Batman: Arkham Knight - 10 Insane Fan Theories That Would Go Down In History
2. Johnny Charisma Live = Joker Is Alive?
A theory that has divided the community like no other - the prospect of a Joker return in Arkham Knight has been made increasingly apparent by the multiple allusions to the stand up comedian, 'Johnny Charisma'. Phonetically speaking his comedy routine (Johnny Charisma Live) sounds uncomfortably similar to the phrase 'Joker is alive', and though there's a pretty good chance that this is Rocksteady simply having some fun with the fans, a subtle hint like this has to pay off narratively in Knight's story. Fans have been rabidly discussing ways in which Joker could return, with the most preferred option being through a Scarecrow dream sequence. Could 'Johnny Charisma' be an element of Batman's anxiety projected onto the environment around him? A subtle reminder that deep down, even he's afraid and that Scarecrow is in his head? It's highly unlikely that Joker will have a physical resurrection, but it's pretty obvious that Charisma will have an effect on the hero not many other characters will be able to match. After all, what better way to demonstrate Batman's psychological torment than to morph the environment around his very own fears?
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
