| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4aeca9cf_51e6_4be9_92ad_8ea100e4cc6f.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:A [[LegacyCharacter new hero]]… An [[ReturningBigBad old enemy]].]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"You know, kids, a lot has changed while your old Uncle Joker's been away. New Gotham, new rules, even a new Batman. But now I'm tanned, I'm rested, and I'm ready to give this old town a wedgie again!"'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''The Joker''' |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' is a 2000 [[TheMovie feature-length tie-in]] of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', the ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'' installment that focuses on Terry [=McGinnis=], the Franchise/{{Batman}} of a future Gotham and his mentor (an aged [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Bruce Wayne]]). |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Decades after his supposed death, ComicBook/TheJoker [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin returns]] to Gotham while being eager to face his old ArchEnemy (or at least whoever is "pretending" to be Batman). Puzzling both Terry and Bruce is that The Joker seems not to have aged at all in the time since he supposedly died. Terry tries to solve this new mystery, but Bruce is almost killed by a personal attack from the Joker. Terry delves into old man Wayne's [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark past]], unraveling the long-kept secret of what split apart the Bat-Family and how the longstanding fight between Batman and the Clown Prince of Crime finally ended. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | The movie had the [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents unfortunate timing]] of being produced right after the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shooting, so several scenes were [[{{Bowdlerise}} changed mid-production to lessen the violence]]. Creator/WarnerBros held onto the original print, however, and later distributed it as the "uncut" version of the film.[[note]]This is the version almost universally seen on TV nowadays, not to mention pirate and streaming sources; the edited version is a lot harder to find, legally or otherwise.[[/note]] |
| 12 | ---- |
| 13 | !!''Return of the Joker'' includes the following tropes: |
| 14 | * TenMinuteRetirement: Terry quits being Batman halfway through the movie, because Terry does not know why Bruce keeps him LockedOutOfTheLoop. |
| 15 | * AcquiredPoisonImmunity: Downplayed, but in spite of his old age Bruce [[spoiler:still manages to survive the poison the Joker injected him with long enough for Terry to return to Wayne Manor then find and administer the antidote.]] Either Bruce has already inoculated himself (Bruce was brewing the anti-toxin before Joker attacked) or he fought it out courtesy of the years of experience in their rivalry. |
| 16 | * ActuallyPrettyFunny: |
| 17 | ** When Matt says that there's a stranger in his house while pointing at his brother, their mother can't help but smile at the quip. |
| 18 | ** Meta Example. This is part of how and why [[spoiler:Harley survived the flashback. The DVD Commentary reveals Creator/PaulDini disobeyed direct orders from Creaotr/BruceTimm and Alan Burnett to kill Harley. Dini wrote in the Nana Harley scene in the epilogue in protest and naturally assumed Timm would order it excised from the final script. But Timm genuinely thought it was a funny scene (and also felt it was necessary to have a moment of levity and emotional release for the audience after the climax).]] |
| 19 | * AdaptationalSelfDefense: [[spoiler:In the original version, Tim turns the gun Joker gave him to shoot Bruce on the Clown Prince himself before firing. In the edited version, Tim tosses the gun away and tackles the Joker, ultimately getting the villain dosed with water and entangled in wires. Slipping, Joker inadvertently grabs a lever connected to the wires in the process, electrocuting himself to death.]] |
| 20 | * AdaptationInducedPlotHole: A necessity given the edited version. If you compare both versions, few more plotholes come up thanks to Joker's death being greatly toned down to please the censors. This also happened when some items didn't translate from script to storyboard: |
| 21 | ** The script had Joker holding a Jolly Jacks jar while taunting Terry close to the climax. This was how Terry knew how to go to the abandoned factory, as the director's commentary noted with a LampshadeHanging. Unless you see that Joker's escape vehicle at the Wayne gala had the Jolly Jacks logo, a viewer may be confused as to how Terry knew to look for it. If you see the logo, then one may ask why neither Terry nor Bruce followed up on that lead in the first place. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini themselves admit they don't know how that clue didn't end up in the final cut. |
| 22 | ** [[spoiler:Originally, Joker uses a knife to slash Batman's chest and stab his legs; Joker simply punches him down in the edited version. While you can see Joker holding the knife he pickpocketed from Batman in a FreezeFrameBonus, it seems unlikely that Joker would be able to surprise him with a HeyYouHaymaker the way that Batman was holding him]]. |
| 23 | ** Bruce was [[spoiler:stabbed in the leg, and knocked down, meaning he couldn't go to comfort Tim until Joker let go of him. Even then, he was visibly staggering to his feet given how deep the knife was in his leg. His injuries are relatively lighter in the edited version -- punched in the face and knocked down-- making one question why Bruce didn't get up and try to help Tim fight against the Joker since their grappling was much longer than the gunshot. ]] |
| 24 | ** There is also the fact that despite the fact that [[spoiler:Bruce was proud that Tim fought back against the brainwashing and grappled with the clown, as given by his SmileOfApproval, their relationship apparently foundered anyway because Bruce still blamed himself for the Joker getting his hands on Tim and torturing him for three weeks. Tim himself says in both versions that he doesn't hold Bruce responsible for "the gory details", admitting he misses the "old man" and is happy to see him again while recuperating. In the original cut, it made more sense that Bruce didn't know how to handle the guilt because Tim was forced to kill the Joker to save Batman.]] |
| 25 | * AdvancingWallOfDoom: |
| 26 | ** The first time Batman learns of Joker's satellite is when he has to outrace a tidal wave while carrying Jordan Pryce. |
| 27 | ** When Joker's satellite starts chasing the Batmobile throughout the city. Whichever direction Terry went, the satellite's crosshairs are right in his heels. [[spoiler:And during the climax, the satellite goes out of control, rendering another path of destruction heading straight towards Joker's headquarters, where Batman willingly trapped himself inside with his adversary.]] |
| 28 | * AllThereInTheManual: The Jokerz seen here all have backgrounds, real names, etc., which are only given in supplementary material like official websites. |
| 29 | * AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: In one of the film's most iconic sequences, the Joker successfully invades the Batcave (vandalizing it and spray-painting "HA HA HA!"s all over the walls) and almost kills Bruce. |
| 30 | * AlliterativeName: Delia and Deidre Dennis (better known as "Dee Dee"). |
| 31 | * AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Dee Dee (real names Delia & Deidre Dennis). |
| 32 | * AnimationBump: Done by Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}}, one of the best animation studios in Japan, and the results shine through. In the DVDCommentary, the creators will occasionally just pause to watch the show, Creator/BruceTimm and the other ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'' regulars being unaccustomed to that kind of quality for most of their projects. |
| 33 | * ArcWelding: Retroactively. As a result of being in the distant future, events in the chronologically earlier ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' hint towards certain developments that would culminate in the story of this movie. "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue Epilogue]]" eventually came full circle via tying the Cadmus story and explicitly explaining [[spoiler:where Joker got the technology to perform a digital GrandTheftMe on Tim.]] |
| 34 | * ArchEnemy: Subverted and deconstructed. Batman dismisses such a notion, pointing out that whatever heinous crimes Joker did were all for the express purpose of either making the Dark Knight laugh (i.e. turning him insane). That [[spoiler:Joker tortures and mentally breaks Tim]] also makes Batman very reluctant to speak about the clown, trying his best to {{Unperson}} Joker and let his crimes fade from all memory. Later on, Joker dismisses Bruce as a WorthyOpponent. Terry also mocks his fixation with Batman. |
| 35 | -->'''Terry:''' It's funny. I know about [[RoguesGallery all your other major enemies]], but you never mention him. He was the biggest, wasn't he?\ |
| 36 | '''Bruce:''' It wasn't a popularity contest. He was a psychopath, a monster. |
| 37 | * ArmorPiercingQuestion: When discussing the Joker, Terry asks a question that results in Bruce asking him to return the bat suit. |
| 38 | -->'''Terry:''' So how is it possible he could still be around after all this time?\ |
| 39 | '''Bruce:''' It's not possible. He died years ago.\ |
| 40 | '''Terry:''' You're sure?\ |
| 41 | '''Bruce:''' I was there. (''begins to walk away'')\ |
| 42 | '''Terry:''' You killed him, didn’t you? |
| 43 | -->(''Bruce stops and hangs his head, but still doesn't look at him'')\ |
| 44 | '''Terry:''' He was gonna do something so terrible that you had no other choice. That was it, wasn't it? |
| 45 | * ArtEvolution: The flashback sequence features yet another re-design for The Joker that combines the elements of his traditional Joker look for ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' design while modifying the "grinning skull" idea from ''TNBA'' (his eyes became more natural looking and he regained lips to outline his smile, even if colored black, but retained the sharper jawline and streamlined character model, in addition to the TNBA costume). This design was re-used for his chronologically earlier appearances in ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. |
| 46 | * AssKicksYou: Dee Dee does this to Dana when they are dancing with Terry to get her out of the way so they can gang up on him. |
| 47 | * AssholeVictim: |
