When Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents' murders, he vowed to avenge them and ensure no one else would suffer the same fate. It was a valiant declaration that led to the creation of Batman, a vigilante intent on cleaning Gotham City's streets. Batman is one of DC Comics' most popular characters, but his villains are just as memorable.
Batman's rogues often provide dark reflections of the hero. Bane counters Batman's muscle while Riddler counters his intellect, but the Joker is the ultimate antithesis of The Dark Knight, and many comics have explored why these two characters need each other. Though he'd never admit it, Batman has acted like the Joker on several occasions, endangering others, hurting allies, and inciting chaos.
10 All Star Batman Enjoyed Crime Fighting A Little Too Much
On paper, All-Star Batman and Robin should have succeeded. Legendary comic creators like Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Jared K. Fletcher returned to tell a prequel story to Miller's legendary Dark Knight Returns. The expectations were high, but the book did not deliver.
One of the glaring issues of the limited series was Batman himself. The Dark Knight didn't talk or act how fans expected him to. He was a reckless thrill-seeker who placed himself and others in danger every time he donned his cape and cowl. The sequence when he drove the Batmobile, laughing as Dick Grayson cowered in the passenger seat, felt uncomfortably close to what the Joker would do.
9 Batman Created Contingencies For The Justice League Members
"Tower of Babel" was a story arc from 2000 that spanned JLA issues #43-46. Created by Mark Waid, Howard Porter, Drew Garaci, Pat Garrahy, Heroic Age, Steve Scott, Mark Propst, and Ken Lopez, "Tower of Babel" showcased just how powerful Batman can be when he's prepared. Batman works alongside some of the most powerful beings in the DC universe.
If these beings ever fell to the dark side, humanity would need a way to stop them. Utilizing his knowledge of their weaknesses, like Superman's kryptonite or Green Lantern rings' inability to affect anything yellow, Batman created contingency plans to stop the League. The Joker always has an ace up his sleeve, and Batman's "contingencies" felt an awful lot like the Joker's.
8 White Knight's Batman Had No Regard For Public Safety
Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, and Todd Klein created one of DC Comics' best alternate universes with Batman: White Knight. At first glance, this alternate world looks very similar to DC's main continuity. The opening sequence features the Bat Family chasing Joker through Gotham's streets.
However, the Batman of this world is more volatile and dangerous. He has little regard for the safety of others or the destruction his machines leave in their wake. In White Knight, the Joker found redemption while Batman was arrested for his vigilantism. Murphy reversed their roles in an interesting way, painting Joker as the hero and Batman as the biggest threat to the city.
7 Batman Became A Villain In Catwoman: Guardian Of Gotham
Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham, the two-issue miniseries created by Doug Moench, Jim Balent, Kim DeMulder, and Rick Parker, turned Batman's world upside down. Many key roles were reversed, such as Catwoman being the protector of Gotham while Batman was the city's greatest threat.
In this alternate universe, Bruce Wayne became a serial killer and systematically killed off the rest of Gotham's criminal underworld. Selina Kyle, possessing the fortune and gadgets, became Catwoman to defend her city. This miniseries showcased how powerful Batman could become if he lost his morals and became a proficient killer like the Joker.
6 Batman Refuses To Kill The Joker
The Joker has poisoned Gotham, targeted civilians with his infamous Joker toxins, captured and killed some of Batman's closest allies like Jason Todd, and much more. However, regardless of his incredibly evil acts, Batman refuses to kill the Joker, believing that once he crosses that line, he'll be no better than the villains he fights.
Batman's hesitancy to kill is completely valid, but the measures he and Gotham are taking to keep the Joker restrained aren't working. For example, the Clown Prince of Crime escapes Arkham Asylum every other week. Similarly, the Joker won't kill Batman because The Dark Knight is his greatest challenge. So, perhaps on some level, Batman feels the same way about the Joker.
5 Bruce Wayne Provided Strange Monologues In Batman: Odyssey
Created by Neal Adams and a collection of DC's talented artists, Batman: Odyssey was a six-issue miniseries that took place on in an alternate universe, allowing Adams to tell the Batman stories he wanted without the constraints of DC's complex continuity. Odyssey had its highlights, but it also featured plenty of obscure, strange moments, such as characters like Talia al Ghul and Aquaman appearing out of nowhere.
While Adams's art was always spectacular, the story felt cobbled together. Odyssey felt like a Batman story being told by the Joker himself. The pacing was sporadic, the characters argued, and Batman's constant breaking of the fourth wall was very out of character.
4 Batman Laughed Alongside The Joker
The Bronze Age of DC Comics featured some of the best Batman stories ever crafted. The Killing Joke, created by Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, John Higgins, and Richard Starkings, was certainly a legendary comic for both Batman and the Joker. The Killing Joke is a chilling graphic novel that presents a possible origin story for the Joker, which is something previously ambiguous.
The Joker commits some of his most heinous crimes, such as shooting Barbara and torturing Commissioner Gordon. When Batman finally catches up to him, the Joker tells him a joke. Surprisingly, Batman succumbs to laughter. Why the laughing suddenly stops is left to the readers' speculations.
3 Batman & The Joker Frequently Accept New Allies
The Joker is an incredibly dubious villain who always has ulterior motives. He's one of the most untrustworthy people in Gotham City, which is already a low bar. Despite his many deceptions, the Joker usually accumulates a sizable gang. Criminals want to follow the Joker's lead, the same way heroes follow Batman's.
Criminals like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Humpty Dumpty, Harley Quinn, and the newly created Punchline have all followed in the Joker's footsteps. Similarly, the Bat Family has increased with additions like Huntress, Orphan, Signal, and half a dozen Robins. Narratively, both characters work just as well with others as they do alone.
2 Batman Also Flees From Gotham's Police On Occasion
The Joker is one of Gotham City's most wanted criminals, but so is Batman on occasion. Superman may be the shining symbol of hope in Metropolis, acting as an inspiration to many, but Gotham sees Batman in a very different light. For the majority of his crime-fighting career, Batman has lived in the shadows, hidden from both criminals and the police.
Commissioner Gordon was one of Batman's only non-costumed allies in Gotham for years. Batman's vigilantism often crossed the line into criminal activity in the eyes of Gotham's citizens. And although Batman may have good intentions, many outside the superhero community view him and the Joker similarly.
1 The Batman Who Laughs Is The Mixture Of Both
What if Batman and the Joker were one being? It's a strange question surprisingly answered with the creation of the Batman Who Laughs, written by writer Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo. In an alternate universe that exists within DC's newly found Dark Multiverse, the Joker infects Batman with a modified Joker toxin, which slowly turns him into a version of the Joker.
Thanks to Joker's toxins, Batman's personality and perception become warped in terrifyingly destructive ways. After teaming up with Perpetua and crossing over into the main DC multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs became a real threat to the Justice League.