This Part of ‘Batman’ 89 Is More Disturbing Than ‘The Dark Knight’s Joker

For every great Batman adaptation, there is almost always a great Joker to go along with it. The 1960s show had Cesar Romero, the animated series had Mark Hamill, and perhaps one of the most legendary iterations is The Dark Knight‘s version with Heath Ledger. Ledger’s Academy Award-winning portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime fits perfectly into the grounded and realistic world of Christopher Nolan‘s adaptation, committing acts of terror that are legitimately disturbing.

That being said, as great and as iconic as Heath Ledger’s Joker is, we’d argue there’s one other version of the character who gives him a run for his money as a more disturbing foe. Tim Burton‘s Batman from 1989 changed the game for the Caped Crusader, presenting the character of Batman (Michael Keaton) in a much darker light than ever before. This new, darker tone was accentuated by a perfectly cast Jack Nicholson as the Joker, whose crimes against the people of Gotham are practically endless in the film. However, the Joker’s treatment of one character in particular might be more disturbing than anything Heath Ledger does in The Dark Knight.

Jack Napier Was a Monster Long Before Becoming The Joker in ‘Batman’ 89

A key element to getting the Joker right in a Batman adaptation is to nail his origin story or rather, the lack thereof. While many may understandably view the villain falling into a vat of chemicals as the true origin of the Joker, that’s really only the last of many straws. As we see in Batman ’89, Jack Napier was a cruel and deranged human being long before he got an unhealthy dose of clown makeup.

Jack’s career as a violent criminal started many pale moons ago, as this iteration of the Batman story has him being the gunman who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents, which he does with a big eerie smile on his face. Afterward, Jack becomes the “number one guy” of Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) – one of the most ruthless gangsters in all of Gotham. Jack develops a reputation around the Gotham underworld for his wild card attitude and sadistic nature, and even Carl decides to cut him loose when the crime lord learns that Jack is having an affair with his mistress, Alicia Hunt (Jerry Hall).

Carl tries to set up Jack by sending him and a few throwaway goons to Axis Chemicals, where the cops will soon take them down. A shootout ensues, which Batman interrupts, leading Jack to fall into a big green batch of chemicals. When Jack resurfaces on the other side, he’s now decked out in a Joker makeover with a big permanent smile on his face. Jack quickly gets his revenge by shooting Carl to the tune of some carnival music and gleefully waits for Alicia to get home so he can tell her all about the crazy day he had. Alicia is initially so shocked by Jack’s new appearance that she passes out at the mere sight of him.

Joker’s Treatment of Alicia in ‘Batman’ 89 is Unforgivable

While Jack Napier was a broken individual before the events of Batman ’89, whatever was left in his deranged brain snapped further when he became the Joker. In between joy-buzzing his competitors and infecting Gotham’s make-up supply with Joker fumes, one of the most disturbing things Joker does in the movie is actually something we don’t see. As Joker’s cruel creative juices start to flow, one of his first victims and test subjects is his girlfriend, Alicia. Despite her undeniable beauty, Joker seems to think she can be “improved.”

The next time we see Alicia, she has an ominous pale mask covering her face. It’s abundantly clear right away that Joker has done something horrible to an otherwise innocent woman’s face. To Joker, Alicia is nothing more than a piece of property. She is a plaything to throw away as soon as he moves on to the next depraved act of cruelty that pops into his head. It’s almost reminiscent of other body-horror features like Eyes Without a Face and The Skin I Live In, where a male sociopath decides to alter the appearance of a woman so they can have control over her.

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We eventually see Alicia’s face when Joker sets his sights on another potential victim, reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger). While he takes over the art museum Vicki has the misfortune of being in, Joker brings along Alicia and shows her scarred and disfigured face for the first and also the last time. What’s even more eerie and unsettling is how this is the last time we see Alicia, with the character’s ultimate fate being a complete and total mystery. In a way, the film discards her without a second thought in the same way Joker throws her out of his life with zero remorse.

Joker’s Treatment of Alicia Mirrors the Character’s Treatment of Harley Quinn

Joker’s callous disregard for human life is nothing new, but his treatment of women in Batman ’89 does seem deeply similar to the character’s most popular romantic relationship from other Batman media and the comics. Batman: The Animated Series took heavy inspiration from Tim Burton’s movie (even down to using a variation of Danny Elfman‘s theme). With the show’s creation also came the debut of Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin), who would become one of Batman’s most famous foes.

While Harley is, arguably, a more willing participant in Joker’s schemes than Alicia, she’s still callously manipulated by the clown killer. She is subjected to Joker’s beauty standards when she’s thrown into a vat of acid, so it’s hard not to imagine Alicia was somewhat of an influence on the creation of Harley Quinn. Later adaptations of Harley, such as the original Suicide Squad film, don’t do the toxic relationship between Joker and Harley justice, though hopefully, the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux gives us a more authentic portrayal of the Joker’s toxic tendencies (even if he is a more sympathetic incarnation of the character.

Batman (1989)

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Release Date

June 23, 1989

Writers

Bob Kane , Sam Hamm , Warren Skaaren

Batman ’89 is currently available to stream on Max.

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