10 Shocking Times The Joker Died
6. Batman Snapped His Neck - JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail takes place in an alternative universe where the Kent's truck suffered a flat tire from a nail on the same day Kal-El's rocket ship landed in Kansas. Because they didn't drive to find the Kryptonian's vessel, the Kents never adopted Kal-El, meaning Superman never came to be.
Because the Man of Steel didn't exist in this world, society perceived metahumans cynically and crime ran rampant. When the Joker acquired alien gauntlets that allowed him to control energy fields, he took over Arkham, and forced the inmates into a gladiatorial tournament for his own amusement.
When Batman, Robin, and Batgirl entered the facility to stop the demented jester, the trio were ambushed by the Joker's men. He then paralysed Batman while using his gauntlets to torture and dismember his two sidekicks. As the Dark Knight watched his allies being ripped apart, he pleaded for the Joker to stop while tears trickled down his face.
When Catwoman broke Batman free, she smashed the Joker's gauntlets before snapping his neck. Although the psychotic clown's reign of terror was over, Batman was left shell-shocked and never emotionally recovered after watching his friends being murdered in such a grisly manner.