10 Times The Joker Basically Defeated Himself
5. He Refuses To Admit He's Been Fooled - Detective Comics #180 (1952)
After the crime lord, King Barlowe, dies, his men are baffled to learn he bequeathed his fortune to his greatest enemy, the Joker. The cackling clown gladly accepts the money and retires from supervillainy to live a life of luxury.
But when he has to pay the inheritance tax for his wealth, he learns most of Barlowe's money is fake. Instead of admitting he fell for a scam, the Joker continues to embrace his outlandish lifestyle, even after the IRS come knocking at his door, demanding $2 million.
To avoid being found out, the Joker has no choice but to return to crime. Although he has always been a fan of making a spectacle of his schemes, the colourful psychopath performs these crimes in secret to keep a low-profile. (This story would later be adapted into an episode of The New Batman Adventures, just in case you were wondering why it sounds familiar.)
The secrecy eventually gets to the Joker and he spills the beans to a crook named Duke Gorman. However, the Joker doesn't realise Gorman is actually Batman in disguise, allowing him to use a recording of their conversation to put him behind bars.
Ironically, the Joker could've evaded jail if he simply admitted he had been tricked by Barlowe.