Batman: The Killing Joke is one of those comic books that needs no introduction.
As one of the most iconic stories involving the Joker, Killing Joke has a massive influence on the character’s portrayal in modern times.
But I’m not here to wax poetics about how good Killing Joke is. It doesn’t need to be shilled any further.
I’m just going to complain about how some people out there dare to have different opinions than me.
Of course, spoilers below and if you do want to check out the Killing Joke, content warning for a heavy amount of violence, nudity, implied sexual violence, and a very dated (at best) handling of a female character.
What ‘One Bad Day’ Means
Simply put, the Joker brings out the idea that everyone out there is just “one bad day” away from slipping and losing themselves.
After all, the same happened to him in his backstory that’s revealed through the course of the comic.
Worth noting that the Joker’s backstory is constantly changing and not set in stone, so it only applies to this version.
To prove his point to Batman, the Joker kidnaps Jim Gordan and puts him through “one bad day” so he’d also end up breaking.
It’s easy to see why this idea stuck with people. Fallen heroes are a popular media, and when done well, really fucking cool.
Unfortunately, some people seem to have the idea that Joker’s philosophy had a point while the actual comic goes out of it’s way to prove the opposite.
What Actually Happened
With absolutely zero ambiguity, the Joker completely fails to crack Jim Gordon despite all the physical and psychological torture.
Despite having every reason to want the Joker dead, Jim still refrains and asks Batman to spare the Joker.
In fact, the scene is followed by Batman just earnestly asking the Joker to get help. Of course, the latter rejected the offer feeling that everything was too far gone at that point.
The Joker even tells a joke about two inmates escaping an asylum where one manages to escape and the other doesn’t.
Batman is the one who escapes while Joker is still stuck. According to the Joker, the help that Batman’s offering is as substantial as a bridge made out of a flashlight beam.
Even then, the Joker is too paranoid to trust that insubstantial help.
In the end, the Joker was just full of shit and all he wanted was assurance that if others were in his situation, they’d end up the same way.
While Alan Moore, the writer of the Killing Joke, has made no effort to hide how much he hates superhero media, it’s pretty clear that “virtuous” characters like Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon had gone through their own bad days and didn’t end up becoming cartoonishly evil.
In fact, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker also ended up with a following of, and let’s be frank here, complete idiots who didn’t realize that their idol was proven wrong by the climax of the movie.
In both versions, the Joker wanted to prove something about the human nature and in both stories, he was proven wrong. People were capable of rising above bad situations.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, people actually think the Killing Joke ends with Batman killing the Joker.
I’ll let the writer speak for himself on that one.
Alan Moore’s Script : “Now just a half figure or head and shoulders shot of the Batman from the front. The absurdity of the situation comes homes to him, and one corner of his mouth twitches upwards. He and The Joker are going to kill each other one day. It’s preordained. They may as well enjoy this one rare moment of contact while it lasts.”
