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While Batman and the Joker are destined to fight each other forever, the Clown Prince of Crime has already killed the Dark Knight multiple times. Batman and the Joker’s feud is one of the most timeless rivalries in pop culture. Their conflict has evolved into a reflection of each other’s very existence. Neither can stop hunting the other, yet neither truly dares to pull the trigger. In the vast multiverse of DC Comics, even the most improbable outcomes have taken place at least once. Alternate timelines and Elseworlds stories have explored several possible endings to Batman and the Joker's feud. Sometimes, Batman and the Joker die together; sometimes, Batman crosses his moral line and kills the Joker. And on rare occasions, it’s the Joker who finally kills Batman. 7 The Joker Shoots An Armored Batman With A Prop Gun DC K.O. #1; Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Javier Fernández, Xermanico, and Alejandro Sánchez The Justice League's attempt to stop Darkseid from taking over all of existence leads them to participate in a tournament. Although Batman is equipped with impenetrable armor, the Dark Knight ends up being one of the even's earliest casualties. The Joker shoots Batman from the back with a "Bang!" flag pistol, removing him from the tournament as soon as it begins. As is tradition for the Caped Crusader, Batman doesn't really die. Still, Batman's elimination from DC K.O.'s tournament is one of the Joker's most clear-cut victories, as well as one of Batman's most humiliating defeats. That said, the fact that the Joker doesn't seem to care too much about shooting Batman makes his triumph rather anticlimactic. 6 The Joker & Batman Have One Final Battle Underneath Gotham City The Joker: Endgame; Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV; Art by Greg Capullo, Becky Cloonan, and Brenden Fletcher The Joker: Endgame works as the definitive Batman vs. Joker story. The Joker infects the Justice League and all of Gotham with his toxin, which leads the two to fight over the cure, Dionesium, in a cave deep beneath the city. In a moment that feels both inevitable and poetic, the two icons fight to the death as the cavern collapses around them, seemingly killing both. As a story, Endgame delivers the sense of finality that a perfect final Batman-Joker confrontation should have. It feels like the perfect closing act to decades of psychological war. However, its emotional punch is slightly undercut when it's later revealed that the Dionesium in the cave kept both Joker and Batman from dying. What's worse, the fact that Joker is incapacitated by a falling rock as Batman struggles to contain him reinforces the idea that luck is one of Batman's few superpowers. 5 The Joker Overdoses Batman With Joker Toxin Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?; Written by Neil Gaiman; Art by Andy Kubert and Scott Williams In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Batman’s death is told through multiple conflicting accounts from his rogues and allies, with the Joker’s version standing out as the most absurd. In his version of the events, Joker finally kills Batman by overdosing him with Joker toxin. But instead of satisfaction, the Joker feels as though his entire identity collapses. The multiple points of view allow this version of Batman's death to hit harder, even if it’s brief. The Joker’s sadness mirrors Batman’s own existential tragedy over his sole purpose, and the plot deliberately echoes the celebration of a hero's legacy that makes Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? so iconic. On the other hand, it avoids digging deeply into the psychology of Joker’s loss. 4 The Joker Is Cured After Killing Batman Legends of the Dark Knight - "Going Sane"; Written by J.M. DeMatteis; Art by Joe Staton, Steve Mitchell and Digital Chameleon In Legends of the Dark Knight, the Joker seemingly kills Batman after a brutal confrontation. With Batman dead, the Clown Prince of Crime regains his sanity. He heals his face, adopts the name “Joe Kerr”, and begins living a peaceful, almost wholesome life, free from his obsession. This story doubles down on the idea that Batman is the reason the Joker exists. Once Batman reappears, all of Joker’s fragile sanity breaks apart, and he instantly returns to his former self. For this version of the Joker, sanity and meaning simply can't coexist. 3 The Joker Regrets Killing Batman And Becomes A Nuisance The Joker 89th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular #1 - "Kill the Batman"; Written by Gary Whitta and Greg Miller; Art by Dan Mora and Ivan Plascencia In the Joker's 89th Anniversary celebration comic, the Clown Prince of Crime achieves the unthinkable and kills Batman. He then tries to self-immolate at Bruce Wayne’s funeral, but suddenly realizes he can’t follow through with the plan. The reality of his own success horrifies him. Without Batman, his entire purpose evaporates. What follows is an absurd yet darkly fitting evolution for the Joker. Rather than becoming a reformed man or making a drastic decision to cope with his regret, the Joker redirects his chaos into the mundane task of tormenting civilians as a DMV employee. This outcome captures the Joker's essence better than stories that attempt to cure him. It understands that Joker can never get rid of his mischief; he can only redirect it. 2 The Joker Loses His Sense Of Purpose By Killing Batman In His Worse Nightmare Knight Terrors: The Joker; Written by Matthew Rosenberg; Art by Stefano Raffaele and Romulo Fajardo Jr. In Knight Terrors, the Joker is forced to face his own worst nightmare: a world without Batman. In his dream, Joker accidentally kills the Dark Knight during one of their usual rooftop brawls when Batman slips and falls to his death. Batman's unexpected demise leaves the Joker appalled, having realized he unintentionally eliminated his life's entire purpose. While the event is a nightmare scenario, Batman's accidental death in Knight Terrors is probably the best iteration of the Joker's victory. The Joker’s worst nightmare is the unbearable monotony of victory. The fact that he doesn't intend to kill Batman perfectly encapsulates the idea that he never actually wants to harm his lifelong nemesis. Even better, the Joker's punishment is simply a boring life. 1 Emperor Joker Rewrites Reality To Kill Batman Over And Over Superman: Emperor Joker; Written by Jeff Joeb; Art by Ed McGuiness, Cam Smith, Tanya Horie, and Richard Horie In Superman: Emperor Joker, the Joker gains a fraction of Mr. Mxyzptlk's Fifth-Dimensional abilities, which he uses to reshape reality. Naturally, the Joker captures Batman, kills him, resurrects him, and does it again and again indefinitely. Every death is another twisted joke for the Joker’s amusement and further humiliation for Batman. This might be the most authentic version of the Joker killing Batman to date. Even as a god, the Joker’s idea of paradise is to torture and kill Batman forever. Although Batman's deaths are eventually undone, they truly count as victories for the Joker and rare instances of the Dark Knight meeting his end.
