KILLING JOKE: Did Batman Kill Joker? || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync

The Killing Joke has an ending shrouded in mystery. One theory states that Batman killed Joker on the last page, but how much merit does that theory have? Today, we're debunking common misconceptions about the classic Batman story from DC Comics to find out exactly what happened in those final panels.

Every Wednesday, Comic Misconceptions explores the incredible stories, fascinating ideas, and mind-blowing theories regarding comic books and the rich history and culture that surrounds them!

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———————SOURCES———————

Grant Morrison's theory
Was Killing Joke supposed to be in continuity?
Was Batman killing Joker Alan Moore's intent?
Alan Moore interview
Killing Joke script
Additional reading

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[aydinkasif]

I don't think he physically killed the joker but he killed the jokers ego by laughing at his joke, I know it sounds dumb but the joker has never had anyone laugh at one of his jokes which made him go mad and go into a life of crime. By Batman laughing I think jokers ego died in a way and thats why he stopped laughing because he was so shocked. Sounds dumb but yea

[edwardsindustries-yearsa]

the panels aren't supposed to be answered; it's a "multiple" choice.

[slifer]

before somebody says "yes" or "no" i think is up to the reader decide what happen in the end.

[brunofranco]

This graphic novel is the shrodinger's cat of comics.

[plsdontbeahero]

here's a question: Joker calls himself the clown prince of crime right? Then who is the clown KING of crime?

[BingeWatchers]

Even though the evidence is compelling, I really like the idea of it being the final confrontation between Bats and Joker. But yeah, the fact that the book ends with the first panel is pretty much the indicator that nothing has changes. Only if the final panel was different I would feel that the "laughter ends abruptly therefore dead" argument makes sense.

[tanukioh]

I think there are a trio of ways to look at the ending.
1) Batman kills the Joker, fulfilling his prediction at the beginning.
2) Batman and Joker embrace each other as described by the script, and this is a one off event. The two are doomed to fight until one kills the other and this was one moment of laughter between the to at the absurdity of their situation.
3) Batman and Joker embrace as described in the script, and it is the first step towards avoiding the tragedy predicted by Batman via a moment of shared humanity, giving the Joker a chance to move toward rehabilitation. obviously if you read with this latter interpretation and assume it takes place in the main continuity, the Joker eventually and tragically rejects the chance at redemption.

personally I think that in a fictional multiverse, all three are true or at least valid interpretations.

[WrathClub]

I think there's enough visually that directs you to go "what the fuck did batman just kill the joker?" and obviously once he shows up again the answer is "no" but I see it almost like when a character is implicitly "killed" offscreen in a movie but then shows up later. When they "die, " you don't see a body, but the idea that they're dead is still communicated to you. So in that sense if you read killing joke in a vacuum, then you can see it that way. I feel like if anything though, that's more Brian Bolland than Alan Moore.

[claimeddrip]

So basically Alan Moore wanted to make the last Batman story by finally showing the mysterious origin of the Joker and the Batman breaking his ultimate rule, which is an amazing hell of a way to finally end the whole Batman story, but because DC will never pull THAT trigger, this story is just another Batman story where he fights the Joker and that's it. Although, that doesn't mean that this story still isn't a great story, if anything, the story kinda gives us a sense of relating to the Joker (and his madness) and an in-depth look on how Batman and Joker are both alike in some ways.

[lmncarlson]

It's called The Killing Joke for a reason. The joke about the two asylum inmates serves as a metaphor for Batman and Joker. The Joker has no route to sanity. It's too late for him. Batman and Joker laugh until Batman crushes his windpipe, silencing all laughter. The final shot is the reflection of light turning off, symbolizing the fact that any and all routes sanity have been obliterated in his death. Alan Moore made it just ambiguous enough to be adopted as canon, but that was never the intention of the book.

[kyle]

"... collapsed forward onto each other, both ragged and bloody, each holding each other up as they stand there clinging together in the rain"
Is there a more perfect description of their relationship? I've always seen the batman vs joker juxtaposition as a showing of how both are mentally insane, batman with his delusions of justice and joker with those of chaos and violence

[JamieSnowdenYT]

Okay, so what happened then? They finish laughing and then Batman says, "Ahh. Alright, you gotta go to jail now. See you next time you try to kill somebody."

It makes far much more sense that he kills him. This wasn't "just another Batman and Joker story" like you said. Barbara stated that Joker was going all-out this time. This was his /biggest/ outing. Where does Joker go from here if this is his "biggest" outing? And the fact that they share a laugh together at the end, after Joker just CRIPPLED someone Batman holds so dear.

It makes infinitely more sense that Batman kills The Joker at the end.

[saffronjuice]

Funny how everyone considers the novel as the greatest batman story ever told, and the writer of the story is just like: meh, its not even that good.

[jasonisnotarobot]

"Yeah, okay, cripple the b****"
What does DC have against Barbara it sounds like they have a grudge against her or something jeez!

[DigitalMetal]

Common misconception, "Batman doesn't kill". Batman original killed when his comics first came out. It was later added that he doesn't kill. But, he still does. Look at Michael Keaton's Batman. And more recent Ben Affleck's Batman.

If you watch Batman the animated series, he occasionally killed, or at lest did things that should have killed the person he was doing it too. I remember one episode he through Mr. Freeze out of a plane. Mr. Freeze did survive, but Batman didn't know this. As far as he knew, he killed Mr. Freeze. Just because the view of the show knows that Mr. Freeze survived doesn't change the fact that Batman did something that should have killed him.

There was also a "Superman Batman" animated movie where their was a Batman from another dimension that was going to destroy all dimensions by blowing up the main dimension, or something. If I remember correctly our Batman tied that Batman to a bomb and blew him up. I guess it's ok to kill someone if that someone is you from another dimension.

My point is, Batman kills regularly, we just like to pretend he doesn't.
Also, if Batman was to kill the Joker it would be "Killing" not "Murdering". There is a difference. The Joker deserves that punishment. It would be a justified killing, so it would not be murder.

[TheVexinator]

Na. Batman doesn't kill the Joker in the Killing Joke. I've read the comic several times, including once more last night after watching the movie.

Accepting the claim that the laughter suddenly stopping is evidence that he does kill the Joker... well that ignores the fact that the police sirens stop in the same panel. There is no "snap" or "crack", so the best explanation in my opinion is simply that there's a gap in time between those panels. The imagery of the rain is imagery of weeping over their tragic situation - that situation being that one wants to help the other, but cannot... rather than one has just killed the other.

I personally think that Batman would only kill the Joker during the middle of a fight - he wouldn't do it outside the heat of combat.

[nugs]

The movie didn't do the novel much justice

[GibbsVideography]

My initial reaction to the last page was the laughter stopping because they had walked off together, Joker finally accepting Batman's help. Joker's joke, and why he laughed so hard at it, was because he realized how ridiculous their situation was, and Batman's laughter was like a "yea, we really are stupid, aren't we"

[generalkenobi]

In fact the end of the Killing Joke was kinda redcon through a panel in Death of the family in 2013 when Jim Gordon shows to Batman his book with a picture of the Joker beeing arested by 2 officers in the theme park where the end of the Killing Joke took place... :|

[CAPEDCRUSADER]

In case no one noticed Batman didn't grab Joker's neck in the panel Batman grabbed Joker's shirt.