Warning! This article contains SPOILERS forDetective Comics#1099Batmanreveals which kind of villain is the most dangerous, and his description suitsthe Jokerperfectly. For decades,Batman has tried to stop the Jokerfor good in countless different ways. Yet, regardless of how hard the Dark Knight tries to stop him, the Clown Prince of Crime is bound to remain Gotham’s biggest threat.
InDetective Comics #1099, written by Tom Taylor, Batman reflects on Ambrose’s decision to open fire on his own men, which caused one of the villain’s close allies to be gravely injured. Seeing Ambrose betray a man he has known for more than a human lifetime reminds Batman of his worst kind of enemy.As Batman explains, the most dangerous criminals are"those without empathy."
The Joker isn’t involved in Elixir’s nefarious business, but Batman’s description of Ambrose’s aberrant methods perfectly explains why the Joker is Batman’s archnemesis despite his lack of superpowers.
The Joker’s Lack Of Empathy Makes Him Completely Irredeemable
Detective Comics #1099; Written by Tom Taylor; Art by Lee Garbett and Lee Loughridge
Batman’s rogues may be particularly dreadful in comparison to other heroes' foes, but most of Gotham’s A-list criminals have at least one weak spot.Physically monstrous villains like Killer Crocand Clayface cherish the humanity beneath their power, pragmatic criminals like the Penguin and Mister Freeze have their own set of morals, and twisted minds like the Riddler and Scarecrow sometimes recover their judgment and retire.
The Joker is eager to betray his allies and increase the casualty count just to spite Batman
Meanwhile,the Joker is the personification of pure chaos. He often plays his cards in a way that helps him gain power in Gotham, or he adds social commentary to his attacks. However, the Joker’s goals are almost always centered exclusively on causing as much damage as possible, and he doesn’t care how many innocent people need to die in the process. The Joker is eager to betray his allies and increase the casualty count just to spite Batman.
The Joker’s Lack Of Empathy Is The Perfect Challenge For Batman’s No-Kill Rule
Batman & The Joker Are Trapped In An Unbreakable Cycle
The Joker is incapable of remorse or rehabilitation. No prison holds him for long, no treatment changes him, and no level of containment fully prevents his chaos. Batman knows this, but he continues to adhere to his no-kill code. As a result,Batman and the Joker are locked in an unbreakable cycle where the Joker constantly escalates his violence and Batman frustrates the Joker’s attempts to pull him down into bloodthirst.
Ruthless enemies like Elixir’s Ambrose exhibit the same dangerous characteristics as the Joker, though Batman usually finds creative ways to neutralize them. With the Joker, these options never truly exist. No gadget, strategy, or long-term plan preventsthe Joker’s return. The bestBatmancan do is minimize the casualties and brace for the next round.