| 48 | ** Bonk, in both the original and edited cuts. Never, ''ever'' trash talk the Joker. |
| 49 | ** Joker himself too, since he tortured Tim Drake into becoming a mini-Joker, and prior to that, he taunted Bruce over the death of his parents, making his death at the hands of Drake completely well-deserved. |
| 50 | * AssimilationBackfire: A corporate example. Powers Technology successfully took over Wayne Enterprises and merged it into itself prior to the series as Wayne-Powers. After the scandals of both Derek and Paxton Powers, Bruce's return to executive duties, and Jordan Pryce's arrest, Wayne-Powers returned to being Wayne Enterprises, now with all of Powers Technology's assets under its belt. |
| 51 | * AttentionWhore: Joker literally doesn't like being told that his jokes are [[BoringInsult lame]]. [[spoiler:Terry exploits it against the MonsterClown to take him down for good]]. |
| 52 | * TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Harley Quinn]] is implied to be this in her brief appearance near the end. [[spoiler:She apparently settled down to start a family after her apparent death at Arkham, and she tried her hardest to keep her granddaughters from going down the same path that she did. The last part didn't exactly work out.]] |
| 53 | * AutomatedAutomobiles: In the commentary, Creator/BruceTimm makes a sarcastic comment that the cars being blown up while the Joker chases Terry with the KillSat are these. |
| 54 | * AxCrazy: The Joker, of course. It’s more pronounced than his other appearances in ''DCAU'' too since he's actually allowed to ''kill'' people. |
| 55 | * BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:The Joker via [[GrandTheftMe a time-share]].]] |
| 56 | * BadassBoast: When the final fight begins, the Joker mocks Terry for trying to take him on. |
| 57 | -->"You're out of your league, [=McGinnis=]. I know every trick the original Batman and Robin knew at their peak." |
| 58 | * BaitAndSwitch: A meta example. Joker’s very first scene has him cast in shadows throughout most of it, with only his red pupils and rictus grin visible, making him resemble his simplified (and much maligned) design from ''The New Batman Adventures'' only for him to then step into the light and reveal his new look. |
| 59 | * BangFlagGun: This being the Joker's weapon-of-choice, it's more dangerous than one might think; while the initial pull of the trigger only deploys the titular "BANG!" flag, pulling the trigger a ''second'' time [[HarpoonGun launches the flag like a harpoon]] with enough force to deal lethal damage ([[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill and it's laced with Joker Venom on top of that]]). [[spoiler:In the original uncut version, this is also how the Joker himself was killed.]] |
| 60 | * BatmanColdOpen: Lasts for nearly six minutes before the opening credits begin. |
| 61 | * BatmanGambit: Terry pulls a gambit off that makes Bruce proud. He finds out that [[spoiler:Joker has taken over Tim's body via a microchip, and has a ring buzzer strong enough to incapacitate Ace.]] Terry realizes that Joker is too focused to give him the means to destroy the chip, and must distract him. So he kills the lights, grabs the joy buzzer, and starts taunting Joker about how he's not funny. The clown suffers a VillainousBreakdown and tosses bombs to knock down Terry before trying to strangle him with his bare hands. [[spoiler:This was exactly what Terry wants, because the Joker leaves himself vulnerable, thinking he's won. Terry reveals he's now wearing the joy buzzer and presses it to the villain's ear, where the microchip is located. Cue the Joker dying again, and Terry rousing a semi-conscious Tim.]] |
| 62 | * BatmanGrabsAGun: How badly did the final encounter between the original Batman and Joker go? Upon seeing [[spoiler:the Jokerized Tim Drake]], Batman throws his cutting knife straight at the Joker with killing intent and later, he declares that he'll break the Joker in two when he has the clown in his grasp. |
| 63 | * BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Bruce cautions Terry to ignore Joker's gloating. Terry instead [[EurekaMoment spins it around]] and deliberately riles the clown to a VillainousBreakdown by dissing his fixation with Batman and [[BoringInsult calling]] his jokes dull. [[spoiler:It's all a distraction so Terry can get a hold of the joy-buzzer and fry the microchip that is controlling Tim, thus permanently ending the clown's reign of terror]]. |
| 64 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh. [[spoiler:When the new Batman ''does'' laugh, it's to ridicule [[IShallTauntYou how pathetic the Joker and his obsession really is]].]] |
| 65 | * BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Zigzagged. [[spoiler:Tim Drake is tortured/mutated/brainwashed into becoming "Joker Junior". This is subverted when he shakes it off, refuses to hurt Batman, and turns on the Joker instead. Then this is subverted when it's implied that, years later, Tim turned evil again and became the new Joker, probably as a result of the original torturing/brainwashing. Then ''that'' is subverted when it turns out that Tim has been completely unaware of the recent unfolding schemes; he only turned into the new Joker because the original had planted a microchip in his brain, thus causing his transformations.]] |
| 66 | * BerserkButton: Joker [[VillainousBreakdown hates being]] [[BoringInsult told that]] his jokes are lame, especially to his face. The clown always wants to make Batman laugh, [[spoiler:but when the new Batman ''does'' laugh, he's mocking [[IShallTauntYou how pathetic Joker really is]]]]. |
| 67 | * BigBad: The Joker, having seemingly returned from the dead to enact his revenge on Batman. |
| 68 | * BigBrotherInstinct: Despite Matt complaining that Terry is a stranger in their house, a prone Terry clenches his fist when Joker threatens his family. |
| 69 | * BigDamnHeroes: Ace attacks the Joker out of nowhere and removes the electrocution cuffs Joker slapped on Batman. Just as Joker prepares to electrocute Ace fatally with a joy buzzer, Terry returns the favor and tackles the clown. |
| 70 | * BigDamnMovie: While the film's scope is on par with a particularly high-stakes episode of the show, the focus of the film pertained to a foe far more fearsome and personal than anything Terry or Bruce had ever encountered together before. The producers understood when they were given the green-light for a ''Batman Beyond'' movie, it ''had'' to star the return of Batman's ArchEnemy as the BigBad in order to justify its greater length and budget. |
| 71 | * BigShutUp: The Joker invokes this after one too many taunts from Terry. |
| 72 | * BlackComedy: The Joker provides it by the bucketful, he wouldn't be the Joker if he didn't. |
| 73 | * BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler:The Joker, when he gets tackled and punched by Batman after the latter has pushed the former's BerserkButton too far in the original version. Batman has this too afterward when he gets knifed by the Joker.]] |
| 74 | * BlownAcrossTheRoom: |
| 75 | ** Terry, a couple of times. |
| 76 | ** Joker when he [[spoiler:gets spear-gunned in the flashback.]] |
| 77 | * BondOneLiner: "Double-down", after [[spoiler:Terry beats Dee Dee.]] |
| 78 | * BoringInsult: [[spoiler:Terry realizes the Joker's true weakness is being an AttentionWhore whose sole motive for his rivalry with the original Batman was to make Bruce laugh. The MonsterClown becomes a real monster when Terry deconstructs him]]. |
| 79 | -->'''Terry:''' [Bruce] wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape. Not that you ever ''had'' a good joke...I mean, joy buzzers, squirting flowers--''lame''! Where's the "A" material? Make a face, drop your pants, something! |
| 80 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: The frenzy surrounding UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} in 1999 resulted in extensive debates on media influences, which put some pressure on Warner Bros. Despite having a completed film, executives feared backlash on releasing a particularly violent animated movie and had certain scenes reanimated (which is different than normal, as it resulted in ''new'' material being written instead of simply cutting scenes). The original film was released later under a PG-13 rating but even the edited version isn't particularly "kid-friendly": the majority of the differences is minor edits including digitally removing blood, changing bits of dialogue implying death/insanity/sexuality/swear words and trimming some of the more bone-crunching violence (including turning the "bang" flag gun murder of Bonk into a gas gun). The most significant edit comes in the flashback sequence [[spoiler:when Tim shoots the Joker with the "bang" flag gun: whereas in the edited version he throws the gun away and tackles the Joker, pushing him into the lab space where he ends up soaked in water and covered in exposed power cables. When the Joker attempts to retaliate, he slips and grabs the power switch, electrocuting himself to death, though the audience only [[GoryDiscretionShot hears his]] [[DistantReactionShot distant scream]] as the point of view goes back to Barbara elsewhere in the asylum.]] |
| 81 | * BreakTheComedian: Terry exploits Joker's vanity against him [[spoiler:to take him down for good]]. For all his bravado and snark, Joker can't stand being the punchline. |
| 82 | * BreakThemByTalking: Terry [[BoringInsult disses]] the Joker in a way Bruce has never done so before. He [[IShallTauntYou tells]] the clown that he's boring and [[DisappointedByTheMotive the only reason]] for his rivalry with Bruce was to make him laugh. [[VillainousBreakdown It works.]] |
| 83 | * BrickJoke: Batman's opening line telling the Jokerz he's going to have to call their folks. At the end of the movie, at least one legal guardian (of the Dee Dees, to be exact) did get informed of their activities. |
| 84 | * ButForMeItWasTuesday: [[spoiler:When Terry foils Joker's grand comeback scheme to use a KillSat to carve a giant smiley face into Gotham, Joker just shrugs his shoulders and says he'll just have to think of something else for next time. Of course, Batman's not just going to let the Joker walk away to kill again.]] |
| 85 | * TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: [[spoiler:When Terry quits being Batman out of anger at Bruce, Joker sends his gang to attack him and Dana whilst out at a club. Whilst this is going on, Joker makes a personal house call to Wayne Manor. Dana is hospitalized, Ace is injured, and Bruce is poisoned by Joker toxin and almost killed.]] |
| 86 | * CallBack: |
| 87 | ** The "HA-HA"s spray-painted [[spoiler:in the Batcave]] call back to when the same "HA-HA"s were found at the crime scene of Warren [=McGinnis=], which probably adds an even higher traumatic tension for Terry. |
