WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #89, by James Tynion IV, Carlo Pagulayan, Guillem March, Danny Miki, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
While James Tynion IV started his Batman run with issue #86, the writer actually gave us a taste of what was to come in a short story featured in Batman #85, which was illustrated by Guillem March. In the short scene, Joker and his henchmen got news that Superman had just revealed his secret identity to the world, something which sparked a new plan for the Clown Prince of Crime.
All these years, the character has known who the Batman really is under the cowl, but he has never used that knowledge on a public scale before. "It would be the end," he explained. "The last laugh. The final battle." And while he was hesitant at first, he quickly realized it was finally time for his masterpiece. Since then, Joker's been working behind the scenes, planning something big. And now, in Batman #89, we find out it's not just Bruce Wayne he is going after -- it's the entire Bat-family.
For a long time, we've been aware that Joker knows Batman's secret identity. It fact, it was in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's New 52 story arc "Death of the Family" that we learned Joker had known about Bruce Wayne ever since his first confrontation with the Batman. Back then, the supervillain had left a calling card in the Batcave, which implied that he knew not just where the Dark Knight hung his cape, but also who he really was underneath. But as we learned in Batman #85, the Joker never made a big public display of what he knows because it would likely signify the end of his eternal dance with the Batman.
But now, all bets are off.
The Joker is working on something sinister, and all we know so far is that it involves Batman's secret identity. Plus, he's willing to kill any henchman who knows what he's planning. Now, in Batman #89, we get another piece of the puzzle. In the issue's epilogue, Joker gets a call from his new sidekick Punchline, and we see him standing next to a bulletin board. This board has the pictures and names of every member of the Bat-family, including their secret identities.
That's right, if there was any confusion as to what Joker knew, he just confirmed he is aware that Jason Todd, Richard Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne and Barbara Gordon are the Red Hood, Nightwing, Red Robin, Robin and Batgirl, respectively.
"There are a few people I need to talk to first, before the big game starts," Joker says, making it clear he plans on going after the entire Bat-family. Now sure, the Joker has attacked these characters before, whether on their own or together. In fact, he toyed with the entire team in Snyder and Capullo's "Death of the Family." But his plan then is nothing like it is now. Now, he can go after them in their public identities, in broad daylight.
We may not know what he's planning to do to Jason, Barbara and the rest of the Bat-family, but seeing as how the villain is devising his final attack, chances are it won't be anything good -- and they might never even see him coming.