There’s hardly a Batman fan alive who doesn’t agree that the Joker is the Dark Knight’s greatest nemesis. For almost as long as Bruce Wayne has been fighting crime, the Clown Prince of Crime has been there to challenge him at every turn, often committing some of the most heinous crimes that Gotham City has ever seen.
But what moments have really proven how dangerous Joker is? What events have really shown off his demented sense of humor? The Joker has been in a lot of Batman stories, but only a few captures how wild and unpredictable he is. Read on to discover 5 moments that really showcase why Joker is Batman’s greatest enemy.
5
Joker’s Unpredictability Makes Him Dangerous
As Seen In: Batman #251
The Joker is, pardon the pun, a wildcard. No one, not even Batman, really knows what he’s thinking at any given moment. When he first debuted, the Joker was a straightforward serial killer, who never held back from his more lethal desires. However, during the Silver Age, he was dramatically softened to be more of a nuisance than a legitimate threat.
But that all changed when the Bronze Age arrived and the Joker was finally allowed to return to his more homicidal ways. Batman #251, featuring the infamous “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” story finally loosened the reins on the Harlequin of Hate and allowed him to once again become the cold-blooded killer he started out as.
Not only did this story allow for Joker to return to his previous killer ways, it gave him an odd freedom. Joker can be anything from a pesky prankster to a lethal lunatic and no matter what side of the scale he chooses, it works. Joker is truly unpredictable, and that makes him a real threat to heroes like Batman.
4
Joker Kidnapped Dozens of Babies to Extinguish Hope in Gotham
As Seen In: Batman: No Man’s Land, “Endgame”
There is no crime that’s off the table for the Joker. Generally, as long as he sees something funny in what he does he’ll do it. But not everything the Joker does is for a laugh. In fact, one of his most horrifying crimes involved some of the most innocent beings in Gotham City.
At the end of the devastating “No Man’s Land” arc, Joker took it upon himself to take away the hope Gotham had for its future by kidnapping several newborn babies with the intention of killing them. Thankfully, the Joker doesn’t get the chance, but he does rob Commissioner Gordon of hope by killing Gordon’s wife, Sarah Essen.
Most villains in Batman’s rogues gallery are willing to do horrible things. But few are actually willing to personally harm infants. Even if he didn’t get the chance to hurt them, the idea that he could do something so horrifying puts him in a category leagues above the rest of the villains that Batman usually faces.
3
Joker Nearly Destroyed Batman’s Legacy for Good
As Seen In: “Death in the Family”
With as many villains as he has, Batman is used to all sorts of pain, both physical and mental. But few things have hurt him worse than what the Joker did to Jason Todd, the second Robin in the infamous “Death in the Family” arc, where the young man was brutally killed at the Joker’s hands.
The Joker brutalized Jason Todd, beating him half to death with a crowbar before locking him in an exploding building, with Batman too late to save his partner. The death haunted Bruce deeply and the trauma over what happened caused Bruce to swear off ever having another partner again (though he did eventually take on Tim Drake).
Batman has built up a lot of walls and few people can actually hurt him. But the Joker’s perturbing torture and murder of Jason shook Bruce so badly that he was close to ending one of the greatest partnerships in comics. Only the Joker could do something so devastating that it nearly pruned the Bat-Family altogether.
2
Joker Went After Batman’s Entire Family
As Seen In: “Death of the Family”
It wasn’t just enough for the Joker to do something that nearly caused Batman to end his partnerships. The Joker once coordinated a plan to eliminate everyone important in Bruce Wayne’s life altogether. After having his face removed by the Dollmaker, the Joker disappeared for months, only to return and reclaim his visage to enact his most shocking plan yet.
The Joker went all out with this plan, systematically attacking each and every Bat-Family member, overpowering each one and kidnapping them for a demented dinner in the Batcave. While Joker doesn’t do any permanent damage to any of Batman’s allies, it was an intense event that left the entire Bat-Family shaken over what they experienced.
Many Batman villains have tried going after Bruce and his respective allies, and while they get a small win every once in a while, rarely do they ever take the Bat-Family by surprise. The Joker’s big plan might not have ended in carnage, but it showcased just how much of a threat Joker is to every hero in Gotham.
1
Joker is Dangerous Enough to Take Down the Entire World
As Seen In: Joker: Last Laugh
Sure, Joker is a threat to Batman and his closest friends and family. But the danger he presents isn’t just limited to Gotham. The killer clown is a worldwide threat, and he showed it in the classic story, Joker: Last Laugh. The Joker is diagnosed with a terminal illness and rather than go quietly, he goes for one final show.
After organizing a breakout, the Joker uses his trademark venom to poison the atmosphere and ‘jokerize’ everyone on Earth, creating an entire world of Jokers. Fortunately, the heroes are able to stop him and his plot to remake the world in his image, returning Joker to Arkham to live out the rest of his days.
As mentioned earlier, the Joker is unpredictable. There’s no way of knowing what he’s going to do at any moment. He could be plotting a simple bank robbery or wake up and decide he wants to overthrow the world. That randomness and his ability to follow through makes the Joker the most unpredictable villain that Batman has ever fought.
