Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #129!Of all the enemies in Batman's rogues' gallery, why is it that the Joker seems to give the Dark Knight the most trouble? Batman finally explains what sets the Clown Prince of Crime apart from the other villains and gives him his disturbing staying power.
Since Bruce Wayne began his crusade to protect Gotham, he's made a number of enemies, particularly out of the city's most colorful and creative villains. But for all the Penguins and Scarecrows, no villain has been as big a thorn in the Caped Crusader's side as the Joker. For years, Batman and the Joker have been locked in an eternal struggle with one another. No matter what the hero does or how he improves his crime-fighting methods, the Joker remains his wiliest foe, always managing to escape and flummox Batman another day. Truly, no villain challenges Batman in the way that Joker does.
And it looks like no one knows why the Joker has earned his spot as Batman's greatest enemy more than the hero himself. In "I Am a Gun Part Two", the backup story of Batman #129 by Chip Zdarsky and Leonardo Romero, a group of chemists has been kidnapped by the Joker, who is demanding medication to treat his unstable moods. Unfortunately, the villain isn't being told what he wants to hear and makes an unexpected move. He pulls out several bombs and begins destroying the building, putting the chemists, Batman, and himself in danger. As Batman attempts to rescue the chemists, he notes that he usually feels prepared when fighting his enemies, but the Joker is the one exception to the rule. Batman even calls him a "whirlwind of chaos", saying his unpredictable nature makes Joker a formidable foe.
How Joker Has Remained Batman's Number One Enemy
In order to become the force for good he is, Batman’s training took him all over the world, where he learned from the deadliest ninjas, assassins, and martial artists. The skills he acquired have helped him rein in his most troublesome villains over the years, but somehow the Joker always manages to slip through Batman’s fingers. It makes sense that being able to throw off Batman’s calculating methods have made him the recurring menace he is.
Bruce Wayne’s ability to prepare for and plan for any possible or potential outcome is one of the oldest comic book memes in the genre. So how exactly does one fight someone when they’ve mastered prep-time like Batman has? Really the only way to counteract high-levels of preparation is to act in chaotic in unexpected ways. Even if Batman could factor in unpredictability, he'd never be able to accurately account for what exactly the Joker could bring out. Acid, bombs, poisons or just a whoopee cushion, the Joker's so random, literally anything is possible. Batman can only account for so much, putting him a disadvantage against the clown. The other Gotham-based villains have their own skills, but Joker's madness keeps him at the top of Batman's enemies list.