History Recap / BatmanTheAnimatedSeriese51TheManWhoKilledBatman

* OffModel: You can tell [[Creator/{{Sunrise}} the animators]] had a hard time trying to keep Joker ''on'' model, as half of his scenes look like his face is melting or distorted, not unlike Creator/{{AKOM}}'s episodes with the character.
** The episode as a whole is animated differently from the rest of Sunrise's episodes, particularly with how the characters' shadows look and the way they move in comparison.
** Batman himself looks more as if he was taken from [[Creator/TMSEntertainment TMS's]] episodes instead of Sunrise's in certain shots during the beginning and the finale. Some of the criminals also have a not-so-subtle hint of TMS-style in them as well; while Sid himself looks incredibly {{Animesque}} in his design, especially in his eyes.

* AntiVillain: Sidney is a Type IV. He just wants some place to belong and feel appreciated. Unfortunately, it turns out that the Gotham underworld is full of false friends and very deadly enemies.

* NamesTheSame: The earlier episode ''Robin's Reckoning'' listed "Sid the Squid" as one of several alias used by Tony Zucco in the past.

-->"Like a hungry predator, Sid the squids stretches his tentacles throught the Gotham’s underworld. Yeah, good! I’m on my way, Nothing gonna stop me now."

...who happens to be Thorne, which brings us back to the "present" and the end of Sidney's story. Unfortunately, Thorne drops the friendly tone he's had thus far and suddenly becomes antagonistic: he doesn't believe that Sid managed to kill Batman ''and'' make a fool of the Joker by complete accident, since "no one is that lucky ''or'' stupid!" He accuses Sidney of "[[ObfuscatingStupidity playing dumb]]" to muscle in on his drug racket, and draws a gun on Sid, offering to get him out of Gotham... "in a pine box!" Suddenly gunshots and fighting sounds are heard from the next room, which can mean only [[HesBack one thing...]]

* ShootTheDangerousMinion: The whole plot is Thorne interrogating Sid to see whether or not he's worthy of this, and once he finishes hearing Sid's tale deciding to do so anyway because he assumes that Sid's using ObfuscatingStupidity. Batman stops him JustInTime.

* DeusExMachina: Sid survives the Joker's acid trap thanks to a conveniently open storm drain. It's later revealed that [[spoiler:a very much alive Batman opened said drain]].

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HeroKiller: The whole plot revolves around the entire city of Gotham assuming that Sid has become one. The trope is [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] as well because Sid is most definitely not equipped to handle [[ThPerilsOfBeingTheBest the barrage of bad things]] that his VillainCred boost has created.

Joker's goons then proceed to do ''exactly'' what the Joker suggested in his eulogy. They lock Sid, who repeatedly and desperately pleads to be spared and screams that he is sorry for what he did, in the coffin and it's rolled into the [[AcidPool vat of acid]]... as Harley plays "[[AmazingFreakingGrace Amazing Grace]]" on ''the kazoo''. A tearful Joker watches as the coffin slowly sinks into the acid...

...who happens to be Thorne, which brings us back to the "present" and the end of Sidney's story. Unfortunately, Thorne drops the friendly tone he's had thus far and suddenly becomes hostile: he doesn't believe that Sid managed to kill Batman ''and'' make a fool of the Joker by complete accident, since "no one is that lucky ''or'' stupid!" He accuses Sidney of "[[ObfuscatingStupidity playing dumb]]" to muscle in on his drug racket, and draws a gun on Sid, offering to get him out of Gotham... "in a pine box!" Suddenly gunshots and fighting sounds are heard from the next room, which can mean only [[HesBack one thing...]]

* PyrrhicVictory: Sid's (apparent) triumph brings him nothing but trouble -- other petty crooks want a piece of him to establish their own VillainCred, police attention is focused on finding him, the Joker tries to kill him for [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou stealing his ultimate triumph]], and Boss Thorne concludes that he's [[ObfuscatingStupidity trying to put one over on him]]. Inverted in the end when he goes to prison with an impressive reputation among the other prisoners.

After escaping the police via a laughing gas bomb, Joker and the gang hold a little "memorial" for Batman at the Ace Chemical Plant. Batman's cape and cowl is placed inside a coffin on a conveyor belt to a vat of acid, to which Joker adds a "Kick Me" sign ("You put {{the fun in funeral}}," says Harley). The Clown Prince of Crime proceeds to give his eulogy[[note]]and Creator/MarkHamill shows what we all knew: he is ''utterly nuts''![[/note]]:

->'''Joker:''' Dear friends... Today is the day that the Clown cried. And he cries not for the passing of one man, but for the death of a dream. [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou The dream that he would someday taste the ultimate victory over his hated enemy.]] [[CreateYourOwnVillain For it was the Batman who made me the happy soul I am today.]] How I agonized over the perfect way to thank him for that. Perhaps with a cyanide pie in the face. Or an exploding whoopie-cushion playfully planted in the Batmobile. ''[with growing anger]'' [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou But those dreams were dashed by the weaselly little gunsel sitting there in our midst]]. ''[everyone starts moving away from Sid]'' The cowardly insignificant gonif who probably got lucky when Batman slipped on the slime trail ''this loser'' left behind him. '''This mound of diseased hyena filth who's not fit to lick the dirt from my spats!''' ... ''[regains composure]'' But I digress. The time for sorrow has passed. It's time to look ahead, to a future filled with smiles. ''[threateningly]'' And I'll be smiling again, just as soon as we take that man THERE... ''[points to Sid]'' ...and slap him in that box THERE... ''[points to Batman's coffin]'' ...and roll it into that vat of acid THERE! ''[points to said vat of acid]''

Joker's goons then proceed to do ''exactly'' what the Joker suggested in his eulogy. They lock Sid, who repeatedly and desperately screams that he is sorry for what he did, in the coffin and it's rolled into the [[AcidPool vat of acid]]... as Harley plays "[[AmazingFreakingGrace Amazing Grace]]" on ''the kazoo''. A tearful Joker watches as the coffin slowly sinks into the acid...