| 88 | --->'''Terry:''' Please, God, no… |
| 89 | ** A subtler instance occurs when Tim Drake ([[spoiler:really Joker in control of Tim's body]]) tells Bruce he wants Bruce to watch as [[spoiler:he transforms Tim's body into his own]]: "It's a killer", echoing Dick Grayson's advice to Tim the first time they met way back in the ''TNBA'' episode "Sins of the Father". |
| 90 | ** The movie offers an explanation for the skeleton that was briefly seen in "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS2E1Joyride Joyride]]". |
| 91 | ** Bruce's reaction to [[spoiler:Tim Drake's transformation into The Joker]] echoes Alfred's words when he first saw Bruce in the Batman suit in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''. |
| 92 | --->'''Bruce/Alfred:''' My God... |
| 93 | * CallingTheOldManOut: |
| 94 | ** Terry calls out Bruce and Barbara for thinking he can't handle the Joker, especially after the Jokerz [[spoiler:put Dana in the hospital.]] |
| 95 | ** Subverted with [[spoiler:Tim and Bruce. As Barbara tells it, Bruce blamed himself for what happened to Tim and forbade him from wearing the suit. Tim admits that Bruce probably did him a favor by taking the suit away from him after the MindRape. He happily greets Bruce when the latter visits him in the end.]] |
| 96 | ** There's a humorous moment towards the end where [[spoiler:the Dee Dees call out their grandmother for calling them "rotten little scamps" and being a {{Hypocrite}} with four words: "Shut up, Nana Harley."]] |
| 97 | * CameBackStrong: [[spoiler:Due to inhabiting Tim Drake's body, the Joker has access to his training from his Robin days, allowing him to give Terry a tough fight.]] |
| 98 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: A variation in the climax. [[spoiler:The biggest handicap Terry has going into the final fight is that he can't actually kill the Joker or seriously injure him (as it's still ultimately Tim Drake's body). This is why Terry comes up with a plan on the fly for getting within striking distance of the microchip.]] |
| 99 | * CantTakeCriticism: [[spoiler:Terry manages to exploit a weakness of Joker's that Bruce himself had been too terse in combat to discover: for all his snark about others' failings, ''being heckled'' for his lame attempts at humor is one thing the Joker absolutely cannot stand.]] |
| 100 | * CartesianKarma: Averted. [[spoiler:Barbara knows that Tim was brainwashed by the Joker via microchip and covers for him. She tells Tim it wasn't his fault and he was "along for the ride".]] |
| 101 | * CastAsAMask: The Joker (Creator/MarkHamill) is actually revealed to be [[spoiler:Tim Drake (Dean Stockwell) [[GrandTheftMe possessed by Joker]].]] To make it more surprising, [[spoiler:there is a RedHerring suspect who both looks a lot like Joker and is also voiced by Hamill]]. |
| 102 | * CastingGag: [[spoiler:Creator/DeanStockwell as adult Tim Drake, inspired by one of his earliest roles as the lead in ''The Boy with Green Hair'' as a child actor.]] |
| 103 | * ChekhovsGun: |
| 104 | ** The Joker's orange-tipped BangFlagGun. [[spoiler:In a flashback sequence, the Joker tosses it to a brainwashed Tim Drake, who uses it to kill the Joker. It's a piece of easy to miss foreshadowing.]] |
| 105 | ** Terry wondering how the Joker is still alive and kicking -- clone, robot double, human clownsicle -- until Bruce told him to cut it out. [[spoiler:It's revealed that, technically, Terry was right on the very first guess.]] |
| 106 | ** One of the Joker's hover-forklifts has a Jolly Jacks logo, complete with a matching design. Terry remembers this at the end of the movie and asks the Bat-computer to look up Jolly Jacks, getting an address to find the clown and notify Barbara. |
| 107 | ** In the flashback, Joker and Harley sarcastically mention they didn't want to conceive a child, so they "borrowed" one to make into a Joker Jr. [[spoiler:Joker wasn't kidding; he reveals later he implanted a microchip on Tim to make him into another Joker in the case that the Batman encounter went wrong]]. |
| 108 | ** About halfway through, Terry dodges one of the Joker's booby traps by tricking it into destroying its own power source. [[spoiler:The KillSat goes the same way when Terry and the Joker accidentally short out the controls.]] |
| 109 | * ChekhovsGunman: A middle-aged man watches in alarm at the news broadcast of Joker's attack during the party at Wayne Enterprises, and later visits Barbara. Halfway through the film he is revealed to be an adult Tim Drake. |
| 110 | * CloneByConversion: [[spoiler:Tim Drake was turned into one of the Joker.]] |
| 111 | * {{Clownification}}: A flashback reveals that the Joker turned [[spoiler:Tim Drake]] into "Joker Jr.", a madly grinning, giggling, [[MiniMe miniature replica of the Joker]], via [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil physical and mental torture]]. By the "present day" of the film, the changes have apparently been undone, leaving [[spoiler:Tim]] traumatized but sane and normal-looking. [[spoiler:However, during his torture, the Joker implanted Tim with a microchip containing the Joker's DNA and consciousness, periodically hijacking Tim's mind and body to transform him into essentially a [[PostMortemComeback reborn Joker]].]] |
| 112 | * CombatParkour: The Dee Dee twins often tag-team Batman, using flips and high jumps to avoid his attacks and/or to gain a more advantageous position behind him from which to strike. He eventually gets around this by using the suit's cloaking device. |
| 113 | * CombatPragmatist: Terry is this in general. |
| 114 | ** When dealing with the Jokerz in the club, he quickly moves to knocks down the giant lava lamp to drench them before going to punch them. This has the added benefit of shorting their Tasers. Very justified since all four of them started a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and badly injured Dana. |
| 115 | ** In the climax, he refuses to fight fair with the gang. Terry uses the Batwing to knock down Chuckles, and sets Ace on Woof. Knowing the [=DeeDee=] twins are too dangerous to tackle head-on, he turns himself invisible and knocks them into each other. Once they figure out where he is, Batman opens a giant box of jawbreakers to make them slip. |
| 116 | ** He delivers a low blow in his fight with the Joker. ''Twice.'' [[note]] It's implied to be a knee to the groin.[[/note]] |
| 117 | --->'''Joker:''' What are you doing?\ |
| 118 | '''Terry:''' Fighting ''dirty.''\ |
| 119 | '''Joker:''' The real Batman would never— AAGH!!!\ |
| 120 | '''Terry:''' [[IAmNotHim Told you you didn't know me.]] |
| 121 | * ComedicSpanking: [[spoiler:After Nana Harley bails the Dee Dee twins out, she reprimands them for getting involved with the Jokerz and proceeds to spank her granddaughters using her cane.]] |
| 122 | * ComicBookAdaptation: The film received a comic book tie-in in a one-shot that was published a couple of months after the film's original release. |
| 123 | * ConnectTheDeaths: Played with. After the Joker marks his first three targets -- all locations where Terry's loved ones resides -- he uses them them to plot a giant smiley face which he'll carve into Gotham. This doesn't have any greater significance other than Joker doing it ForTheEvulz (virtually any three distinct points could be used to replicate this effect). |
| 124 | * ContinuityCameo: Tim Drake's blonde wife is a nod to [[Characters/{{Batgirl}} Stephanie Brown]], Tim's long-time girlfriend in the comics. She's even wearing black and purple, the main colors of her superhero costume as The Spoiler. It was acknowledged in the DVD commentary of the movie. |
| 125 | * ContinuityNod: |
| 126 | ** Commissioner Jim Gordon, Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Leslie Thompkins are mentioned, but they are [[TheGhost not seen]]. Also, in the uncut version, Bruce is practicing his batarang-throwing against replica statues of some of his [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries old]] RoguesGallery. |
| 127 | ** When Bruce is comparing audio files to determine if the Joker that appeared at the party is the same as the one he fought, the first sample he examines is from a threat video Joker made back in the episode "Holiday Knights". |
| 128 | ** In the original version of the flashback sequence, Batgirl questions her informants from the ''TNBA'' episode "The Ultimate Thrill". (cut from the bowdlerized version, presumably because they appear to be hookers.) |
| 129 | ** The Joker's plot ultimately relies upon [[spoiler:stolen microchips that brainwash his victims into both doing his bidding and overwriting their DNA with his own. Joker mentions that he stole the basis for this technology from various places over the years, with the first instance coming from the BTAS episode "Make 'Em Laugh", where he steals mind control chips from Mad Hatter.]] |
| 130 | * ContinuityOverlap: The film was released at the end of 2000 and concurrently with ''Beyond'''s final Season. The film takes place some time after the events of [[Recap/BatmanBeyondS3E2KingsRansom "King's Ransom"]] (wherein Paxton Powers finally went down, thereby leaving Wayne-Powers open for Bruce to reclaim control of his family's company). |
| 131 | * ConvenientlyEmptyBuilding: While Joker is trying to blast the Batmobile with a Kill Sat, the beam passes over what seems to be an abandoned building. Originally, it was a full, operating movie theater, until the animators were forced to change it. Similarly, the commentary sarcastically notes that all the cars knocked off the road by the beam were empty robot-driven cars. |
| 132 | * ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing: Batman starts to cut himself free with a switchblade. But when he sees that Joker has [[spoiler:brainwashed Robin into "Little J.J."]], [[BreakingTheBonds he finishes freeing himself through sheer force]], and then throws the knife at Joker's face. He ducked, but jeez. |
| 133 | * CooldownHug: [[spoiler:In the flashback showing Joker’s death, Tim Drake, whom Joker had brainwashed into becoming a miniature version of him, starts crying after shooting Joker. Barbara goes up to Tim and tries to console the poor boy with a hug.]] |
| 134 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Jordan Pryce, a young executive looking to own Wayne-Powers, is none too happy that Bruce returns to his company again [[spoiler:and hires the Jokerz to take him out.]] |
| 135 | * CouldntFindAPen: A scene involves Bruce Wayne being found after an attack by the Joker with "Ha! Ha! Ha!" written on the ground in red. It was changed to purple in the censored version to avoid looking like this trope. |
