The Joker and Batman are one of the most iconic villain and hero duos in the entirety of pop culture. Indeed, there's a number of ways to try and understand the Joker's story in the comics, but on screen and in video games there have been countless different portrayals.

RELATED: Joker & 9 Other Comic Book Movies That Won Academy Awards, Ranked By IMDb

The Joker and Batman have quite a strange dynamic as well. The bizarre nature of the clown prince of crime means that he has sometimes found his relationship with his arch-enemy to be flirtatious and at other times completely full of hate. In comics, video games, and on-screen in movies and TV shows, there are plenty of great examples of this shifting status quo.

Hate: The Dark Knight Interrogation

the dark knight interrogation scene

A number of actors were considered to play the Joker in The Dark Knight but none could have pulled it off quite like the late Heath Ledger. Winning an Oscar for his performance, many point to the interrogation scene to demonstrate how much hatred there was between the two men.

While Joker continued to laugh off the aggression of Batman, it's clear to see that the caped crusader is no longer playing games. The violence he uses is borderline shocking as his desperation to find the woman he loves reaches boiling point.

Flirtation: The Joker's Death In Arkham City

Joker Arkham City death

The Joker and Batman have fought one another on many different platforms, but the Arkham series of games is perhaps one of the most well-received of their adventures. Arkham City saw the shocking demise of the harlequin of hate.

The irony was that as the Joker lay there dying from his own poisons, it is revealed that after everything Batman still would have saved him. It's a joke that Joker finds pretty funny, with the two almost realizing their love for one another in a twisted way. Bruce carries Joker's body from the theatre almost in a sign of respect.

Hate: Arresting The Clown In Suicide Squad

Joker grabs a thug's neck in Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad introduced yet another version of the Joker, played by Jared Leto and playing into theories that perhaps a 'three Jokers' story could happen on the big screen. This version of the character was a somewhat more controversial portrayal.

RELATED: Batman: 5 Reasons The Mask Of Phantasm Is The Best Animated Movie (& 5 Reasons It’s Return of the Joker)

What was more shocking in the film is that Batman actually had a cameo. He was happy to crash Joker's car putting him in danger. He was completely cold and full of hate towards the man that presumably killed his previous Robin.

Flirtation: Becoming Joker In Arkham Knight

Batman and the Joker(s) in Arkham Knight

The Arkham games continue to create an interesting dynamic between Batman and the Joker. During Arkham Knight Bruce Wayne is still suffering from the effects of Joker's poisons from the previous game. The result of this is that the clown prince follows him in his head.

As Batman continues to slowly morph into Joker, their relationship shifts. At some notable stages it's flirtatious and jokey, although the game of course culminates with Batman quite literally kicking the Joker out of his mind for good.

Hate: Brotherly Connection In Joker

Arthur puts his fingers in Bruce Wayne’s mouth in Joker

Joker is a truly unsettling movie partly because it's unclear what Arthur Fleck is actually going to do. At one stage he is entirely convinced that he is the brother of Bruce Wayne and even pays the young child a visit (that is, until he indirectly gets his parents killed).

There's something deeply traumatic about this meeting and there's a clear amount of resentment from Arthur towards Bruce. There's a little fear in Bruce in the moment, but the majority of the hatred can be felt from Joker who has been turned away too many times and hasn't been given the same life as his supposed brother.

Flirtation: The Bat Bike In The Dark Knight

Batman rides on his motocycle in the streets of Gotham in The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight has a number of breath-taking sequences but one in particular always stands out. There's something quite relentless about the Joker who wants to prove that Batman really is one bad day from being just like him. One scene involves him trying to get the dark knight to hit him with his motorcycle.

RELATED: Justice League: 10 Ways Fans Hope Batman & The Joker Meet In The Snyder Cut

There's a strange flirtation here as the two are locked in the most dangerous game of chicken. Batman can't go through  with it no matter how much hate is within him. It's a perverse version of flirtation of course, but there's an emotional bond here that isn't seen in many other iterations.

Hate: Killing Lois In Injustice

Superman kills the Joker in Injustice

The Joker has done some truly despicable things across his career, but none more so than murdering Lois Lane in cold blood. This is an event that pushed Superman over the age, ultimately leading to him killing the clown prince of crime himself.

The moment took place in the Injustice games and indeed the tie-in comics. Batman felt utter hatred for Joker in this moment, not just for his crimes but how he managed to completely warp the mind of one of his best friends.

Flirtation: John Doe's Obsession In Telltale

An image of The Joker in Telltale's Batman game 

The Telltale games have really put a different twist on these famous characters and for Joker he originally started out as the very plain John Doe. Doe was obsessed with Batman though, resulting in his first meeting with him being really quite flirtatious.

What's more, he got a little bit jealous when he noticed that Bruce was in turn flirting with Selina Kyle. It was a moment he wouldn't forget and although he tried to turn what he learned towards charming Harley Quinn, an intriguing dynamic had been set up between the two.

Hate: Jerome's Circus Kidnapping In Gotham

gotham jerome queen takes knight

Jerome would eventually become a version of the Joker in Gotham and there were certainly a number of episodes to tease this eventual transformation (with the inclusion of his twin brother of course). The circus episode was by far the most memorable though.

Jerome was initially introduced to audiences in the circus, after killing his mother. He would later return, kidnapping Bruce Wayne and subjecting people to a number of torturous games which Bruce found to be barbaric. He had an intense hatred for this monster throughout these scenes.

Flirtation: Joker And Batman's Final Fight In Batman 89

Batman holding the Joker in Batman

Jack Nicholson's Joker is very unique, but in his final fight with Batman there wasn't hatred and cruelty but almost a flirtation with danger. The Joker enjoyed annoying him and pushing him further, pulling all sorts of gags out almost to impress the caped crusader.

Even as the Joker tumbled to his death he still had a smile on his face. This says a lot about the character, he was enjoying himself the most when he was playing these strange games with Batman.

NEXT: Batman: 5 Reasons The Killing Joke Is The Best Joker Story (& 5 Why It's White Knight)