10 Perplexing Comic Book Questions Solved By The Internet

9. Would Batman Turning Evil Turn The Joker Good?

One of the things that makes the ongoing rivalry between Batman and The Joker compelling is because they represent two sides of the same coin, equal and opposite forces which can't exist without each other. It's a dynamic used in all the great rivalries, from Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty to Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane. Whilst they are arch nemeses, they also sort of rely on each other as their reason for living, for doing what they do. It's a bit of a symbiotic relationship, something which is acknowledged between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince Of Crime in the pages of The Killing Joke, the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. It also made us ponder, what would happen if the sides got switched?

A redditor had much the same question as us. If Batman became an insane, murderous psychopath all of a sudden (as his backstory really hints he should), what would The Joker do? That's his thing. And if he's supposed to be the opposite of Batman, would he then become a totally sane hero? Some pointed out that the clown says himself in The Killing Joke that "breaking" his enemy is his life's work, others point to the catatonic state he falls into when Batman retires in The Dark Knight Returns, whilst one more optimistic sort thinks a more laid back, civilian home like could be on the cards for a reformed "Joe" - so long as he can resist the temptation of Comedy Central on the TV...