| 136 | * CowTools: During the flashback sequence, there's a shot of some innocent junk lying around (a toilet plunger, for example). WordOfGod says originally Joker's tray was originally going to have bloody surgical instruments, but [[ExecutiveMeddling the execs]] put their foot down. |
| 137 | * CrazyPrepared: In the course of performing lethal experiments on the poor kid, the Joker implants a microchip in Tim Drake containing his memories and DNA template, despite having no idea that he would die that night. This is what ultimately sets off the plot of the movie, as the Joker's preparations allow him to resurrect himself years later and cause havoc. |
| 138 | * CreatorCameo: The film's writer Creator/PaulDini voices an ineffectual guard at the beginning. |
| 139 | * CreepyCircusMusic: [[spoiler:Heard in the flashback after Batman (Bruce) arrives at Arkham.]] |
| 140 | * CriminalDoppelganger: [[spoiler:Jordan Pryce is introduced as a RedHerring in determining Joker's real identity. Implying that Pryce has deduced Bruce's secret, he also physically resembles the Joker in build, hair and facial expressions (yet obviously not with the clown coloring) and is voiced by Creator/MarkHamill. However, while not actually Joker, Pryce did work in connection with him and is turned in to Gotham PD by Terry.]] |
| 141 | * CruelToBeKind: After the Joker makes his return, Bruce orders Terry to turn in the Batsuit, calling him a "stupid kid" when he refuses, at which point Terry angrily throws the suit at him and storms out of the cave. It's clear that Bruce just didn't want Terry to be targeted by the Joker, having seen firsthand [[spoiler:[[ColdBloodedTorture what the Joker did]] to one of his prior prodigies]], but unfortunately it doesn't work, as the Joker sends his goons to kill Terry regardless. |
| 142 | * CryLaughing: A deadly serious example in [[spoiler:the second Robin, Tim Drake, in the flashback sequence. the Joker applied ample amounts of ColdBloodedTorture to Tim, leaving him BrainwashedAndCrazy. When ordered to kill Batman, after The Joker has him in a position he wouldn't be able to protect himself, Tim breaks through the brainwashing and murders The Joker instead, [[LaughingMad laughing like a maniac the whole time]]. Once the Joker succumbs to his injuries and Batgirl arrives, Tim's laughing abruptly turns into uncontrollable sobbing, as the weight of everything that transpired suddenly sets in. The flashback sequence ends with Barbara/Batgirl trying to console him.]] |
| 143 | * CurbStompBattle: Terry's final fight against the Jokerz gang consisted of one move on each of them: crashing the damaged Batmobile underneath Chucko's high perch, getting Dee Dee to knock ''each other'' out, siccing Ace on Woof, and [[OffhandBackhand a Batman classic]] on Ghoul. |
| 144 | * DarkerAndEdgier: In comparison to both the series (although it certainly had its moments) along with the other ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'' installments. |
| 145 | * DeathByIrony: |
| 146 | ** Oh, if only Joker had not been so thorough in [[spoiler:shattering that little mind]], things might have turned out quite differently for him. |
| 147 | ** Especially in the censored version, where Joker [[spoiler:dies by accidentally electrocuting himself while fighting Tim. What was it he did to Tim in order to break him again?]] |
| 148 | ** And again in the climax. [[spoiler:The Joker finally dies, by his own joy buzzer.]] |
| 149 | * DeathBySecretIdentity: [[spoiler:The Joker "dies" shortly after learning Batman's identity.]] |
| 150 | * DeconstructorFleet: |
| 151 | ** The flashback sequence presents why [[spoiler:having a child fight crime]] is a terrible idea. |
| 152 | ** In-universe, the characters BreakThemByTalking offering deconstructions of their enemies. |
| 153 | *** The Joker points out that, for all the fear he invokes being TheCowl, Batman is nothing more than a pathetic ManChild crying out for mommy and daddy after all those years. [[spoiler:During their final fight, Terry ''hurls'' this insult [[IronicEcho right back]] at Joker by calling his clown-related gags [[BoringInsult lame]]]]. |
| 154 | ---->'''The Joker:''' I must admit, it's sadly anti-climactic. Behind all the sturm and batarangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit, crying for mommy and daddy! It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic. |
| 155 | *** Tim Drake deconstructs the KidSidekick as a WellDoneSonGuy pathetically trying to please TheHero because IJustWantToBeYou. When that doesn't happen, there comes the FanDisillusionment: |
| 156 | ---->'''Tim:''' We gave our best, but in the end that wasn't good enough for the old man. When I was younger, part of me thought I would go on and on and someday...ah, capes, costumes, playing hero--it was kid's stuff! Bruce probably did me a favor. In the end, I was so sick of it I never wanted to see that stupid Robin suit again...![[note]]However, this may actually be [[spoiler:subtle interference from the Joker's mind control chip embedded in Tim's head, influencing the former Robin's mind. For all of Joker's FoeRomanceSubtext and playful attitude towards Batman, it's easy to forget: He fucking ''hates'' the man who always spoiled his fun.]] [[/note]] |
| 157 | *** Terry admits that the Joker is a successful supervillain, [[spoiler:but a pathetic comedian: he never made Batman laugh, nor corrupt or break him. He never was AffablyEvil, just FauxAffablyEvil. And after all, the natural enemy of a comedian is ''TheHeckler''.]] |
| 158 | *** Harley Quinn deconstructs the PerkyFemaleMinion into CuteAndPsycho after helping the Joker torture Robin, showing us that she was just another criminal. Batgirl conveniently forgets that the only one of Joker's potential victims Harley defended in the series was [[HoYay Poison Ivy]] and Arkham Asylum's inmates. Harley was perfectly okay with the Joker torturing and killing [[LongList Harvey Bullock, Charlie Collins, Sid the Squid, Carl Francis, Thomas Jackson, Batgirl's own father Commissioner Gordon, etc...]]: |
| 159 | ---->'''Batgirl:''' How could you help Joker do it, Harley?\ |
| 160 | '''Harley Quinn:''' Okay, so he roughed the kid up a little. But I'll make it right.\ |
| 161 | '''Batgirl:''' Yeah, you're Mother of the Stinkin' Year! |
| 162 | *** TheCowl is deconstructed because while Batman is completely devoted to his mission, the Bat-Family and Harley [[GrowingUpSucks want to grow up, have families, and get much more out of life than playing the infinite]] CycleOfRevenge that will eventually leave Batman LonelyAtTheTop. The disturbing conclusion is that the only relationship that ultimately will ever last for Batman is the FoeRomanceSubtext he has with the Joker. As we see at the page quote, The Joker was truly special for Batman; he's the only one fully willing to forever accept and embrace Batman's role as the {{Determinator}}. |
| 163 | *** TheChessmaster is deconstructed when everyone of the grown-up Bat-Family distrusts the Batman for his manipulative tendencies. |
| 164 | ---->'''Batman ([=McGinnis=])''': (''after his interview with Drake'') Were all of you that bitter when you left?\ |
| 165 | '''Barbara Gordon:''' Comes with the territory, [=McGinnis=]. Look up Nightwing someday; has he got [[NoodleIncident stories]]. |
| 166 | *** KidHero: Batgirl seems to think EvenEvilHasStandards and Harley WouldntHurtAChild. And Robin: |
| 167 | ---->'''Tim:''' Fun and games. Boy Wonder playing hero. Fighting the bad guys and no one ever gets...[[spoiler:oh God. '''(I killed him./I did it.)''' I didn't mean to. I tried so hard to forget. But I still hear '''(the shot/his scream)'''. Still see his '''(dead/frozen)''' smile. Every night, the dreams get stronger...he's there when I sleep. Whispering! Laughing! Telling me I'm just as bad as he is! We're both the same!]] |
| 168 | ** LockedOutOfTheLoop also gets a painful deconstruction, because the old Bat Family's refusal to come forward with the truth Terry needs about the Joker gets him fed up to the point where [[spoiler:''[[RageQuit he quits]]''. [[TenMinuteRetirement Of course it doesn't stick]], but the damage the Joker does in the short span of time ends with Dana hospitalized and Bruce and Ace nearly dead. Terry eventually coaxes the story out of Barbara, citing that he's involved in this mess whether they like it or not, and convincing Bruce to allow him to face the Joker.]] |
| 169 | ** ArchEnemy is also deconstructed, as while Batman talked about most of his RoguesGallery, he specifically avoided mentioning Joker [[spoiler:because of what he did to Tim Drake.]] The Dark Knight points out that it "wasn't a popularity contest", claiming that Joker only sought to make him "laugh" and dismissed the FoeRomanceSubtext he had with the clown. In the end, Bruce never considered The Joker anything more than an insane man who hurt others just to get a reaction out of him. |
| 170 | * DecoyDamsel: Harley Quinn, in order to [[spoiler:capture Tim Drake.]] |
| 171 | * DefaceOfTheMoon: The Joker plans to use his hijacked KillSat to carve a giant smiley-face into Gotham City (taking out Terry's family, Wayne Manor, and the hospital Dana is staying at along the way) as a way of showing everyone once and for all that "this is Joker territory." |
| 172 | * DesignatedGirlFight: Harley vs. Batgirl. [[spoiler:It ends tragically as Harley plummets to her death while Batgirl looks in horror. Or so we think.]] |
| 173 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: Bruce firing Terry and pushing him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce is terrified of Terry ending up like Tim Drake and is trying to protect him. The thing is, Joker's dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack ''heavily'' implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is later confirmed when Joker storms the Batcave). So if Joker knows, then it won't be hard for him to deduce Bruce's Personal Assistant ''must'' be the new Batman (if he hasn't already). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet and is at risk in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz come after him and Dana). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and guilt (not to mention his long-established problems with basic communication and interpersonal relationships) overriding his objectivity and common sense. With the later revelations of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue "Epilogue"]] it can also retroactively be seen as Bruce being too terrified of his biological son suffering the same fate as his second adopted son.]] |
