7 Times The Joker Has Killed Batman (Including The New One)

Batman may have a “no kill” rule, but the same cannot be said for the Joker. The Dark Knight’s most infamous foe has a long history of killing in DC Comics, either through direct acts of violence or through his larger schemes designed to put him into conflict with Batman. The Joker is a villain that leaves plenty of bodies in his wake, something made all the more terrifying considering that he treats it all like a joke. He’s the worst of the worst when it comes to Batman villains, and it’s been that way for decades.

But it isn’t just other villains and random innocents that the Joker has killed. There have been times on the pages of DC Comics that the Joker has actually killed Batman, too. While most of the stories of the Joker actually managing to take out the Dark Knight are outside of canon or the deaths are ultimately undone, the Joker does sometimes win and each time, there are real consequences, both for Gotham and for the Clown Prince of Crime himself.

7) The Joker: Endgame

Part of the larger “Endgame” story from Scott Snyder in Batman #35 through Batman #40, The Joker: Endgame is something of an honorable mention on this list because, no one really dies as both Joker and Batman end up resurrected, the story is still pretty brutal and does give Joker a win. After being absent for some time, the Joker returns and is out to end Batman for good. He infects the Justice League with a new strain of Joker toxin, turning them against Batman, unleashes an airborne version on Gotham as a plague, and then reveals himself to be immortal and that he’s planned to take Batman down for years. Joker even cuts off Alfred’s hand at one point.

It turns out that what’s really going on is that the Joker is using a chemical called Dionesium to give him his new powers, which ultimately leads to a showdown between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Dark Knight.  It’s a bloody fight that is particularly brutal for Batman comics with Batman and Joker both gravely injuring each other. As a result of the fight, the cave collapses onto them both, leaving them presumed dead. While Batman does actually survive — turns out that some of the Dionesium got into Batman’s body and he comes back to life — it still counts as a “death” for Batman. When he comes back to life, Batman has no memory of being Batman, which leads to James Gordon donning the cape for a time.

6) “Kill the Batman”

A story in The Joker 89th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular #1 from 2020, “Kill the Batman” is an Elseworlds tale that explores what would actually happen to the Joker if he were to really kill Batman, and it turns out it has a surprisingly (and arguably positive) impact on the Clown Prince of Crime. In the story, Joker finally manages to kill Batman, fulfilling his purpose after. years of antagonizing Batman. However, while the Joker has plans for a final “joke” of sorts by detonating a bomb he’s strapped to himself at the services for Bruce Wayne, he discovers that killing Batman didn’t have the impact he expected and now, he had no purpose.

The story concludes with the Joker giving up crime completely horrified by what he’s done. He instead gets a job with Gotham’s Department of Motor Vehicles and causes issues for people that way instead. A surprisingly quiet story, “Kill the Batman” not only reveals how important Batman is to Joker, as their animosity towards one another quite literally gives Joker his purpose, but also shows how even in death, Batman is a figure that, in some ways, inspires hope.

5) Superman: Emperor Joker

One of the times that the Joker has killed batman actually comes in Superman: Emperor Joker. Mr. Mxyptlk gives the Joker nearly unlimited reality shaping powers and of course, the Joker uses them to remake the universe in his own image. On his demented wish list? Killing all the Robins and Batman, too. The story sees Joker capture Batman and torture him until he does, but this is also the Joker so he doesn’t stop there. Because he is all powerful, the Joker brings Batman back to life and does it all over again.

While the Joker is eventually defeated and, thus, his disturbing reality is undone and Batman lives, it doesn’t leave the Dark Knight without emotional scars as the hero is haunted by his many deaths thanks to his greatest foe. It’s a story that shows off just how sadistic and twisted the Joker really is and stands as a good reminder why he should never, ever have reality warping powers.

4) Knight Terrors: Joker

While the entire Knight Terrors event has its issues (and they are plenty), one of the standouts is when Joker ends up trapped in his own worst nightmare (that’s kind of a theme of Knight Terrors). Joker’s worst nightmare is one in which he accidentally kills Batman in a fight, with the Dark Knight slipping on a rooftop and falling to his death. The death is absolutely anticlimactic and utterly without drama, but more than that Joker has no purpose without Batman, which is why this scenario is his “worst nightmare.”

It’s a decent story that, like “Kill the Batman”, expresses that the Joker can’t continue without Batman. For the Joker, his rivalry with Batman is the core of his very existence which means that while he may bluster a lot about wanting to kill Batman, actually doing it in any capacity simply won’t be satisfying for him.

3) “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”

Back in 2009, DC did a non-canon story in which various figures in Batman’s life — foes and allies alike — come together for Batman’s funeral and they each share their stories about how Batman died. It’s a pretty dark tale, with some of the people explaining how they took the hero out being figures like Alfred and Robin, but the Joker is a key component as well and his version of the story is pretty bleak. The Joker says he kept injecting Batman with Joker Toxin in an attempt to get him to smile, but since Batman would not smile, Joker kept injecting him. Eventually, Batman overdoses and dies.

As is a theme with most stories in which Joker manages to kill Batman, the death doesn’t satisfy him but instead makes him sad as he no longer has his nemesis. Even with the familiar theme, however, the idea that everyone had a tale about Batman’s death makes this a pretty chilling and strange story.

2) “Going Sane”/Legends of the Dark Knight #65

An interesting twist on the idea that without Batman the Joker can’t exist, “Going Sane” from 1994 sees the Joker manage to successfully kill Batman by blowing him up with a bomb. The Joker dumps the hero’s remains in a river and, with the Dark Knight dead, the Joker loses his purpose. However, the key difference here is that instead of it being a loss that leads to emptiness for the Joker, the death of Batman actually seems to cure him. The Joker gets his mind right, fixes his face, changes his name, and starts a brand-new life. He’s actually better for Batman’s death, but unfortunately that does not last. Turns out that Batman survived and when he returns, the Joker goes right back to being, well, the Joker.

While this story leans on the same idea that the Joker needs Batman to exist, the idea that without Batman the Joker could become a healthy member of society underscores a long-running conversation about whether Batman is truly a help or a hindrance to Gotham. It puts a fresh spin on the idea that Batman might be the cause of the problem, rather than the solution.

1) DC K.O.

The most recent instance of the Joker killing Batman is very recent, as in the first issue of DC K.O. The latest DC crossover event comes together around a cosmic combat tournament, Darkseid has become all powerful and has designs on the Heart of Apokolips at the Earth’s core. To stop him, the heroes need to absorb enough Omega Energy from said Heart, but it’s not that easy. They’ll have to fight one another to see who can actually wield the Heart. However, Batman doesn’t even get a chance to fight. Before the heroes can even get to the portal in order to start the tournament, villains show up and join them. Batman ends up dying when the Joker impales him through the chest.

This death is particularly interesting in that, thus far, we’re not seeing the Joker have any sort of existential crisis about his actions. It’s also interesting because, with his dying breath, Batman encourages Superman and it’s what gives him the motivation to continue on for the real fights ahead. Of course, it’s unlikely that Batman will actually stay dead, but right now it’s pretty intense and might be one of the most interesting victories the Joker has had yet.

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