretation of the Joker, but unlike most other depictions, "John" is shown to be a sympathetic and insecure man who is looking for direction in his life, and has not yet turned into the homicidal madman the Joker is generally portrayed as. By the end of the second seasons 4th episode, John will either fully embrace his inner demons and become a supervillain, or he will decide to become a vigilante and battle who he perceives as villains in Gotham City.In the end he is arrested and sent to arkham where either is completely insane and is planning to kill Bruce or to torment him or he will either be mad at the fact Bruce has quiet batman or is excited to know batman hasn't forgotten him or if his and Bruce's friendship survives then he'll be visited by his best friend and is likely being helped recover by his friend and likely kept some of his sanity.

He is voiced by.

Batman: The Telltale Series
John is first introduced to the audience (and Bruce Wayne) in Episode 4 of the first season, being an inmate of Arkham Asylum who does not remember his past or who he is, and not even any of the doctors know the truth.

He appears an outwardly friendly and laid-back man, but one who also possesses a violent and savage side as well, as shown when he viciously beats down two inmates threatening Bruce Wayne. The two connect whilst both being imprisoned at Arkham, John revealing some facts about Vicki Vale's past that Bruce previously did not know (such as her having been born Victoria Arkham).

John agrees to help Bruce escape from Arkham in exchange for a favor, which Bruce can choose to promise to grant or not. Either way, John helps Bruce get out of Arkham.

He later shows up in Episode 5 gleefully witnessing the battle between Batman and the Children of Arkham's forces before then appearing in the very last scene in the fifth episode, now out of Arkham.

Batman: The Enemy Within
Come Season 2, it is revealed that John has been released from Arkham and listed Bruce as his emergency contact. He later meets with Bruce at Lucius Fox's funeral and tries to call in the favor Bruce owes him. He also reveals that he's fallen in with some "interesting people" who turn out to be the group of criminals Bruce is after called "The Pact".

Using his "friendship" with John, Bruce tries to get into the Pact, with John being Bruce's primary supporter (especially if Bruce continues to treat him well). In Episode 3 of Season 2, John helps Bruce and Catwoman break into Riddler's now abandoned lair looking for information on how to get into his laptop (which Harley has possession of and wants decrypted).

During this adventure, John shows a willingness to beat officer Harvey Bullock with a crowbar if Bruce does not intervene, and later, when Bruce and John have drinks together outside a coffee shop, John admits that he can feel "someone" inside him that is trying to get out. The words John uses in describing this "someone" makes it clear that it is a darker and more violent side of him, one that Bruce can urge him to suppress (or not). As Batman he can also meet with John Doe and teach him how to throw a batarang (but only if John has gotten Harley's laptop for him and not Catwoman).

Later, when both Bruce and Catwoman are in hot water with The Pact, John urges Bruce to give up Catwoman to save himself, which Bruce can choose to do nor not do.

Quotes
"You got some real nerve, you know that, buddy? Remember the café? "Just be yourself, John!" Then I stuck my neck out for you. Way out! Bane nearly ripped by head out! And for what? She flew the coop! And I have nothing! You steered me wrong and every turn! Every bad piece of advice… Everything blew up in my face!"

- Doe gets angry at Bruce Wayne.

"*Laughing* I know you can fight better than that! Or do you need your Batsuit, to really get you in the mood? You forget I know you Bruce, the real you, always hiding behind some kinda mask. Playboy, buisnessman, criminal… Bat!"

- John revealing the truth about Bruce.

"We're two threads in the same stitch, remember? Bound together, even under strain."

- John talking about his relation with Bruce.

"You could have prevented everything. Instead, you made me into this!"

- John becomes a villain.

"You and me. You and me, we're gonna hunt them down together. You're all going to pay for your crimes! Batman and I, we're going to bring you ALL to justice! It's going to be so much fun!"

- John becomes a vigilante.

"One thing I've learned from watching you. Violence solves.. a lot of problems!"

- Vigilante Joker talking with Batman.

Trivia

 * The character has received critical acclaim, with many critics noting how this is one of the first truly sympathetic portrayals of the Joker to ever come along and praising the player's ability to shape John's decisions and affect what kind of a villain he will become.
 * As a friend of Bruce Wayne's with a dark side that the player can try to help him fight against or else mistreat him to bring it out faster, he is in some ways similar to Harvey Dent/Two Face. However he differs from Harvey in that his particular mental illness is clearly different, as is his general excitable and humorous personality. His backstory, goals, and connection to Catwoman are all likewise different.
 * Unlike most depictions, where Joker is the abusive manipulator and Harley the more sympathetic villain pining for love, in this version the roles are reversed; John Doe craves in vain Harley's approval, while Harley is an unloving psychopath who is only using him.
 * Ironically, John's personality here, that of a lonely and insecure person who just wants to make people laugh and desires friendship and love, is strongly in-line with how most versions of Harley view their versions of the Joker. The difference is that here that interpretation would actually be correct, instead of merely delusional.
 * His willingness to hit Harvey Bullock over the head with a crowbar references Joker's crowbar beating of Jason Todd in the comics and the animated movie adaptation, Under the Red Hood.
 * John has admitted that he has a hard time taking rejection and his outbursts are a result of being antisocial. This shows John Doe may have.
 * John seems to believe that his green hair is natural since he doesn't remember a time when it wasn't green.