DCU: Batman’s 5 Worst Moments & The Joker’s 5 Best Moments

Batman and The Joker are Eternal Enemies. They’re doomed to dance around each other forever, ruining and also adding excitement to each other’s lives. When you’re two sides of the same coin, things just always happen that way.

Of course, it also means that the line between “super hero” and “super-villain” for these DC characters is a little blurrier than most. Below, let’s break down 5 of Batman’s worst moments — as well as 5 of The Joker’s best.

---

Batman: Put the City Under Illegal Surveillance (The Dark Knight)

Batman gets desperate in The Dark Knight. Determined to catch The Joker by any means necessary, he turns every Gotham City citizens’ phone into a type of sonar surveillance device. He does so without any sort of permit or permission. Lucius Fox almost walks away from the Wayne Foundation because of it. And this isn’t the first time Batman has gotten a little too loose with surveillance. Comic and video game fans will all remember the nefarious Brother Eye.

---

Joker: United Gotham as Jack Napier (Batman: White Knight)

The White Knight takes the Batman and Joker story and turns it on its head. It asks, what if The Joker was the good guy and Batman the bad guy? Through a special medicine, The Joker reverts to the sane man known as Jack Napier. Jack reforms Gotham City for the better, taking care of oppressed and forgotten communities and fighting against the injustice of his vigilante enemy.

---

Batman: Force Fed The Joker Pills (The White Knight)

Well, how does The Joker become Jack Napier in The White Knight? Batman chases him recklessly through the city, destroying millions of dollars of property — mostly in poor neighborhoods. Then, he beats The Joker to the brink of death. Finally, Batman force feeds The Joker a huge handful of pills … in front of Batgirl, Jim Gordon, and many other witnesses who are filming this awful scene. It’s brutal, and undeniably one of Batman’s ugliest actions ever.

---

Joker: Became a Community Leader (Superman: Distant Fires)

Superman: Distant Fires takes place after an apocalyptic nuclear war destroys most of the planet. It strips most super heroes of their super powers. Miraculously, the blast also helps The Joker regain his sanity. Leading survivors into a jungle city called Champion, The Joker devotes his time and energy to helping refugees and those in need. Similar to The White Knight, this comic maintains that the Clown Prince of Crime will use his organization and people skills to do good if he can just gain some composure.

---

Batman: Disrespected Alfred (The Batman)

This may seem tame compared to Bruce’s other bad deeds. But all Batman fans have a soft spot for Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family’s trusted butler. It’s difficult to watch Bruce disrespect the man in any way, especially because Alfred is a father figure to Bruce. Let’s face it, Alfred is also almost always right — and Batman is often stubborn and rude. Especially when he’s young and impulsive like in The Batman.

---

Joker: Criticized Society’s Treatment of Mentally Ill People (The Joker)

Unfortunately, even as a villain, The Joker makes great points. One such point is his criticism of the mental health programs — or lack thereof — in the United States. In Joker, Arthur Fleck suffers from mental health issues that go untreated and often make him the subject of ridicule and physical bullying. No one is around to give him the help he needs. So he takes matters into his own hands.

---

Batman: Infected Cyborg with Malware (Injustice: Gods Among Us)

Batman has a bad habit of working alone. He also makes decisions he thinks will benefit everybody. Additionally, he has trust issues. All of these traits are a bad cocktail of shaky morals and a code cherry-picked to help the vigilante justify his literal crimes. At one point, Batman literally infects Cyborg with a virus/malware just in case the other hero turns against Batman’s team. It’s a violation of consent mixed with ableism that leaves a bad taste in any reader’s mouth.

---

Joker: Prevented Batman’s Identity From Leaking (The Laughing Fish)

The messy way The Joker and Batman help each other out was established early in Detective Comics. In the two-issue arc The Laughing Fish — famous for introducing the iconic and bizarre grinning fish — The Joker finds out a plot to reveal Batman’s true identity. The Joker actively works against the people attempting to out Bruce Wayne. Why? Because it won’t be as fun if Batman has to quit their game so early.

---

Batman: Killed The Joker (Dark Knights Metal)

The Batman Who Laughs is technically an alternate reality version of Batman. But it still means the Bruce Wayne of one universe was willing to go against his number one rule. In that world, Batman crosses his last line to kill The Joker. In doing so, he breaks his own mind. What follows are a series of deeds, each nastier than the next. As the Darkest Knight, Bruce infects Robin with Joker toxin, murders members of the Justice League, and forces Superman and his son to fight to the death. Um, yikes?

---

Joker: Didn’t Kill The Batman (DC)

The Joker says it best in The Dark Knight’s famous interrogation scene: “I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you? You complete me.” But there are plenty of stories throughout DC that showcase the codependent, eternally entangled relationship between The Joker and Batman. The Joker has plenty of opportunities throughout DC media to kill Batman, yet he always chooses not to. And in stories where Batman does die, The Joker becomes listless and lifeless. They are each other’s worst nightmare — and ultimately the other’s purpose.

---

What are your favorite Joker moments — and your least favorite Batman moments? Connect with other DC fans at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!