10 Times Joker Was Actually The Real Hero

3. Putting A Stop To Crime – Batman: White Knight

the joker
DC Comics

It seems only right to start this feature with a look at the most recent of tales to be included in this piece. That tale being Sean Murphy’s eight-issue Batman: White Knight limited series that concluded last year.

Set in an alternate reality, White Knight plays with the standard formula of Batman and Joker stories; flipping the roles of the long-times rivals. Here, we see the Jester of Genocide become the hero of the day, with Batman viewed as Gotham City’s biggest villain.

After being cured of his insanity, in a nod to Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie, we find out that The Joker’s real name is Jack Napier. Deciding to make the most of his newfound sanity, Jack becomes a Gotham council member whose sole aim is to put a stop to the criminal activity that has for so long dominated the city.

Managing to change the public perception of himself and of Batman, Napier is of the belief that the Caped Crusader and his bullish, brutal ways are the core reason for Gotham being in such disarray.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.