One of DC Comics' most popular recent Elseworlds-style story is Sean Murphy's Batman: White Knight. An instant success with fans and critics alike, the DC Black Label miniseries depicted a much more mature, darker incarnation of Gotham City and its iconic denizens while inverting the classic dynamic between the Dark Knight and the Joker, with drastic changes and the possibility of redemption for the Clown Prince of Crime.
With the miniseries' sequel, Batman: Curse of the White Knight, currently thrilling fans with this universe's debut of the eponymous vigilante, we're taking a look back at how the original series altered the Joker in a bold, new vision of his relationship with the Caped Crusader.
The White Knight Universe
The Gotham of the White Universe is a more realistic, grounded city than commonly seen in the comic books. Murphy crafted a world that was a love letter to the entire history of the franchise, as such, all of the cinematic Batmobiles from the iconic 1989 version to the Nolan trilogy's Tumbler are all seen. While it takes place in its own continuity, much of the classic comic book history is still in the series: Dick Grayson has taken on the mantle of Nightwing while Barbara Gordon is Batgirl. Jason Todd is presumed dead at the hands of the Joker, having never resurfaced (to date) as the Red Hood.
Some of the most dramatic changes involve Batman's rogues gallery, with two different versions of Harley Quinn active in this universe. Harleen Quinzel was horrified by Joker taking things too far against Jason Todd and abandoned her lover while a former hostage, Marian Drews, took her place after becoming obsessed with the Clown Prince of Crime. Batman himself is seen as considerably more violent, having increased his brutality from the stress of Alfred Pennyworth becoming terminally ill and kept alive through Victor Fries cryogenic technology.
Joker in White Knight
While initially still the familiar, grinning DC villain, the Joker undergoes a heavy regimen of medication that cures him of his insanity and restores him to a normal physical appearance. Joker reclaims his civilian identity of Jack Napier -- the name a direct nod the name of the character in 1989's Batman film and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm -- with Jack successfully filing a lawsuit against the Gotham City Police Department for watching idly as Batman beat him within an inch of his life.
Jack runs for a councilman position with the city, helping fund restoration of the poorer parts of Gotham, including the construction of a public library. Using a combination of materials from Mad Hatter and Clayface, Jack takes control of Gotham's villains to launch a targeted rampage across the city while using his connections to discover Wayne Enterprises has a separate tax fund to pay off collateral damage involving Batman. As Jack realizes Bruce Wayne is Batman, his new crusade is interrupted by the arrival of Neo Joker and her plans to freeze Gotham using a disused Mr. Freeze weapon.
The New Dynamic
As Batman learns that the city's wealthy have been profiting from his ongoing war on crime by flipping real estate destroyed in the crossfire, he begins to come to terms with the idea that the Joker may be right that he enjoys violently subduing criminals, using maliciously selfish methods. After Jack successfully leads a campaign to create a GCPD task force to take Batman down, he begins to realize the effects of his medication is wearing off, returning his insanity and villainous appearance.
After the duo, with the help of a Quinzel-apprehend Neo Joker, both Joker and Batman surrender themselves separately to the authorities for their various crimes. Joker and Harley are married as Joker completely reverts to his former persona while Harley confesses to creating Joker's medication to help save Gotham before his continued conflict against Batman would eventually escalate and destroy the city. While talking to Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batman reveals his secret identity to his longtime ally in the GCPD to regain his trust, setting the stage for Curse of the White Knight.