WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #99 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, & Clayton Cowles on sale now
The Joker is one of the darkest villains in the Batman Rogue's Gallery, and he regularly crosses lines that even some other villains would never approach. The "Joker War" storyline has seen him take it further than ever before by stealing Bruce Wayne's fortune and using Batman's arsneal to wreak havoc all aroudn Gotham City.
Adn in Batman #99, Joker just crossed his darkest line yet by weaponizing the body of Alfred Pennyworth and using it as the ultimate way to distract Batman.
The Joker has been using a modified Joker Gas to force corpses into motion and control them from afar. He did it with the Designer, lulling Batman into a fight he didn't know he couldn't win. He even did it with the bodies of everyone he's killed, piling them into the aisles of the Monarch Theatre and luring Batman there to tease out his intentions to Batman. These grisly corpses essentially give the Joker an army of the undead to work with, making for a surprisingly deadly force.
But he didn't just stop with all the people he's killed. When Batman finally arrives at ACE Chemicals to confront the Joker, it's revealed that Joker actually made a quick stop before coming there himself: the Clown Prince of Crime went to Wayne Manor and personally dug up the body of Alfred Pennyworth to bring to ACE Chemicals. Killed by Bane during the events of "City of Bane," Alfred's death has been hanging over Batman ever since it happened.
He even just recently confronted these pains and traumas as a result of the chemicals that had been introduced into his system. But now Alfred stands before him, reanimated and walking with a shattered neck, under the control of the Joker. Even if this is somehow a fakeout, it's a decidedly cruel move from the Joker. Aware of Batman's secret identity, Joker knows just how personal and painful this experience will be for Batman, and that's exactly why he's doing it. This distraction giving the Clown Prince of Crime the perfect opening to set up a final direct assault against a shocked Batman.
If Joker wins, it'll be by catching the better-trained Batman by surprise, and hitting him with the body of his adopted-father is a pretty solid way to unsettle Batman. The Joker has a history of terrible acts, ranging from brutally attacking the heroes of Gotham to simply corrupting people like Harleen Quinzel. He's even dug up the corpses of hundreds of dead Gothamites to sic on the surviving citizens of the city. But with the shambling and reanimated corpse of Alfred now advancing on Batman, Joker may have crossed his ultimate line.
This might be enough to even enrage Batman to a point where he'd be finally willing to break his code and kill the Joker -- giving Joker the ultimate victory he's been looking for for years.
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