Warning! Spoilers for Batman: Three Jokers #3 below!
The DC Comics Batman: Three Jokers miniseries has reached its end and in its grand finale, the story rewrites a key moment from one of the most classic Batman stories ever. In the final issue, it's revealed that the Joker's family (before he turned into the villain) from Batman: The Killing Joke is still alive and Batman knows it.
In Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's iconic Batman: The Killing Joke series, Joker's time as a failed comedian is explored. Before turning into the Clown Prince of Crime, he's shown as a struggling comedian who's struggling to put food on the table for his pregnant wife. However, it's later revealed that Joker's wife and unborn child were killed in a freak electrical accident at home. While their death's lead Joker down a spiral towards villainy, Batman: Three Jokers reveals that the accident was faked.
In an audacious rewriting of Moore and Bolland's story, Batman: Three Jokers #3 by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh shows that the Joker's wife and child never died in an accident and are still alive. After taking down the third and final Joker, the Comedian, Bruce Wayne tells Alfred that he's known the Joker's real name the entire time. The scene then shows Bruce driving in Alaska. Bruce looks into the home and sees a young boy and his mom eating dinner. It turns out his wife was afraid that the Joker would never let her leave him and started a new life far away from him in Alaska.
It's bold for Johns to rewrite such an important part of the Joker's origin. While keeping his wife and son alive and a secret doesn't change the Joker's descent into madness as he still believes they're dead, it can be argued the retelling adds a new layer to the Comedian's turbulent nature. Even before morphing into the Joker his wife was afraid of him. She got out before his true persona emerged.
It's an interesting twist, but largely, it has a questionable impact. It's a story-ending reveal that doesn't really change much for the Joker, nor does it tease anything interesting to come - unless Johns has plans to explore the Joker's family in a future series. While the reveal lines up with Batman: The Killing Joke, it largely feels empty and more about shock value than having something to say. We know the Joker is and was a bad guy. The Killing Joke told his origin story perfectly - this new information seems like a needless rewrite to connect Batman: Three Jokers, to The Killing Joke.