Patton Oswalt Shares Compelling Theory About 'The Dark Knight's Joker

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is widely regarded as one of the best genre movies ever released. With a 4.47/5.00 score in the ComicBook.com Composite Rankings, it's the highest-rated movie on our site and it rocks an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes — oh, and the movie raked in over $1 billion at the box office.

The movie has stood the test of time, being discussed regularly despite being released a decade ago. Now, actor and pop culture aficionado Patton Oswalt has released his own theory on the origins of the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of iconic Batman villain The Joker.

Expanding on a popular fan theory of the Joker being ex-military, Oswalt took it a step further with thoughts that the villain might actually be former military intelligence.

"He seems to be very good at the kind of mind-f***ery that sustained, professional interrogation requires. His boast about how "I know the squealers" when he sees one," Oswlat said in a Facebook post. "The way he adjusts his personality and methods depending on who he's talking to, and knowing EXACTLY the reaction he'll get: mocking Gamble's manhood; invoking terror to Brian, the "false" Batman; teasing the policeman's sense of loyalty to his fallen, fellow cops; digging into Gordon's isolation; appealing to Harvey Dent's hunger for "fairness." He even conducts a "reverse interrogation" with Batman when he's in the box at the police station — wanting to see how "far" Batman will go, trying to make him break his "one rule.""

Oswalt continued on about the Joker's interrogating techniques.

"In the end, he ends up trying to mind-fuck an entire city — and the city calls his bluff. Or is that what he wanted all along? He plummets to his seeming death, laughing like a child. And when he's rescued by Batman, the one individual he couldn't manipulate or break, he's blissful and relieved (and, visually, turned on his head)."

To read Oswalt's full theory, see the embedded Facebook post below.

What do you think of Oswalt's theory? Do you think The Joker has some CIA-type experience? Let us know in the comments below!