After 86 years, DC is massively changing the entire dynamic of Batman and Joker

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Batman #7

For 86 years, Batman and the Joker had one of the most definitive superhero-supervillain rivalries in comics. Viewing The Dark Knight as both his greatest enemy and his best friend, DC has given the Joker a new status quo that massively redefines his entire dynamic.

In the latest issue of Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez in progress Batman seriesThe Dark Knight finally meets “Patient

Although it is not surprising that Patient X is indeed the Joker, what is shocking is the old clown prince’s conversation with Batman when the Dark Knight comes to visit him in the new Batman #7 (and more precisely how their speech ends).

Clearly, Batman doesn’t trust Joker’s new “Patient X” status quo at all

For an unknown duration, Joker underwent treatment at Arkham Tower under the supervision of Doctor Zeller, held in a room with an electrified floor while floating in an insulated suspended tank, and connected to various wires and the Storm Crown.

In theory, the Crown removes the neurological patterns that fuel the Joker’s murderous compulsions, hence why he has been portrayed as so strangely calm and unusually polite.

However, this issue confirms that “Patient While this is deeply unsettling and disturbing, Batman of course doesn’t buy it for a second.

After all Batman endured and experienced at the hands of the Jokerthere is no universe in which the Caped Crusader simply accepts that Joker is cured. Even if The Crown truly rewrites the Joker’s brain chemistry, it’s highly unlikely that The Dark Knight will ever completely let down his guard.

Whether all this is legitimate or not, the rules have changed 100% with this “New Joker”. Plus, the danger the classic nemesis poses to Batman has likely increased if the final page is any indication.

DC’s New Joker Change Could Have Major Consequences…For Bruce Wayne

This is where things get really crazy with this seemingly not crazy Joker in Batman #7.

Towards the end of their conversation, Joker asks Doctor Zeller to agree to mute the room, ensuring that no one will hear the main reason Joker wanted to speak with Batman. Apparently, Joker has learned that someone is not coming to kill Batman, but Bruce Wayne. Not Batman. Bruce.

It has long been implied and sometimes outright confirmed that The Joker knows that Bruce Wayne is Batmanthe Clown Prince of Crime never really cared, his attention always being on Batman (the true face of Gotham’s greatest protector). However, this major change in status quo for Joker and his newfound clarity shows him not only outright recognizing Batman’s secret identity, but also expressing concern for Bruce Wayne.

Whether that concern is real, manipulative, or something in between doesn’t really matter, because the Joker paying attention to Bruce fundamentally changes his dynamic, especially if we end up with a freed Joker who is still dark with criminal tendencies, having become much more focused (and therefore more dangerous) thanks to the Crown.

If the Crown of Storms provided the Joker with greater clarity but not complete rehabilitation, Zeller’s device may have accomplished something unprecedented in Gotham. Then again, Joker could simply adapt, using his current situation to present rehabilitation as a cover-up or a long game (just as Batman suspects).

Anyway, it is unlikely that Joker will ever be fully cured in the main DC universewhich means the stakes are no longer just about Batman vs. Joker. It’s also about Bruce now. Either way, we can be sure that their conflict and dynamic will intensify in unprecedented ways in the future.

Batman #7 is available now from DC Comics.

Created by

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

First appearance

Detective comics

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

CC