* HeroKiller: The whole plot revolves around the entire city of Gotham assuming that Sid has become one. The trope is [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] as well because Sid is most definitely not equipped to handle [[EverythingTryingToKillYou the barrage of bad things]] that his VillainCred boost has created.

* HeroKiller: The whole plot revolves around the entire city of Gotham assuming that Sid has become one. The trope is [[DecondtructedTrope deconstructed]] as well because Sid is most definitely not equipped to handle the barrage of bad things that his VillainCred boost has created.

* HeroKiller: The whole plot revolves around the entire city of Gotham assuming that Sid has become one.

* {{Corpsing}}: Joker holds a funeral for his rival, complete with Harley Quinn playing AmazingFreakingGrace '''on a kazoo'''. Harley's voice actress Creator/ArleenSorkin actually did the kazoo herself, and reportedly they had to do this bit (and Joker's follow-up line, "Well that was fun! Who's for Chinese?") in one take because the cast was laughing too hard to try again.

* PhraseCatcher: After the explosion at the costumes house, everyone salutes Sid as “The man who killed Batman”.

* HelloAttorney: Harley Quinn's disguise. She even wears [[{{Meganekko}} glasses]].

** To a lesser degree, Harvey Bullock in the same episode as well. He has frequently made it apparent about his dislike for Batman, seeing him as just as dangerous as the criminals he turns in, and is often ready to bring him in at the slightest suspicion that he's gone rogue, but even he was visibly upset by Batman's apparent demise.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: A nobody mob underling, "Sid the Squid," acts as the lookout on a job in which Batman is apparently killed. From Sid's perspective, Bats fell into a gas explosion, but everyone else thinks Sid pushed him. He has to deal with a jealous Joker, an angry Harvey Bullock, and a few rival mob bosses who can't believe his story. The producers admitted that this episode was an experiment to see if they could make a good episode with Batman appearing as little as possible (indeed, Batman only appears for about three minutes total in this episode).

-->'''Joker:''' [[MoodWhiplash Well, that was fun. Who's for Chinese]]?

* TheFunInFuneral: The Joker. A vat of acid. A coffin with a bat-cape and a "kick me" sign. Harley playing "Amazing Grace" on the kazoo. One of the defining moments for the show. The scene had to be done in one take as the actors were laughing too hard to try again. Harley delivers the TropeNamer line in response to the "kick me" sign.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: A nobody mob underling, "Sid the Squid," acts as the lookout on a job in which Batman is apparently killed. From Sid's perspective, Bats fell into a gas explosion, but everyone else thinks Sid pushed him. He has to deal with a jealous Joker, an angry Harvey Bullock, and a few rival mob bosses who can't believe his story. The producers admitted that this episode was an experiment to see if they could make a good episode with Batman appearing as little as possible (indeed, Batman only appears for about three minutes total in this episode). Arguably, they succeeded.

Batman makes his dramatic entrance and quickly knocks Thorne out. Sid asks how Batman survived and he explains that he swung away before the explosion, and decided to tail Sid and lay low to find out who was heading the drug ring. Batman also saved Sidney from the acid. Sidney thanks Batman and tries to leave -- but Batman stops him, [[RealityEnsues pointing out that Sid is still an accomplice to Thorne's gang]]. Sid understands this, but Batman also adds that "in the right environment," a man of Sid's "dangerous reputation" can get "a lot of respect"...

* RealityEnsues: Given his HarmlessVillain status, his terrifying ordeal and the fact that he ended up unwittingly helping Batman take down Thorne, both the audience and Sid himself are inclined to believe he redeemed himself and thus can just walk away once Batman reappears. Though sympathetic, Batman still sends Sid to prison since regardless of intentions or subsequent action, he still ''is'' an accomplice to a criminal gang.

* DeuxExMachina: Sid survives the Joker's acid trap thanks to a conveniently open storm drain. It's later revealed that [[spoiler:a very much alive Batman opened said drain]].

* StrawLoser: Sid has no talent for anything evil (or anything good either), not any proactivity, he is not good nor evil… to work for Thorne or the Joker is really the only thing left to him.
* SuperStoicShopkeeper: When the bar brawl starts over who's going to kill Sid first, the camera cuts to a bartender watching the carnage with a stoic expression, snacking on a bowl of bar peanuts.
** NotSoStoic: Said bartender pushes the bowl of nuts off the counter to hit a guy that was already knocked to the floor.

** Possibly {{Downplayed}} with Bullock, who's been wanting to personally arrest Batman for vigilanteism and goes over the top even by his standards when interrogating the man he thinks caused Batman's demise.

** Bullock is noticeably shocked and sadden by the news, despite the fact he had hated Batman for being a vigilante and would be the first one to lead his arrest the moment Batman becomes public enemy number on.

* OffModel: You can tell [[Creator/{{Sunrise}} the animators]] had a hard time trying to keep Joker ''on'' model, as half of his scenes look like his face is melting or distorted.

* InvincibleIncompetent: Sid seems to be TheFool, but at the end of the story, we discover that he was not being completely lucky, and given he ends in jail, Sid certainly doesn't have KarmicProtection.

* TitleDrop: Joker does this while meeting Sid, a mook who had seemingly did the impossible and killed his longtime nemesis.