| 174 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the uncensored movie, Robin [[spoiler:shoots Joker with his own gun to kill him]] while the censored version goes down differently with Robin [[spoiler:attacking Joker and knocking him into a vat of water, which then leads to Joker electrocuting himself to death when he accidentally pulls down on a lever.]] |
| 175 | * DisappointedByTheMotive: |
| 176 | ** Invoked by Terry during his battle against The Joker. Terry is basically ''trying'' to piss the Joker off. [[VillainousBreakdown It works.]] |
| 177 | --->'''Terry:''' So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain. What, you couldn't get work as a rodeo clown? |
| 178 | ** Which is something of an IronicEcho from the Joker's own disappointment upon learning Batman's identity. |
| 179 | --->'''Joker''': It's ''true'', Batsy - I know everything. And kind of like the kid who peeks at his Christmas presents, I must admit, it's sadly anticlimactic. Behind all the sturm and batarangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit [[DeathByOriginStory crying for mommy and daddy]]. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic. (''{{Beat}}'') Oh what the heck, I'll laugh anyway! |
| 180 | * DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Subverted by Harley who appears to fall to her death but is revealed to have survived.]] |
| 181 | * DontExplainTheJoke: Exploited. Joker flips out when Terry deliberately trolls his fixation with Batman during their final battle [[spoiler:so Terry can finish him off for good]]. |
| 182 | * DoubleMeaning: "That's also how we did it in my day." in the uncut version. [[spoiler:Initially, seems to just be The Joker remarking on his own death. Then comes the reveal that the current Joker is Tim Drake, who was also the triggerman that killed The Joker.]] |
| 183 | * TheDreaded: Even through it's been decades since the Joker was last seen, when he first reveals himself to Gotham everyone present is terrified, even more so than when his minions attacked. While he told Terry about his other villains, Batman never talked about his ArchEnemy, pointing out that "it wasn't a popularity contest." |
| 184 | * DrivingQuestion: Why are Bruce and Barbara adamant the Joker is dead? What ''really'' happened decades ago during the final confrontation between the Bat Family and Joker and Harley? And if the Joker truly is dead, then how can he back and seemingly unaged (let alone how does he know the Bat Family's secrets)? |
| 185 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: Terry is annoyed that Bruce and Barbara are keeping him LockedOutOfTheLoop, Bruce for fear of the Joker targeting Terry, Barbara to [[spoiler:protect Tim's privacy]]. He tells Bruce that he's not that vulnerable, and once [[spoiler:Barbara tells him what happened to Tim, Terry manages to get a few leads on how to find the Joker.]] Later on, when Bruce admits he was scared of Terry being tortured [[spoiler:the way Tim was]], Terry says no offense but he was never a sidekick and he knew what the Batman job entails. |
| 186 | * DueToTheDead: Discussed only by Barbara at the end of the flashback (in the uncut version, that is): |
| 187 | -->'''Commissioner Barbara Gordon:''' [[spoiler:We buried the Joker deep beneath Arkham. The only other person who knew what happened that night was my father, the first Commissioner Gordon. He promised to keep our secret.]] |
| 188 | * DumbMuscle: Bonk. In the opening heist he's more focused on fighting Batman than getting their objective (to the point where him going off to go after Terry ends up causing the device they were there to steal to blow up, and almost kills one of the Dee Dees), [[BullyingADragon then mouths off to]] ''[[TheDreaded the Joker]]'' because instead of doing petty robbery he's having them get high-tech machinery for something he won't tell them about. Unsurprisingly, the Joker doesn't appreciate this stupidity and kills him. |
| 189 | * DyingSmirk: In the censored version, The Joker dies via electrocution, and it's mentioned that he has a grin on his face. (Averted in the released version, as he does not laugh or grin during his death and he even says "That's not funny. That's n—" before keeling over.) |
| 190 | * EarnYourHappyEnding: |
| 191 | ** [[spoiler:The Joker is FINALLY dead and Tim Drake has restored his friendship with Bruce.]] |
| 192 | ** [[spoiler:Harley Quinn, at some point after the Joker's death she became a normal, decent law-abiding person (likely due to the Joker not being alive to abuse her or tempt her into evil). Downplayed, as her granddaughters are part of the Jokerz gang, much to her dismay.]] |
| 193 | * ElectricJoybuzzer: The Joker's usual weapon is back in this installment. [[spoiler:And it is used by Terry to destroy the chip that allowed him to control Tim Drake.]] |
| 194 | * ElectricTorture: [[spoiler:Tim suffers and breaks under it, as well as Joker drugging him with serums. In both the uncut and censored version, either Terry or Tim makes Joker pay for it via the same method.]] |
| 195 | * EmergingFromTheShadows: When we first see the Jokerz speak with their leader, he is partly concealed in the shadows at first, except for his {{red|EyesTakeWarning}} GlowingEyesOfDoom and his grin, but then, [[spoiler:after shooting Bonk dead for his complaining, he emerges from the shadows, revealing himself to be the newly-resurrected Joker.]] |
| 196 | * EngineeredPublicConfession: "I gave you the security codes..." |
| 197 | * EntertaininglyWrong: Terry asks Bruce how the latter is certain that the Joker is dead. When Bruce says he's sure because he was there when the Joker died, Terry theorizes that Batman was forced to break his ThouShaltNotKill rule and kill the Joker before he did a terrible thing. [[spoiler:What actually happened was much worse - the Joker abducted then tortured Tim Drake for three weeks on end, culminating in the erstwhile Robin snapping then killing the Joker.]] |
| 198 | * EpilepticTrees: In-universe, Terry suggested "theories" about how Joker is still alive and kicking. |
| 199 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: |
| 200 | ** The Joker establishes his when he shoots Bonk. He even comes out of the shadows for it. |
| 201 | ** The opening scene serves as one for Terry for any viewers that haven't seen the series. His fight with the Jokerz shows that he's skilled enough to toy with them but also inexperienced enough to let the Dee-Dees get the drop on him because they played possum. Most importantly, his quipping with the Jokerz establishes that he likes to trash talk his enemies (unlike the original Batman), which proves crucial in his climactic fight with the Joker. |
| 202 | * EurekaMoment: Terry has not one, but ''two'' in this movie: |
| 203 | ** "Nothing against your old partners, but I'm a completely different Batman. I was never a Robin, I never--" [[spoiler:Terry notices the Robin costume is the only one out of all the other suits that was trashed, and remembers what Tim told him about his days as Robin.]] |
| 204 | ** When Bruce advises Terry to ignore Joker's taunts and not respond, Terry realizes ''he's not Bruce''. He has his ''own'' [[SuperiorSuccessor style]]. |
| 205 | --->'''Terry:''' He's tough. Any suggestions, boss?\ |
| 206 | '''Bruce:''' Joker's vain and likes to talk. He'll try to distract you, but don't listen. Block it out and power on through!\ |
| 207 | '''Terry:''' Wait... ''I like to talk, too''. |
| 208 | * EvilDetectingDog: When the Joker breaks into Wayne Manor, Ace immediately detects him from down in the Bat Cave and furiously rushes to attack him. Unfortunately, the hound is no match for the Clown Prince of Crime, although he redeems himself in the final battle. |
| 209 | * EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: An interesting combination of the "lack of humor" and "sick sense of humor" types. [[spoiler:As much as Joker loves messing with people, he can't stand being the butt of a joke, which Terry uses against him.]] |
| 210 | * EvilIsPetty: Aside from his grand, city-destroying scheme and trying to gas Bruce to death, Joker takes his time to ransack Wayne Manor just for the hell of it. |
| 211 | * EvilLaugh: |
| 212 | ** One of the originals. |
| 213 | ** Another one provides an awesome CallBack: [[spoiler:Terry's laugh when confronting the Joker mirrors Batman's own EvilLaugh back in ''TNBA'' so that it manages to ''creep out'' the clown himself.]] |
| 214 | * ExactWords: |
| 215 | ** The Joker in the flashback sequence was in A-Grade form: |
| 216 | --->'''Batman:''' (''pinning the Joker with a NeckLift'') I'll ''break you in two!'' |
| 217 | --->'''Joker:''' (''laughs'') Oh, Batman, if you had the guts for ''that'' kind of fun, you would have done it ''years ago''. I, (''slowly sweeps his right hand outward, palm up'') on the other hand....(''instantly draws a switch blade with his left'' ''[[spoiler:then slices Batman across his chest and stabs him in the patella, blade stuck-tight]]'') |
| 218 | ** Just before the climax, [[spoiler:Joker states that Tim Drake is indeed in his employ. This ''is'' true and Tim ''is'' indeed working for the Joker...because the Clown's hijacked Tim's body and, as Joker puts it, is using it as a time-share. Likewise, Joker also then states that it took Tim a few years before he finally figured out who ran the real winning team. This is ''also'' true...because it took years for the Joker's microchip to subtly influence Tim enough to gain enough control over his body.]] |
| 219 | ** Later, Terry [[spoiler:turns this around on the Joker himself; the Joker [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor always wanted to make Batman laugh]]...but he never specified ''which'' Batman...or whether Batman was laughing ''with'' him or ''at'' him.]] |
| 220 | * ExplainExplainOhCrap: After getting ambushed by the Jokerz, Terry calls Bruce only to get the answering machine instead. Terry quickly relates what happened until he realizes that Bruce would never leave the manor at this time of night and he fears the worst may have happened (and it did). |
| 221 | * {{Expy}}: Dee Dee are based on Double Dare, a pair of scantily-clad acrobatic sister thieves from ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s rogues gallery. |
| 222 | * FalseFlagOperation: How Tim gets captured in the flashback. Joker and Harley stage a fake mugging to lure in the Boy Wonder. |
| 223 | * TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: Joker and Harley's intentions when they kidnap, {{brainwash|ed}} and [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] [[spoiler:Tim Drake]] for the sake of modeling him as their own son, dubbed "[[OverlordJr Joker, Jr.]]", would have allowed them to effectively become one of these families. [[spoiler:Only it didn't work.]] |
