What Does The Final Image Of The Killing Joke REALLY Mean?

1. We're Going To Kill Each Other, Aren't We?

While the Joker's 'death' in The Killing Joke can be debated endlessly, one thing that can't is that the crux of the comic lies directly in the cycle of violence both he and Batman partake in. It only seems to get worse every year, and Batman - acknowledging the dangers of continuing to play such a game - understands that it can only end one way.

In The Killing Joke, it could be argued that Joker gives Batman no alternative but to kill him. The Dark Knight has exhausted all his options in attempting to bring him back from the brink, but in a moment of brief clarity, the Clown Prince concedes that he's beyond redemption. What, then, is Batman supposed to do with that knowledge? Does he continue to play the game and hope that this is the last time Joker breaks free? Or, acknowledging that rehabilitation is no longer an option, does he end the cycle then and there, as those who subscribe to Morrison's theory claim he does?

At the very least, Morrison's idea of The Killing Joke being the 'last' Batman story in the vein of Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? provides finality to that cycle. It might not adhere to the format of that comic, but in looking to address Batman's most definitive relationship, Moore may have also found a way of closing the book on it in a satisfying, albeit ambiguous manner.

The truth about The Killing Joke's ending is that there is no truth. Literal interpretations of the text would read that, because the Joker made subsequent appearances in mainstream DC continuity (and because the comic is a mainstream DC book), he didn't die. To the same degree, conceptualising the comic as the 'last' Batman story allows the character to pass on in a fitting and all too tragic manner, with all other options exhausted. It allows the Joker to both live and die, and while that might seem like a weak answer, there is no authoritative conclusion to posit.

In the end, The Killing Joke is coy in its finale. Most signs, and the thematic core of the novel, point towards a moment where Batman and Joker will be forced to confront their own relationship. It is up to the reader, no matter how inconclusive they may be, to decide what form it takes.

What do you think the ending of The Killing Joke really means? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!