10 Times Supervillains Quit

5. Joker Runs For Local Government - Batman: White Knight

Mister Freeze Arkham Manor
DC Comics

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you used lethal force to pin down a man with a history of mental problems and shove anti-psychotic drugs down his throat? Because Batman knows exactly what happens, and he found out the hard way.

After Batman does exactly that to the Joker, something truly unprecedented happens: the Joker becomes sane. Using this newfound sanity to its full advantage, Joker starts to live his life as Jack Napier, stand-up citizen and anti-Batman crusader. He manages to convince almost the entirety of Gotham that Batman is the number one danger to their city. After all, the Dark Knight causes more property damage than anyone else, and focuses on beating up street thugs while corrupt white-collar crime goes on, continuously unchecked.

Napier manages to become a beloved public figure, coming worryingly close to being elected as a councilman. He even manages to rekindle his relationship with his old flame, Harley Quinn.

As it turns out, Harley had also given up on a life of crime years ago. Sick and tired of her abusive boyfriend, she left Joker. In a Catfish-esque twist, she was replaced by an opportunistic, blindly loyal fangirl who stole Harley's identity for the chance to date the Clown Prince. Joker was so lost in his madness at the time that he didn't even notice the change.

Everyone noticed a change this time though, as Jack and Harley went from Gotham's Most Wanted to Gotham's Hottest Power Couple.

Contributor
Contributor

Jimmy Kavanagh is an Irish writer and co-founder of Club Valentine Comedy, a Dublin-based comedy collective. You can hear him talk to his favourite comedians about their favourite comics on his podcast, Comics Swapping Comics.