| 224 | * FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler:The Joker is killed off fairly early in the story. There are actually two versions of the death scene. Originally, Robin shot the Joker with his gag gun; the MoralGuardians thought this was too violent, so the scene was reanimated to show the Joker getting wet and tangled up in wires, slipping, and accidentally electrocuting himself. The ScreamDiscretionShot used winds up having the same, if not ''[[NightmareFuel worse]]'', impact as the unedited take, which was probably the writers' intent.]] |
| 225 | * FatalFlaw: Exploited. Despite mocking others' misery, Joker's AttentionWhore status is what brings him down. Terry points out his fixation with the original Batman was lousy, and for being an infamous supervillain, he's nothing but a stupid manchild once the props are removed. Joker [[VillainousBreakdown views this as an insult]]. |
| 226 | * FightFireWithFire: A variation. [[spoiler:Sick of dealing with Woof, Terry finally brings in his own furry, snarling backup (i.e. Ace) during the final battle. It works.]] |
| 227 | ** Another variation. A first-rate narcissist, Joker loves to hear himself laugh even if others don't, so Batman tells Terry to ignore it. Terry realizes he to loves to [[TheHeckler trash-talk]] via the BoringInsult. [[VillainousBreakdown It works]]. |
| 228 | * FinishingEachOthersSentences: Dee Dee does this occasionally, befitting their AlwaysIdenticalTwins. |
| 229 | * FiveSecondForeshadowing: [[spoiler:Tim Drake]] calls Batman by his real identity, Terry. Then when Terry points out that he never introduced his secret identity to Tim, the former further calls him by the Joker's "pet" nickname for him, right before he traps Batman and finally reveals himself. |
| 230 | * {{Flashback}}: There's a flashback sequence that is about what happened in Bruce's last confrontation with the Joker. |
| 231 | * FlawExploitation: Terry exploits Joker's vanity against him deliberately [[spoiler:so he can be taken down for good]]. |
| 232 | * ForcedToWatch: Joker in the climax intends to make Bruce watch through the Batsuit camera as he [[spoiler:destroys Terry's home, the hospital where Dana is recovering, and Wayne Manor. He also incapacitates Terry so he can watch as well]]. Fortunately, Joker forgot about Ace; Terry orders, "Sic him!". |
| 233 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: |
| 234 | ** Or rather "Backshadowing". Joker's "That's also how we did it in my day" and one half of Dee Dee [[spoiler:almost dying the way her grandma supposedly died.]] |
| 235 | ** Another part of "backshadowing": The background music that plays [[spoiler:when Bruce demands that Terry return the Batsuit because it's dangerous for him to face the Joker (impostor or not), despite the fact that the Clown Prince of Crime died years ago]] is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPRE_eElzs Terry Relieved of Duty]]". [[spoiler:When played again as a DarkReprise near the end of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YraQ5MaR2EY Arkham Mayhem]]", we now understand the reason: because the Joker {{Mind Rape}}d Robin into divulging his secrets about Bruce Wayne as Batman, the Clown Prince of Crime tainted the Bat-Family with compromise and deception "in his last act of cruelty" that led to his demise at Robin's hands and to Barbara and Tim quitting the Bat-Family because of it.]] |
| 236 | ** When Joker first publicly reappears, Terry notes he's pretty spry for a guy who should be in his mid-Eighties. He speculates if this could be due to Joker possibly being a clone, a robot, or having been placed in suspended animation. Bruce disregards and ignores Terry's brainstorming (since [[spoiler:he already knows firsthand it ''can't'' be any of these theories because he watched Tim Drake shoot the Joker decades ago.]] However, it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Terry ''was'' actually on the right track with the Cloning Theory. The new Joker ''is'' a clone (or at least after a fashion) thanks to the original Joker using Tim as a genetics experiment.]] |
| 237 | ** The Dee Dee twins are revealed to be blonde when they attack Terry out of costume at the club. [[spoiler:Makes sense, since they're the granddaughters of the similarly blonde Harley Quinn.]] |
| 238 | *** Similarly, and speaking of [[spoiler:Harley, she's curiously absent from the "Our Family Memories" footage during the flashback (or alternately, she's off-screen managing the camera). However, her absence turns out to be somewhat important, because Joker reveals that while he ''does'' now know Bruce's true identity, Bruce's secrets are ''his'' alone to know. This means Joker withheld the revelations from Tim's interrogation from Harley, which makes sense given Joker's long-established selfishness; of ''course'' he'd covet such a prize and hoard it for himself. But this also means that even if Harley ''did'' somehow survive her plunge into the pit and is still alive in the Present Day (which is eventually confirmed), being locked out of the loop ironically eliminates her as a potential suspect. After all, if Harley didn't know Bruce Wayne was Batman, then logically the new Joker likewise shouldn't know the secret either. Yet he somehow does, meaning Harley ''can't'' be involved or behind the new Joker.]] |
| 239 | ** When Joker sent the satellite laser after the Batmobile and is laughing all the while, he stops and starts profusely sweating, making an excuse about needing to sit down before he busts a gut. Later, [[spoiler:Tim sweats the same way before he transforms into the Joker again, most likely a warning indicator when one side gains control.]] |
| 240 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: |
| 241 | ** A few patrons at the nightclub pause and gawk at the disguised Dee Dees, at the same time annoying their dates. |
| 242 | ** After Terry hands over Price to the police, with evidence that he conspired with the Jokerz to kill Bruce, he turns away - just missing one of the cops saluting him. |
| 243 | * GenreSavvy: Joker has shades of this while working on his plan. Knowing that Batman is only a single person, he uses his reveal as a distraction so that his henchmen can steal some technology uninterrupted. Even during his escape the Joker throws two party goers off the edge of a building, forcing Batman to save them while the Joker makes a getaway. |
| 244 | * GodzillaThreshold: Terry assumes this. Why else would Batman break his One Rule unless the Joker couldn't be stopped any other way? |
| 245 | * GoryDiscretionShot: The edited version of [[spoiler:Joker's death involving water, wires, and a lot of electricity. Because the camera cuts away as he's dying, all we hear is his scream]]. For this reason, some people consider it worse than the uncut version, as it leaves more to the imagination. Knowing the writers, this was likely deliberate. |
| 246 | * GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:How the Joker survived all these years.]] |
| 247 | * GroinAttack: |
| 248 | ** Terry received one from one half of Dee Dee when the Jokerz ambush him. This was cut in the televised airings, because it could be considered an "imitable act". |
| 249 | ** Terry pulls one on the Joker, the first sign that the Joker's drastically misjudged his new foe. |
| 250 | * HairTriggerTemper: Bonk quickly loses sight of the Jokerz' mission as soon as Batman arrived on the scene. He jeopardizes their job several times in the opening scene alone just to attack Batman. |
| 251 | * HalfHumanHybrid: Woof is a human spliced with hyena DNA. |
| 252 | * HateSink: The Joker was ''always'' a monster, but generally LaughablyEvil. This film goes out of its way to make him as despicable as possible. To elaborate, he [[spoiler:kidnapped then-Robin Tim Drake, [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]] and {{Mind Rape}}d him for three weeks, mutilated him, "fixed" him up as Joker Jr., implanted a microchip doctored with the Joker's DNA into his body, and invited Batman over to see his work in detail (which included a home video of the boy's torture labeled as "Our Family Memories"). He then reveals that he's learned Batman's SecretIdentity, ''mocks'' him for it (and for not having the balls to kill him after all this), and knifes him before he tosses "J.J." a spear gun to finish him off with.]] To drive the point home, the Joker's actions are so monstrous that, despite having voiced him for nearly a decade by this point, Creator/MarkHamill actually felt uncomfortable with voicing him this time around. |
| 253 | * TheHeckler: Terry discovers this is Joker's weakness: being heckled at. It's something Bruce was too stoic to do, but Terry relished the opportunity. After all, it's a comedian's worst nightmare. |
| 254 | * HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After helping Joker kidnap and torture Tim, and falling down a pit, Harley disappears. She then adopts a civilian life and starts a family, while trying to keep her granddaughters from repeating her mistakes.]] |
| 255 | * HellBentForLeather: The resurrected Joker wears a bodysuit made of dark leather. |
| 256 | * HeroicWillpower: |
| 257 | ** Uncut version and downplayed. [[spoiler:Tim starts to fight back against the brainwashing, shaking his head and he stops smiling. When Joker orders him to do it, Tim ends up redirecting the gun at the clown.]] |
| 258 | ** Edited version plays it straight. [[spoiler:A brainwashed Tim Drake tosses the BangFlagGun immediately when Joker orders him to fire on an incapacitated Batman. Then Tim proceeds to tackle Joker, actually knocking him back a few feet and smashing the wires that Joker used to electrocute the boy.]] |
| 259 | * HighVoltageDeath: |
| 260 | ** This happens to The Joker in the censored version. [[spoiler:After The Joker kidnaps Tim Drake (Robin) and brainwashes him into being insane like himself. The Joker tries to get Tim to to kill the Batman and prove Tim is like him. In the censored version of the scene, Tim pushes The Joker into a glass container full of water, breaking it, which causes him to get tangled in electrical wires attached to the container. The Joker slips on the water and accidentally pulls an electrical switch, and the wires electrocute him to death.]] |
| 261 | ** In both versions, [[spoiler:many years after the Joker's "biological death", Terry destroyed the microchip that was planted in Tim Drake's neck that allow the Joker to return to life with [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the Joker's own]] [[ElectricJoyBuzzer joy-buzzer]], putting an end to the Joker's reign of terror forever.]] |
| 262 | * HistoryRepeats: Both versions of the movie play with this in regard to Joker's death. |
