History YMMV / TheDarkKnight

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] is a self-described "[[ChaosIsEvil agent of chaos]]" out to give Gotham a "[[EvilerThanThou better class of criminal]]". Introduced by killing each of his goons after a bank robbery, the Joker proceeds to exploit the mob's desire to be rid of Batman, casually murdering henchmen, politicians and police to force Batman to unmask himself. He also makes the lawyer attempting to unmask Batman a target; ties a crime boss to a pile of money which he then burns; kills a gangster by [[EyeScream making a pencil disappear...eraser-end first]]; blows up a hospital; leads police into a trap where they will shoot innocent civilians before getting killed by his men; attempts a PrisonersDilemma scenario to get a boatload of civilians and prisoners to blow each other up; and, primarily by manipulating a SadisticChoice leading to Rachel Dawes's death, and then by [[MindRape mind raping]] an injured Harvey Dent in the hospital, is the driving force behind his transformation into [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two-Face]]. The Joker's main motivation is fun, but he also wants to show that anyone and everyone can and will become a monster if pushed far enough, or even if just given the chance. He's proven wrong, but doesn't care, just giving an annoyed shrug and attempting to blow the two boats sky high with his own detonator.

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]] is a self-described "[[ChaosIsEvil agent of chaos]]" out to give Gotham a "[[EvilerThanThou better class of criminal]]". Introduced by killing each of his goons after a bank robbery, the Joker proceeds to exploit the mob's desire to be rid of [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBruceWayne Batman]], casually murdering henchmen, politicians and police to force Batman to unmask himself. He also makes the lawyer attempting to unmask Batman a target; ties a crime boss to a pile of money which he then burns; kills a gangster by [[EyeScream making a pencil disappear...eraser-end first]]; blows up a hospital; leads police into a trap where they will shoot innocent civilians before getting killed by his men; attempts a PrisonersDilemma scenario to get a boatload of civilians and prisoners to blow each other up; and, primarily by manipulating a SadisticChoice leading to Rachel Dawes's death, and then by [[MindRape mind raping]] an injured Harvey Dent in the hospital, is the driving force behind his transformation into [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two-Face]]. The Joker's main motivation is fun, but he also wants to show that anyone and everyone can and will become a monster if pushed far enough, or even if just given the chance. He's proven wrong, but doesn't care, just giving an annoyed shrug and attempting to blow the two boats sky high with his own detonator.

** In a similar vein, the man on the civilian boat who chooses to do the same. [[spoiler: As with the prisoner, it's possible he could be morally opposed to killing or mistrustful of the Joker's intent.]] His decision could also be viewed in terms of moral 'weakness', [[spoiler: being unwilling to bear the guilt or reputation as a killer even if it means saving the innocent men, women, and children on his boat]]. In light of Batman's own ultimate decision [[spoiler: to sacrifice Harvey to save Gordon's son, then willingly take on the mantle of a murderer for the sake of the greater good]], there is an argument to be made for such.

** Many have pointed out a similarity between Heath Ledger and Brandon Lee's makeup as The Joker and Film/TheCrow, respectively.
** The Joker's Nietzche parody "what does not kill you makes you '''stranger'''" was previously used by Trevor Goodchild in the TV version of ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'', although with "us" rather than "you".

* MisaimedMarketing: While not as bad as the ''Batman Returns'' fiasco, it's still jarring to see toys for kids being sold as tie-ins for ''The Dark Knight'', a movie whose PG-13 rating is extremely ''lenient''.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** A lot of people filed off Creator/HeathLedger being assigned to play The Joker as the casting agency drawing a name out of a hat - especially considering that Ledger had recently made himself well-known for [[Film/BrokebackMountain playing a gay/bisexual cowboy]] - with many presuming that Ledger couldn't possibly be intimidating. Then the movie came out, and it turned out that [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct the casting worked a lot better than many of these detractors anticipated]] and Ledger's performance earned him a posthumous Academy Award.
** The same goes ''double'' for the Mexican Spanish dub, as The Joker was voiced by Creator/JoseAntonioMacias, a voice actor well-known in Mexico and Latin America for being typecasted with voicing comedy roles, like [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} James]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Icarus]], [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy Double D]], etc., and no one thought he could be a good choice on voicing a disturbing psycho like him. And just like Ledger, he did a ''helluvah'' good job voicing him.

* HeReallyCanAct: Arguably one of the greatest examples in cinema history. While Heath Ledger was never doubted as an actor, with his [[Film/BrokebackMountain previous film]] before this one getting him an Oscar nomination, he received immense backlash from the critics and fans who believed that his casting as Joker was a terrible choice. The moment he showed up in the film, however, he completely blew away everyone away with how he brought the character to life, portraying him in an unnervingly realistic depiction of a nihilistic psychopath and bringing a terrifying dread of realism and morbidness that fit with the tone of the films, all the while still portraying the character as the chaos-loving anarchist he is, in a way no other actor can hope to match. Universally considered the best version of Joker, his portrayal not only set the bar for future Joker portrayals, but also won him a well-deserved (albeit posthumous) Academy Award.

** The black guy on the ferry. He's an ''unnamed'' character that is on the screen for less than 1/20 of the movie, yet his scene is one of the most remembered ones. It doesn't hurt that the character is played by Tommy Lister, or that it represents [[spoiler: one of the most gleaming moments of affirmation and light in a very dark film]].

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Idolatrizing figures is a mistake. People need to take responsibility as a community and as a society to improve their lifes. Not to depend of the actions of certain individuals. Even if good, individuals are people, with their defects and their flaws. There are no perfect figures, and their images won't stay perfect. A society can't depend of the image of an individual to keep it's hope for a better future.

* HypeBacklash: There are videos scattered on Youtube about why Dark Knight sucks. Even some people in forums who had no bad feeling about the movie at all felt that the hype is too high and people praising it simply because it's "Batman" and gritty.

*** One fan theory about the Joker's origin is that he is a ShellShockedVeteran from one of the United States' conflicts in the Middle East. Being an ex-soldier would explain his familiarity with guns and explosives, including more military grade weapons like the RPG he uses during the truck chase scene. Despite his claims that he isn't a "guy with a plan", there's no denying the Joker executes his operations with extreme efficiency and tactical ability, like his elaborate and borderline-perfect bank heist or his escape from jail. He also demonstrated knowledge of honor guard ceremonies during the attack on Commissioner Loeb's funeral. Finally, his strong belief in anarchy and chaos, and hatred of authority and "schemers", is further evidence that he suffered a HeroicBSOD at some point in the past over being a soldier in a geopolitical squabble. This possible origin also fits in nicely with the movie's post-9/11 world view, which interpreted the Joker as more of a terrorist than a criminal or mobster, and featured electronic surveillance and panic over the Joker's actions as key plot points. Full article [[http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/03/26/is-the-dark-knight-s-joker-actually-a-war-veteran-2811973?lt_source=external,manual here]].

** The black guy on the ferry. He's an ''unnamed'' character that is on the screen for less than 1/20 of the movie, yet his scene is one of the most remembered ones. It doesn't hurt that the character is played by Tommy Lister.
** Brian Douglas, the gun wielding HeroicWannabe whose part of a Batman inspired VigilanteMilitia. In his two scenes he manages to both get some fairly impressive moments and convey how [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing unprepared the average person is to try and act like Batman.]]