WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Three Jokers #3 by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh on sale now.

In Batman: Three Jokers, the Dark Knight set out to solve the mystery of the three versions of the Clown Prince of Crime. While Batman is finally on the case, this is actually a puzzle that was first introduced in 2015's Justice League: The Darkseid War. During the event, Batman sat on Metron's Mobius Chair, a powerful artifact which holds all of the knowledge in the universe. Of course, one of the first questions he asked it was the real identity of the Joker. To his surprise however, the chair revealed that there wasn't one, but three Jokers.

Because of this, Batman began to put the pieces of the mystery together, which lead to Batman: Three Jokers. But now, in the final issue of the Black Label series, Bruce reveals that he has always known the Joker's real name. So why did he ask the chair that specific question, five years ago?

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At the end of Batman: Three Jokers #3, Batman makes a startling revelation. He tells Alfred that he figured out the Joker's real identity a very long time ago. Indeed, he explains that only a week after he first tangled with the villain, he was able to deduce who he really was. It's a massive twist, given that it means that through all of the years, through the battles, the attacks and the torment, Batman always knew the Joker's biggest secret.

But if he always knew who the Joker was, fans might be wondering why then did Batman ask the Mobius Chair for the Joker's real name. At first, we thought it was so the detective could get the answer that had always eluded him. But now, that's just been changed.

The real reason he asked this question is perhaps a little simpler -- and it's right there in Justice League #42.

When Batman first sat upon the Mobius Chair, he was granted with all of the knowledge in the universe. This was, of course, an overwhelming experience, and he wasn't certain he could trust it. "I can hear them... the answers," he said. "The answers to everything. Are they real? Is this real?"

He then tested the Chair, first by asking it who killed his parents. When it gave the correct answer, Joe Chill, Batman then asked a second question: "What's the Joker's true name?"

And when it answered that there were actually three, he was left in disbelief. "No. That's not possible," he said, shocked.

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Batman Joker War Name

Now that we know Batman actually knows the Joker's real name, the real purpose of this sequence is finally revealed: Batman wasn't seeking an answer he didn't have, he was simply testing the Chair, to make sure its answers were correct.

It makes sense, after all. He wouldn't test the Chair with just one question. He asked the second, a follow-up to confirm the Chair properly worked because he expected to hear the answer only he knows. But instead of hearing the name he expected, he learned something impossible: there were, somehow, three Jokers.

Batman is the world's greatest detective -- he wouldn't cheat to get the answer he needed. He already knew it, and he asked the question to make sure the Chair would give him the right answer. This is the reason he started investigating the three Jokers in the first place -- because instead of getting the name he already knew, he got a number.

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