| 263 | ** In the uncut version, The Joker [[spoiler:is killed by Tim Drake shooting him to death with his own speargun. Decades later in the Beyond era, the now Jokerized Tim Drake shoots someone else with a similar gun, bitterly remarking "That's also how we did it in my day."]] |
| 264 | ** In the censored version, The Joker [[spoiler:is killed by Tim Drake shoving him into his torture equipment, soaking him in water and causing him to slip, activating a lever that shocks him to death. Later in the film, Terry "kills" The Joker again by electrocuting him with his own joy buzzer, destroying the chip he was using to transform Tim Drake.]] |
| 265 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: |
| 266 | ** The Joker is [[spoiler:killed by Tim Drake using his own speargun in the uncut version]] that he gave Tim to kill Batman. |
| 267 | ** Terry destroys the microchip with the Joker's own joy buzzer, killing him once and for all. |
| 268 | *** Joker also always wanted to make Batman laugh. During their final fight, Batman ''does'' laugh, but ''at'' how lame his jokes really are. |
| 269 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: Or rather mocking the MonsterClown. Joker freaks out when Terry [[IShallTauntYou mocks]] his pathetic attempts to break Batman. |
| 270 | * HospitalVisitHesitation: Invoked when Bruce Wayne visits Tim Drake in hospital after the Joker is defeated. It's treated as a big deal, as it represents his willingness to finally swallow his pride and reach out to his former sidekick [[note]]Tim had retired as Robin decades in the past, mostly due to the psychological wounds of being tortured into madness by the Joker and then killing the Clown Prince of Crime. Bruce being Bruce blamed himself for what happened, and cut off ties with Tim completely[[/note]]. Barbara Gordon, being the former Batgirl, is also present and both she and Drake immediately recognise the significance of Bruce's presence. |
| 271 | * TheHyena: Woof actually ''is'' part-hyena. His "dialogue" mostly consists of raucous laughter like his namesake, even though a scene not in the film (instead left in the script) reveals he's still eloquent. |
| 272 | * HydroElectroCombo: How [[spoiler:The Joker]] bites the dust in the censored version: [[spoiler:when Tim Drake rebels from his electroshock-induced brainwashing, he pushes Joker into glass tanks of water, shattering them. As he tries to get up to chase him, Joker slips and accidentally pulls the lever and reactivates the electrode machine, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard leading to his horrifying death by electrocution]].]] |
| 273 | * HypocriticalHeartwarming: Matt complains about Terry being at home because he's used to being an only child. Terry in response flicks some cereal at him. When Joker threatens Matt and their mother, however, Terry clenches his fist and sics Ace on Joker. |
| 274 | * HypocriticalHumor: Despite his cruel mockery of others, Joker ironically hates being laughed ''at''. Predictably, the clown reacts negatively when Terry mocks his fixation with Batman. |
| 275 | * IDidWhatIHadToDo: |
| 276 | ** Terry at first assumes this when Bruce says that he's pretty sure the Joker is dead. [[spoiler:He's not too far off.]] |
| 277 | --->"You killed him, didn't you? He was gonna do something so terrible that you had no other choice." |
| 278 | ** Bruce, in forcing Terry to quit. After Terry revealed that Barbara told him the whole story, Bruce says that's the reason why he didn't want Terry to face the Joker, even if he's an imposter. |
| 279 | * IShallTauntYou: Terry is probably one of the best examples out there, breaking the Joker in a manner the original Batman couldn't do. In fact, it is a brilliant callback to his own taunting of the original Batman after finding out his identity, mocking him for being "a little boy in a play suit crying for mommy and daddy", with the insult being thrown right back at his face. |
| 280 | * IfIWantedYouDead: Flashback-Joker uses the inversion. |
| 281 | -->'''Batman:''' I'll ''break you in two!'' |
| 282 | -->'''Joker:''' ''(laughs)'' Oh, Batman, if you had the guts for ''that'' kind of fun, you would have done it ''years ago''. I, on the other hand... |
| 283 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Deconstructed. Yes, [[spoiler:Tim Drake]] still is in there somewhere, but he's so damaged he'll never be quite the same again. |
| 284 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:The Joker via spear gun in the original version. Also Bonk via the same weapon.]] |
| 285 | * InadequateInheritor: The Joker sees Terry as one for the role of Batman; his priorities are made clear when he sends his lackeys to take care of Terry while he himself attacks Bruce in the Bat-Cave. Terry later proves this spectacularly wrong during their final fight. |
| 286 | * InkSuitActor: Dean Stockwell as the [[VagueAge 50-60-something]] Tim Drake. |
| 287 | * IronicEcho: |
| 288 | ** In spirit, if not exact wording: |
| 289 | --->'''Joker to Batman (Bruce):''' It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic. ''(beat)'' Oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway.\ |
| 290 | '''Batman (Terry) to Joker:''' You make me laugh...but only because I think you're kinda pathetic. |
| 291 | ** When the Joker berates his henchmen, he says, "Why, in my day..." to which Bonk retorts, "Your day is over, old man!" After the Joker shoots Bonk he quips, "That's also how we did it in my day." |
| 292 | * IronicLastWords: [[spoiler:The Joker has spent years terrorizing Gotham for laughs. His final battle with Batman has him brainwash Robin into a miniature version of him, with the intent of having Batman's own partner be the one to finish him off. When Robin regains slight control at the last second and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard shoots Joker instead of Batman]], his last words are "That's not funny...that's not..." before collapsing, dead.]] |
| 293 | * {{Irony}}: Despite the Joker not considering Terry as a worthy Batman, he and nobody else knew that [[spoiler:Terry is Bruce's biological son via the machinations of Amanda Waller using nanotechnology. Terry isn't a wannabe pretender but the metaphorical prince to Bruce's King and true heir to the throne. It's even revealed later that Terry not only matches Bruce in his prime but surpassed him because unlike Bruce, he didn't have all the emotional baggage and had no problem being social with others.]] |
| 294 | ** The Joker's [[spoiler:[[LastWords final words]] in the uncut version, as seen in the flashback sequence, were: "That's not funny...That's not..."]] |
| 295 | ** Terry throws the Joker's jokes right back at him. Once all the props are removed, the clown is nothing but a stupid manchild whose jokes are stale. Joker doesn't take Terry's disrespect [[VillainousBreakdown lightly]]. [[spoiler:This was done by Terry so he could deliberately rile Joker and fry the chip containing the clown's DNA with the joy buzzer to make sure he can ''never'' come back in any shape or form]]. |
| 296 | * ItsAllMyFault: [[spoiler:Barbara mentions at the end of the flashback that Bruce blamed himself for causing Tim to be tortured by the Joker, and that the reason he asked Tim to give up his Robin suit was so that he would never put another accomplice in such a horrible situation again. Tim doesn't blame Bruce for what happened, and mentions that it was probably for the best that he gave up the cowl. This is also the reason Bruce is reluctant to let Terry find the Joker, and tells him he shouldn't have forced the burden of Batman on him, since he fears it will cause Terry to suffer Tim's fate as well.]] |
| 297 | * JokerImmunity: |
| 298 | ** [[spoiler:'''Finally''' averted. The Joker actually dies for good ''twice'' in the film (the first time is when he's killed by Tim Drake in the modern day and the second time is when Terry fries the chip containing Joker's consciousness and DNA coding attached to Tim Drake's neck in the future).]] |
| 299 | ** Played straight with [[spoiler:Harley Quinn, though. WordOfGod says it's because Creator/PaulDini couldn't bear to kill off his favorite creation. WordOfGod also attributes her in-universe survival with the injection she got from Poison Ivy in the episode they met]]. |
| 300 | * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Harley may be TheAtoner now, but she still basically got away scot-free with everything she and Joker did to Tim. It's possible she was caught and already served her time by the time we see her at the end (as a decent, law-abiding senior citizen by this point).]] |
| 301 | * KarmicDeath: |
| 302 | ** The Joker's [[spoiler:first death; in fact (in the uncensored version), when he's shot, he can only say, "That's not funny...". His second and [[KilledOffForReal final death]] topped this however by turning Joker’s own BreakingSpeech schtick against him, reducing him to a raving lunatic obsessed with ending Terry at all costs, before giving him some very well needed electroshock therapy with his own joy buzzer straight to the chip in his neck housing Joker’s consciousness, putting him down for good and saving Tim’s life and sanity.]] |
| 303 | ** The {{Bowdlerised}} version was pretty karmic too: [[spoiler:Joker is electrocuted to death by the very device he used to torture Tim.]] |
| 304 | * KickTheDog: |
| 305 | ** When The Joker breaks into the Batcave, he attacks Ace. He does so again near the end of the movie. |
| 306 | ** And in another sense. In the flashback sequence, the Joker shows Batman a video of him [[spoiler:torturing Tim Drake]] and then reveals that, after a few weeks, his mind snapped and he revealed Batman's identity to Joker. Joker then proceeds to mock Batman over the death of his parents. [[BerserkButton Bodily injury soon followed.]] |
| 307 | ** After breaking into the Batcave and gassing Bruce, the Joker re-creates the "HA HA HA" graffiti from the murder of Terry's father ''just'' to torture him. Even the filmmakers admit that that might be a bit too far. |
| 308 | --->'''Bruce Timm''': (''in the commentary'') That's just ''sick''. |
| 309 | * KidHero: Deconstructed with Robin's fate. Barbara also seems to think that Harley WouldntHurtAChild. Both seem to consider crime fighting like a great adventure. Bruce would never have such illusions. |
| 310 | * KilledOffForReal: |
