Joker (Wild Cards)

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In the Wild Cards universe, a Joker is a person that was infected by the Wild Card virus and got one or more deformities and/or crippling physical conditions as a result. The mutations can be slight (like Father Squid's nose, which turned into a mass of tentacles) or grotesque (like Snotman, who exudes a foul-smelling secretion through every pore of his body). Some alterations that would be classified as a Joker are only obvious if one was aware of the infected individual's original appearance (such as Gimli, who appeared to simply be a dwarf, but was in fact mutated into that form by the virus, or Succubus, who appeared to be an elderly woman, whose physical aging had been accelerated by her mutation). Those who gained superhuman powers were instead classified as Aces, though there were some with both powers and deformities who were referred to as Ace/Jokers, such as Bloat. There were even a very fortunate few whose deformities were considered attractive by many, such as Peregrine, an Ace with flight-capable angelic wings who eventually became a TV star with her own epynomous talk show, Peregrine's Perch. Jokers often refer to those not affected by the Wild card virus as Nats.

Dr. Tachyon has theorized that the forms taken by Jokers are influenced by the subconscious mind through a form of micro-telekinesis during the initial stage of the disease. This could explain why some joker forms are similar to those of animals or fantasy creatures, or often reflect the personal fears or desires of the individuals.

The largest and oldest Joker community in the world is the New York City neighborhood known as Jokertown.