Three Jokers follows Batman as he investigates several ongoing crimes by the Joker occurring simultaneously, which may be related to the possibility that there may be more than one Joker operating in Gotham City. [1] Meanwhile, Arthur has been arrested and is being taken by the police. Arthur looks out the window and laughs gleefully as he sees the destruction and chaos he has caused. Just then, the clowns in an ambulance run into the car, killing the cops and freeing Arthur, who is injured and unconscious. When he awakes, Arthur finds himself surrounded by a mob of cheering mobsters in clown masks. The rioters then cheer Arthur on as he stands on a car and embraces their admiration, now that he has gotten the recognition he has long desired. He dances to their cheering and then pauses, finding that his nose is bleeding profusely. He then spreads the blood across his upper lip and grins before standing before them, elevated like a god. a b c d e Schuchman, Matthew (December 4, 2012). "Interview: Christopher Nolan". Verbicide Magazine. New Haven, Connecticut: Scissor Press . Retrieved May 12, 2018. Arthur then dyes his hair green, puts on full clown make-up, and dons a burgundy suit. He then dances down the stairways, fully embracing his insanity and carefree life. Burke and Garrity find Arthur dancing in the street and move in to arrest him. Arthur runs, and they chase him into the subway train where dozens of other Gotham citizens are dressed like clowns after being inspired by the murders. Arthur hides his face with a clown mask, which he steals from a protester and inadvertently starts a brawl in the train cars. As the detectives pursue Arthur, one clown gets in the way, and Burke accidentally shoots him dead when they struggle with his gun. The clowns pull the detectives out of the subway and start beating them relentlessly, allowing Arthur to get away, moving smoothly through the police forces which swarm the area.

In that first meeting when I showed them that sketch of the Joker, Bill said it reminded him of Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs. That was the first mention of it... He can be credited and Bob himself, we all played a role in it. The concept was mine. Bill finished that first script from my outline of the persona and what should happen in the first story. He wrote the script of that, so he really was co-creator, and Bob and I did the visuals, so Bob was also. [13]Manning 2011, pp.24, 27. Not coincidentally, DC found it easier to market their comics to kids without the salacious overtones of the pulp magazines from which many superhero comics had sprung. In the 1990 graphic novel Batman: Digital Justice created by Pepe Moreno, an artificial intelligence calling itself the "Joker Virus" takes over a futuristic, technology-dependent Gotham City in the late 21st century and claims to be the reincarnation of its creator, the original Joker. Batman, in this version the grandson of Commissioner James W. Gordon, stops the virus with help from another A.I.: the Batcomputer, as programmed by the long-dead Bruce Wayne. Another graphic novel, called simply Joker, focuses on the character in a more gritty, realistic version of the Batman mythos.

a b Carroll, Larry (March 18, 2008). " 'Dark Knight' Stars, Director Want Film To 'Celebrate' Heath Ledger's Work". New York City: MTV . Retrieved April 27, 2008. The 1942 cover of Detective Comics #69, known as "Double Guns" (with the Joker emerging from a genie's lamp, aiming two guns at Batman and Robin), is considered one of the greatest superhero comic covers of the Golden Age and is the only image from that era of the character using traditional guns. Robinson said that other contemporary villains used guns, and the creative team wanted the Joker—as Batman's adversary—to be more resourceful. [23] [24] Silver Age Within the Batman franchise, the most effective characterisations of the Joker have him tottering dangerously between comedic whimsy and psychopathic sadism – that liminal space in which, arguably, all great comedy occurs. Heath Ledger is magnificent. The Joker, incarnated with chilling authority by the actor, is simply one of the most twisted and mesmerizing creeps in movie history."

The man who was The Joker". Den of Geek. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013 . Retrieved February 20, 2014. Gallagher, Simon (September 1, 2013). "10 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Ruined Batman For Everyone". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013 . Retrieved October 12, 2013. Dressing the Joker". IGN. Los Angeles, California: J2 Global. February 25, 2008 . Retrieved August 9, 2021. The frequency with which mass shootings now occur in America (in 2012 James Holmes killed 12 people at a screening of The Dark Night in Aurora, Colorado) has also lead to concerns about how the story will be read. The same Indiewire review criticised the film as “a toxic rallying cry for self-pitying incels”.