WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman/Catwoman #10, now on sale from DC Comics
Batman's villains are typically portrayed as suffering from various mental disorders. This gives them a layer of sympathy and tragedy, contributing to the genuinely heartbreaking elements of their respective crusades across Gotham. But it seems there's one villain who's just been lying about their status in the worst way possible.
Batman/Catwoman #10 by Tom King, Clay Mann, and Tomeu Morrey reveals that Catwoman understands a fundamental truth about the Joker that paints his entire vicious career as a villain in an entirely new -- and horrifying -- light.
A major element of Batman/Catwoman has been an examination of the relationship between the Joker and Catwoman. As perhaps the most the Dark Knight's most important antagonists, they've shared a unique bond despite their nominal reasons to despise each other. Batman/Catwoman #10 picks up at three important fights across Selina Kyle's life, two of which are with the Clown Prince of Crime. Both times, she comes close to actually letting loose with her rage and actually killing the Joker -- with her eventual decision to follow through on that impulse decades in the future being one of the major inciting incidents of the series. It's during one of these fights that Catwoman reveals the apparent real reason she hates the Joker.
While she and the rest of the Batman rogues gallery have genuine mental conditions they can't control, the Joker is different. Catwoman claims it's all an act, comparing him to a comedian on stage telling jokes. The Joker's entire persona, the madness he embraces, it's all a farce. Joker is in complete control of himself and is firmly aware of the terrible things he's done. Instead, he fakes at being insane -- giving him an excuse for his actions and a way to avoid punishment for his actions. Catwoman explains this betrayed their bond -- she genuinely thought Joker was like her, unable to exhibit full restraint. But with the truth exposed, Catwoman is just enraged to discover another damaged and selfish man in her life.
She openly compares the Joker to Batman, and openly declared they're more or less the same: troubled men who demand everything from her. Even her attempt to end their long-simmering feud by killing the Joker is ruined by Batman begging her to spare him. It's a brutal moment and one that suggests Catwoman has a greater understanding of the hero and villain than anyone else. It's also an absolutely horrifying concept to consider, especially given the Joker's history as a murderous monster. All of the Joker's casualties aren't cannon fodder in a monster's schemes or the by-product of a sick and twisted mind. The Joker is seemingly keenly aware of who he is and what he's done -- and he thinks it's worth it for the sake of causing some chaos.
It's perhaps the scariest motivation to consider about the Joker, and one that's been hypothesized before. It makes all the terrible things the Joker has done over the years all the more frightening, as they aren't the acts of an unwell man or the crimes of a monster. Every death and torture at the hands of the Joker came from a simple man, who decided he needed to do something drastic. He's truly Batman's shadow, and is content with the immeasurable pain and suffering he's caused as a result. That's quietly even scarier than if the Joker wasn't in control of himself. Instead, this idea paints the Joker's actions in the darkest light possible. The Joker isn't a demon or a legend -- he's just a man, and all the things he's done are things a simple man is capable of.