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 Batman. A new incarnation of the character is teased, setting up future appearances in sequels to the movie and possibly spinoff streaming series ala The Penguin on HBO Max. The Joker is in the minds of many if not most comic book fans 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 panel. 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 CPR 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.
The White Knight
There are infinite versions of Batman and the Joker throughout the DC Comics multiverse, and their rivalry sometimes takes on strange dimensions. One of the strangest is in The White Knight storyline, where an encounter between the two enemies ends with the Joker turning a new leaf after Batman forces him to take stolen pills.
Their dynamic is turned upside down when this reformed Joker ends up aligning with the Gotham City Police Department to form an anti-terrorism unit dedicated to stopping vigilantes like Batman.
Flashpoint
The multiverse also gives fans the rivalry's most unique depiction. In the alternate reality of the Flashpoint comic book event, Batman and Joker are husband and wife. This is because the two are actually Thomas and Martha Wayne, the parents of Bruce Wayne, who in this story was killed by Joe Chill.
The death of her son drives Martha Wayne into madness and Thomas Wayne on a quest to avenge Bruce. Things end tragically when the Martha Joker dies by suicide after discovering that the proper timeline has her son become Batman and the greatest enemy of the Joker.
Endgame
In The Dark Knight, one of if not the best Batman movie ever, the Joker tells Batman 'we'll be doing this for a long time.' That may be more true than anyone knows in the comics. In the storyline "Endgame," it seems that the Joker has actually been alive for a long time.
Worse than that, it seems that he could be immortal. Though it's never confirmed, this idea would explain the Joker's endless escapes from death (including his original apparent death in Batman #1 from 1940) as well as his many substantial injuries, like having his face cut off.
The Joker's Real Name
Despite decades of being bitter enemies who know each other perhaps better than anyone else, Batman doesn't know Joker's true name. At least he didn't until he sat in the Mobius Chair in "The Darkseid War" comic book storyline and learned the Joker's true name.
The name is withheld from the reader, but it stuns Batman. Despite the story appearing in 2015, the name still hasn't been revealed and is unlikely to, as it might dispel the mystique of the character. It does suggest that Joker is much closer to Batman or Bruce Wayne perhaps than he had realized.
The Truth Is Confused
In the same way that the Joker plays with the truth of his origin, it's possible Batman is doing the same thing with their rivalry. In The Three Jokers mini-series form 2020, Bruce Wayne reveals that he had known Joker's true identity from a week after he had first encountered him.
This is in direct conflict with what's presented in the Mobius Chair incident as well as established canon throughout DC Comics history, where Batman doesn't know the truth. It could be the uncertain nature of DC canon, or it could be that Batman's vision of their rivalry is as fluid as the Joker's.
No Man's Land
A major comic book storyline likely to have some bearing on the future of The Batman sequels is No Man's Land. Gotham is flooded at the end of the movie, and in the comic book storyline, a massive earthquake strikes the city which the Joker exploits.
His rivalry with Batman goes to new heights when Joker takes control of a portion of the beleaguered city. Jokerville becomes his personal kingdom. His unchecked power results in some of the most egregious and consequential moments in his long war with Batman.