Batman: The Killing Joke
Movie, 2016, Animated films, Set in An origin for the Joker
Batman: The Killing Joke is #20 of 26 in release order and #21 of 26 in chronological order in the Batman.
The story
As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.
Batman: The Killing Joke recap
The film opens with a long prologue about Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, who becomes obsessed with a young gangster and has a strained, briefly romantic partnership with Batman before giving up the cowl. The main story follows Alan Moore's comic: the Joker escapes Arkham, shoots Barbara through the spine, kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and tortures him in a derelict amusement park, trying to prove that one bad day can drive anyone mad. Flashbacks show one version of the Joker's past, as a failed comedian whose pregnant wife dies and who falls into a vat of chemicals during a robbery.
Batman: The Killing Joke ending explained
Gordon stays sane, and Batman finds the Joker and offers to help him. The Joker tells him a joke about two inmates escaping an asylum, and both laugh as the police arrive; the scene ends ambiguously as the laughter stops and only the rain is heard.
Post-credits scenes
Yes. In a mid-credits scene, Barbara, using a wheelchair, sets up her computer and starts working as Oracle.
Where to watch Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke is streaming on YouTube (free) and HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 35%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Gotham, before The Lego Batman Movie.
- Chronological order: after Batman: Year One, before Batman: Under the Red Hood.
What to watch before Batman: The Killing Joke
In release order, the essentials before Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) are Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Batman: Year One (2011), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012), and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013).
Cast
- Kevin Conroy as Batman (voice)
- Mark Hamill as The Joker (voice)
- Tara Strong as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl (voice)
- Ray Wise as Commissioner Gordon (voice)
- John DiMaggio as Francesco (voice)
- Robin Atkin Downes as Detective Bullock (voice)
- Brian George as Alfred (voice)
- JP Karliak as Reese (voice)
- Andrew Kishino as Murray (voice)
- Nolan North as Mitch (voice)
- Maury Sterling as Paris (voice)
- Fred Tatasciore as Carny Owner (voice)
Directed by Sam Liu.