Jack White now officially shares a name with one of the most iconic villains in comic book history.
According to IGN, the latest issue in DC Comics’ Flashpoint Beyond series finally reveals the birth name of The Joker: Jack Oswald White. While previous films have given Batman’s arch nemesis a name, such as Arthur Fleck in the 2019 movie Joker, IGN notes that the character has never before had a full name in the “core DC Comics continuity.”
In an Instagram post commenting on the news, White writes, “I’d love to thank DC comics for giving The Joker the name of ‘Jack White’ after me.”
While the “Seven Nation Army” rocker notes that The Joker’s “hair is usually not as blue as mine,” he “still take[s] it as a flattering gesture on their part and consider it an honor.”
“It was a lonely journey through my life being the only person with that name until now,” he adds.
In a separate post, White shares that he coincidentally reached out to comic book artist Mikel Janín, who’s an illustrator on Flashpoint Beyond, to contribute to the artwork for his solo album Fear of the Dawn. Specifically, White wanted to commission a portrait of himself “in the range of the style” that Janín draws The Joker.
“Bizarre patterns and coincidences emerge in the universe that we only see glimpses of at times, some meaningful, some meaningless,” White muses.
By the way, White’s music has been used in several DC Extended Universe films — the White Stripes songs “The Hardest Button to Button” and “Icky Thump” soundtracked the trailers for 2017’s Justice League, while “Seven Nation Army” can be heard in 2016’s Suicide Squad, which starred another rocker, Jared Leto, as The Joker.
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