Summary

• Batman's 'nasty' line shows he's willing to meet villains on their level.
• DC should move away from monosyllabic Batman and give him more creatively unhinged dialogue for entertaining storytelling.
• Batman's threat to Joker highlights his punch-first, talk-never crime-fighting style, contrasting with other heroes.

Joker is a line that goes so hard it's guaranteed to become a favorite among fans for its pure unhingedness and "nasty" factor. Not only is this quote immensely entertaining, but it also underscores a major criticism in modern-day Batman comics that DC should seriously consider rectifying.

Batman's 'nasty' line highlights his punch-first, talk-never crime-fighting style.

Batman / Dylan Dog #3, by Roberto Recchioni, Werther Dell'Edera, Gigi Cavenago, and Giovanna Niro, the Dark Knight teams up with Nightmare Investigator Dylan Dog for the mini-series finale. In this issue, the duo hunts both the Joker and the newly resurrected serial killer Christopher Killex.

Batman’s search for the Clown Prince of Crime leads to an unsurprisingly violent encounter with the Joker. Before the battle ensues, though, the Dark Knight delivers one of his wildest lines to date: "If you want nasty... I can do nasty."

“I Can Do Nasty”: New Batman Quote Drops And Proves Something Quintessential About His Character

To give context to Batman’s “nasty” line, the Joker is in an exceptionally foul mood when Bruce finally confronts him. The clown warns Batman, “Leave me alone, Batsy. I’ve had a terrible day, and on days like this, I become nasty!” The Joker’s “terrible day” refers to his ‘break-up’ with his best friend forever, Christopher Killex. Visually, the Joker is shown holding a nail-ridden bat and wearing an unusually serious expression. But instead of trying to de-escalate the situation, Batman decides to meet the Joker on his level by declaring, “I can do nasty.”

Batman's 'nasty' line reveals a lot about Bruce as a hero and how he operates. It shows that Batman is more than willing to meet his villains on their level, and if they want to get violent, he is ready to match them blow for blow. This is in sharp contrast to heroes like Nightwing, Bruce’s first Robin, who try to de-escalate their encounters with villains as much as possible before resorting to violence (see: Nightwing #100 by Tom King). Granted, most heroes probably wouldn’t try reasoning with the Joker first, but it still highlights Batman’s punch-first, talk-never crime-fighting style.

DC Needs Less Monosyllabic Batman and More “Nasty” Batman in Future Narratives

"I can do nasty" is an exceptionally fun yet in-character line for Batman, highlighting the need for DC to move away from the usual overly serious and monosyllabic responses and give their Dark Knight more creatively unhinged and entertaining dialogue. This simple line is incredibly memorable, adding depth to the scene instead of just having Bruce jump into a brutal beatdown of the Joker. Recchioni truly shows his mastery of the writing craft, with this Batman line being just one example of the dynamic and quick-witted dialogue employed in the series.

Batman / Dylan Dog #3 is available now from DC Comics.