There is perhaps no greater rivalry in comic books than between Batman and the Joker. The two have been bitter enemies since Batman #1 in 1940, and their war has played out all across the greater DC multiverse with frightening consequences for a number of characters in Gotham and beyond.
The two characters completely define the other, with Batman's strict refusal to kill as the number one reason why the Joker persists as such a dangerous antagonist. The Joker is nothing without Batman, a figure of order and justice who he believes somehow still occupies the same dark that he does in any universe.
Updated on March 19th, 2022 by Darby Harn: The Joker is never far from Batman, as audiences discovered in the final moments of the greatest Batman villain of all time, and their rivalry has taken many dramatic twists and turns in the many decades since their iconic first confrontation. Some of their most bitter moments have come in recent years, perhaps influencing how the next chapter in their live-action story will progress.
For A Long Time, It Wasn't A Rivalry
Though the Joker is considered Batman's greatest villain and perhaps the greatest villain in all of comics, their rivalry was all but suspended in the 60s. For four years between 1969 and 1973, the character didn't appear in Batman comics at all. This followed a period through most of the 60s where he appeared less and less.
His position as the best villain in one of the greatest Rogues Galleries in all of comic books was re-established with Batman #251. "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" featured the return of a more sinister Joker, written by Denny O'Neill.
Clown Prince Of Darkness
Like Batman, the Joker has teetered back and forth between periods of scary and silly. Fans may not know that very early on, the rivalry between Batman and the Joker was very dangerous. The Clown Prince of Crime routinely killed people, either by shooting them or infecting them with his Joker Venom, a forerunner of the toxin he'd use in later incarnations.
During the course of his early appearances in the comics, he derailed a train with dozens of people on it and made repeated attempts to kill both Batman and Robin that wouldn't seem out of place to modern readers.
Death Of The Joker
There are many great origin stories of the Joker in DC Comics, but his first issue was almost his last. In the second story he appears in Batman #1 from 1940, the Joker is stabbed and appears to die on . That was actually intended to be the end of the character.
The character was salvaged by the editor of the series at the time, Whitney Ellsworth, who felt that the character had potential. Ellsworth's prescient decision allowed an instantly iconic character to go on to become one of the most popular characters in popular culture.
The Man Behind The Red Hood
Part of the reason the rivalry is so toxic is that it began literally in a vat of toxic chemicals. At least, it might have. One of the myriad origin stories of the Joker involves Batman shoving or letting the Joker fall into these chemicals. The first version of this story appeared in Detective Comics #168.
At the time, the Joker is a common criminal in Gotham called the Red Hood. Versions of this story would reappear in later iterations of DC Comics canon, along with various TV shows and movies, but the Joker's true origin remains a mystery to this day.
The Joker Kills Batman (And Brings Him Back)
One of the times the Joker proved he was an absolute monster was when he killed Batman. This grisly end came about when the Joker became Emperor Joker by acquiring the cosmic power of Mister Mxyzptlk.
The Joker capitalizes on their rivalry by not just killing Batman once, but once every day for a very long time and in the worst ways imaginable. Batman is only saved by Superman, but the trauma of his experience is so great that Batman can't deal with it. The Spectre transfers his anguish to Superman, who shoulders it for his friend and colleague.
Batman Saves The Joker
Fans might expect Batman to be okay with any harm befalling the Joker after his experience, but he actually saves the Joker from dying at the hands of Nightwing. When Dick Grayson beats the Joker to death after mistakenly thinking that Tim Drake had been killed by the supervillain, Batman resuscitates him.
The Joker: Last Laugh mini-series takes an unexpected turn when Batman performs R on his enemy to make sure Dick Grayson doesn't go down as a murderer. It wouldn't be the only time that Batman would keep Joker alive.
Death of Jason Todd
The Joker's rivalry with Batman has resulted in devastating consequences for both. One of the most consequential moments of their rivalry occurred in "A Death of the Family," one of the best Batman comics of the 1980s where Joker kills Jason Todd.
His murder of the second Robin was unimaginable in comic books before this period and would cast a long dark shadow over Batman and all of his adventures into the present day, forever altering his approach to relationships with friends and allies.
Under The Hood
Jason Todd's brutal murder at the hands of the Joker is one of the most shocking deaths in DC Comics history. It would make sense that a revived Todd would gun for the Joker, but he probably didn't expect Batman to stand his way.
Jason Todd takes on the Red Hood persona once associated with the Joker to force Batman into a situation where he has to kill the Joker, but despite all the terrible things that have transpired in their rivalry, Batman refuses to break his code. He knows if he did kill the Joker, it wouldn't end there.
The Killing Joke
The Joker has been a monster from the very beginning of his comic book career, but one of the most monstrous events in his rivalry with Batman occurs in The Killing Joke. In this late 80s graphic novel, the Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon.
This story, written by legendary comic book writer Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, has had a tremendous influence on the comics and the movies, and Barbara most of all. Barbara Gordon would remain paralyzed for decades and become the hacker Oracle.
