More than two decades after being published, Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" remains one of the all-time iconic clashes between The Joker and the Dark Knight. Not only did it introduce the tragic birth of the Clown Prince of Crime, it has also featured his ill-fated doom in the hands of the superhero. But did Batman really take the life of the villain in the conclusion of the 1988 comic book?
For those who are not familiar of the graphic novel, "The Killing Joke" is a one-shot comic that was written by Alan Moore in 1988. The Batman tale follows the origin of the superhero's main enemy, the Joker. As per Hit Fix, the villain was first introduced as an unsuccessful stand-up comedian and a struggling family man who got involved in a desperate crime scene. After Batman defeated the goons, He-who-will-be-Joker escapes through jumping into a vat of chemicals and being washed through the pipes outside the plant.
Believing that "one bad day" can turn any man into him, the Joker chooses Commissioner Gordon as his guinea pig and Barbara Gordon as the catalyst. He kidnaps and savages the daughter to drive his father insane. Batman then captures him, who pulls a joke about these two guys in a lunatic asylum. The two maniacally laugh together in the rain until the latter's voice was no longer heard anymore. Comic book writer Grant Morrison believes that the said scene depicted the Joker's end. "That's why it's called 'The Killing Joke.' The Joker tells the 'Killing Joke' at the end, Batman reaches out and breaks his neck, and that's why the laughter stops and the light goes out, 'cause that was the last chance at crossing that bridge," he explained.
Looking at the concluding panels of the graphic novel, the author's theory does make sense. The superhero has his hands placed on the shoulders of his enemy, making it easier to strangle him. After sharing laughter with Batman, Joker's voice suddenly stopped; and what could have stopped the villain's laugh so abruptly? Exactly the broken neck fits that the author has predicted.
Also, it was noted that the last panel of page shows the headlights turning off -a symbol that may suggest the villain's life was ending too. Considering the terrible things that Joker did to Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, it also seems reasonable for Batman to finally break his most sacred rule. Perhaps, the joke made him realized that continuously giving the Joker another chance would only cause harm to others. Maybe, the Joker did prove his point of believing that one man can become like him after having "one bad day".
On the contrary, the script for "The Killing Joke" proves the opposite of this fan theory. According to Bleeding Cool, the graphic novel's script does not hint Joker's death at all. Also, the studio made Moore's one-shot a part of continuity to keep Batgirl alive and let her transform into Oracle. The author did not plan on being a part of this continuity though.
Despite the ambiguous ending of "The Killing Joke", it is worth noting that this has become a huge part of the book's brilliance that made it one of the most iconic "Batman" tales in DC history.
What do you think Batman fans? Does Batman stick to his moral code? Or does he finally snap and end The Joker's madness once and for all? Leave your comments below.
Join the Conversation