10 Times Batman Acted Like A Horror Movie Villain

Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's classic Bat-tale has been a touchstone for Batman fans since its release in 1988. The plot concerns Joker kidnapping Barbara Gordon in an attempt to drive her father, Commissioner Gordon, insane, proving that one bad day is all that separates a man like Gordon from the Joker.

The level of depravity that Joker engages in to achieve his ends goes way over-the-top, and some critics have taken issue with Moore's treatment of Barbara Gordon in the story. While this aspect of the graphic novel is indeed problematic, it is the finale that may be the most disturbing element of the entire enterprise.

When Batman finally nabs the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime takes the time to tell Batman a joke before the police arrive. In the most disturbing moment of the book, after all the perversity Batman witnessed Joker indulge in, Batman joins in the villain's maniacal laughter.

The final few frames of the comic imply - at least in Grant Morrison's view - that Batman might have murdered the Joker in cold blood, suggesting that it was Batman and not Gordon that was driven insane by seeing the villain's heinous acts.