A joker-ace is a victim of the wild card virus with both impressive powers and extensive deformities. While pure aces are superhumans with a normal appearance, and pure jokers are powerless, deformed monsters, the joker-ace is a mixture of both. An example would be Troll, who is both immensely strong and highly durable, yet his 9 foot height and green horny hide mark him also as a joker.
Joker-aces are usually comfortable in joker communities. Jokers not only accept them as one of their own, but many joker-aces are even considered heroes by the oppressed jokers. Joker-aces that have become famous as champions of Jokertown are Quasiman, the Oddity, Troll, and Bloat. Their acceptance in ace community is more dubious. A joker-ace may be at home among the aces in a combat mission, but may stand out in a more glamorous situation. In any case, the more unattractive a joker-ace is, the less likely that he will hang out with the celebrity aces. Conversely, the most accepted joker-ace of all is also the most beautiful. Peregrine's wings are technically a joker trait, but she is almost always referred to by her adoring public as an ace.
Joker-aces are just as commonly criminals, many turning their wild card powers to crime as a compensation for the twisted forms or crippling conditions that go hand in hand with their powers. One example is the terrorist Shroud, who conceals his appearance beneath a cloak and bandages, but has the useful ability to become intangible at will. Unfortunately, Shroud's power is gradually becoming more unstable. Every time he becomes intangible he runs the risk of never being able to resolidify. Other joker-ace criminals include Wyrm, Bludgeon, and perhaps the most powerful wild card of all, the joker revolutionary, Bloat.
Notes[]
- Joker-aces are referred to knaves in the United Kingdom.