| 311 | ** [[spoiler:In a subversion of [[JokerImmunity the very trope named after him]], The Joker got this treatment in this installment. He proved to be as much of a survivor in the ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'' as his comic book counterpart via being every bit the "no one" in NoOneCouldSurviveThat -- but this installment took the big leap and put him down once and for all. It even did it twice! The first time, Joker is killed in Arkham Asylum [[note]]Shot in the Uncensored version, and electrocuted in the censored version[[/note]] and his body is buried within its walls. The second time, the chip containing a copy of his DNA and memories is burned out, just to make sure he can ''never'' come back.]] |
| 312 | ** This is subverted with [[spoiler:Harley Quinn. In the flashback, Harley falls into a deep pit after fighting with Batgirl. She does not show up again for the rest of the flashback, so you can assume--like Barbara did--that Harley died. But she did survive--and she had her family, too, as the Dee-Dees refer to her as "Nana Harley" and a guard calls her their grandmother.]] |
| 313 | * KillSat: Government-issued Hyperion class defense satellite. |
| 314 | * KissTheCookApron: The Joker shows Batman recordings of him torturing and brainwashing Robin. He frames the recordings like home movies, even donning a "Kiss the Cook" apron and pulling his torture equipment out of a faux grill to complete the sadistic scene. According to the DVD Commentary, the apron originally said "''Kill'' the Cook", but Warner Brothers Home Video understandably asked them to change it. |
| 315 | * LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Harley spent her youth refusing redemption whenever the Joker called, and aided him in multiple schemes. Her reward for this was constant abuse, and finally falling down a pit; even though she survived, she needs to use a cane afterwards. As an old lady, she finds out that her granddaughters are spending their youth as part of a Jokerz gang, and have even found "Pudding".]] |
| 316 | * TheLastThingYouEverSee: After The Joker injures Batman in the flashback sequence, he says, "You've lost, Batman. Robin is mine. The last sound you'll hear will be our laughter", before attempting to do so. |
| 317 | * LaughingMad: |
| 318 | ** It's ''The Joker''! What did you expect? |
| 319 | ** Also, J.J. (a.k.a. [[spoiler:Robin/Tim Drake]]) suffered from it to the extent that the only vocabulary he could give was maniacal laughter. Given what he [[ColdBloodedTorture had]] [[ElectricTorture to]] [[MindRape go through]], it's not surprising. |
| 320 | * LeanAndMean: Ghoul. |
| 321 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Terry's theme is carried over from the series. Shirley Walker's BTAS theme likewise briefly returns at the beginning of the flashback sequence (albeit in a more somber rendition to underscore the tragedy Barbara's about to recount to Terry). |
| 322 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: This is sort-of inverted--the old Bat-Family has the DarkSecret rather than Terry himself, but they keep a lid on it for his sake because they believe he cannot handle the Joker. [[{{Deconstruction}} This approach backfires on all of them]]. |
| 323 | ** Played straight, if downplayed, with [[spoiler:Joker towards Harley in the flashback. Joker witheld the secrets he extracted from Tim from Harley -- including the knowledge of Batman's true identity. While it's not explictly pointed out in the film, this means that even if Harley somehow survived her plunge into the pit, she ''can't'' be behind or involved with the new Joker (since he knows Bruce was Batman and Harley was left ignorant of the secret).]] |
| 324 | * LogicalWeakness: Terry mocks Joker's motives for villainy and obsession with making the original Batman laugh via an epic BoringInsult. Joker doesn't [[VillainousBreakdown take this insult lightly]]. [[spoiler:It was deliberately done so Terry can take him down for good by frying the microchip that was controlling Tim]]. |
| 325 | * MadeOfExplodium: ''Everything'' explodes in this installment. In the opening battle, Chuckles fires a laser at Terry, which at first melts the construction hook he was sitting on. The hook then explodes. But this is nothing to complain about, as [[AnimationBump the explosions in this film look gorgeous]]. |
| 326 | * ManChild: |
| 327 | ** Joker points out to Bruce that for all the fear he invokes by being TheCowl, he is really this trope. |
| 328 | --->"I must admit, it's sadly anti-climactic. Behind all the sturm and batarangs, you're just a little boy in a play-suit, crying for Mommy and Daddy! It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic...oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway!" ''[[[LaughingMad Mad Laughter]]]'' |
| 329 | ** Terry throws Joker's insults [[IronicEcho right back at him]] by pointing out that Joker himself is also this trope: his fixation with the OG Batman was childishly pathetic, and once you take away the makeup and the props, Joker was nothing more than an idiot trying to make people laugh at a joke that was not even funny to begin with. This sends Joker off the deep end. |
| 330 | * MindRape: [[spoiler:Joker captured Tim and tortured him until he went insane, remolding him into Joker Junior. He eventually mostly recovered, but he was never the same afterwards.]] |
| 331 | * MiniMe: Joker's goal was to make a "Joker Junior" [[spoiler:by torturing Tim Drake into making him insane like he is. It ''almost'' worked too, but the mostly Jokerfied-Tim managed to eventually overcome it.]] |
| 332 | * MissingMissionControl: [[spoiler:After The Joker incapacitates Bruce, Terry is forced to rely on his own detective work for the last 3rd of the movie. This leads to Terry having to chase down leads he thought up on his own, and it's only when Bruce recovers and talks with him does Terry manage to have an epiphany and deduce the Joker's true identity.]] |
| 333 | * MoodWhiplash: |
| 334 | ** After Bruce "fires" him, Terry goes to hang out with Dana at their nightclub. She snuggles as they slow-dance, while Terry promises there's more time for them...and then the Jokerz appear, to kill Terry. |
| 335 | ** In the flashback sequence, Batman busts in on Joker and Harley at Arkham as they are acting out what appears to be a cheesy 1950s sitcom. They announce their intention to start a family and the mood is quite goofy. Then, The Joker peels back a curtain and reveals what he did to Tim Drake. |
| 336 | * MotiveMisidentification: Early in the film, Bruce mistakenly concludes the Jokerz have been stealing high-tech machinery to fence it; after all, he knows first hand that corporate espionage ''is'' big business. He and Terry don't realize until late in the film that the ''true'' purpose of the thefts was for the Joker [[spoiler:using Tim Drake's own technical expertise, to build a jamming system capable of hijacking military defense satellites]]. |
| 337 | * MonsterClown: The Joker obviously qualifies, but the Jokerz all deserve special mention. The Dee-Dees dress themselves up like ragdolls, Ghoul dresses like a ghastly scarecrow (evoking another longtime Batman villain), Woof spliced himself with hyena DNA, Bonk is a giant rage case, and Chucko wears a creepy mask. |
| 338 | * MsFanservice: The AlwaysIdenticalTwins of the Jokerz, Dee Dee. Dressed in short shorts, knee-high boots, and midriff exposing tube tops, complete with being as flirtatious in dialogue and posing as a PG-13 rating will allow them. Their entrance into the club scene is classically FemmeFatale, as they dress in form-hugging dresses, [[DistractedByTheSexy turn heads as they approached Terry]], and press themselves against him in a clear ploy to seduce him; though naturally it doesn't work for even a second. And do we even have to mention the yacht scene? |
| 339 | * MuggedForDisguise: One of the Dee-Dees briefly poses as Jordan Pryce's girlfriend Amy. The real Amy is left bound and gagged at the docks. |
| 340 | * MuggingTheMonster: When the Jokerz attack Terry, they mention their boss didn't mention why he wanted the young man dead. While they injure Dana so that she has to go to the hospital, Terry manages to beat them all with some improvisation, ''without the suit''. By the end of it most of them are half-drowned and Terry takes out Chucko with one punch. |
| 341 | * MustMakeAmends: [[spoiler:Bruce shows up at the hospital Tim is staying in (with Barbara visiting him) so he can make amends with them and relieve himself of his decades-long guilt.]] |
| 342 | * MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: From Harley: "That old clock's a-ticking!"[[note]]Since she has twin granddaughters, she clearly ''did'' have children at some point.[[/note]] |
| 343 | * MythologyGag: |
| 344 | ** The shredded Robin costume is a reference to the infamous story arc "A Death In The Family". |
| 345 | ** The flashback storyline as a whole is essentially the DCAU's spin on "A Death In The Family" [[spoiler:as both stories involve the second Robin being kidnapped and tortured by The Joker. The main difference is that in this version, Robin lives, while the Joker doesn't.]] |
| 346 | * NeverFoundTheBody: In the flashback, [[spoiler:Harley Quinn falls into a deep pit at the end of her fight with Batgirl.]] Barbara mentions this trope by name, but immediately follows up with savviness by adding, "But I doubt she'd be starting trouble now." [[spoiler:The ending shows that Barbara was right: Harley survived the fall and settled down for a quiet life. Too bad her grandchildren ended up becoming Jokerz.]] |
| 347 | * NeverForgottenSkill: |
| 348 | ** Bruce may not have been Batman for years, but he never forgot his skills. [[spoiler:One such skill: How to make a batch of anti-venom for Joker's personal poison]]. In the uncut version of the film, he shows that he is still capable of using a Batarang as if he were in his prime. |
| 349 | --->'''Bruce''': Still got it. |
| 350 | ** Tim Drake has been retired from his position as Robin for 40 years, but he still retains some measure of his old skills and is able to hear a cloaked Batman coming "from a mile away". |
| 351 | --->'''Tim''': I'm no Boy Wonder anymore, but that old training never goes away, even at my age. |
| 352 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Bruce forbidding Tim to be Robin and foisting him onto Leslie Thompkins. While Bruce was thinking of Tim's recovery and future, he's still pushing Tim away out of guilt. If he hadn't (or blocked any attempts at a reconciliation), Bruce would very likely have spotted the Joker's microchip sooner.]] |
| 353 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: |
| 354 | ** Terry and Bruce already had a falling out somewhere near the middle of the movie. But then Joker orders his Jokerz go after Terry while he himself attacks Bruce. The unprovoked attack made Terry more determined to get the whole truth, and he rushes back to Wayne Manor. If he hadn't, Bruce might have actually been killed by Joker 's toxin.[[note]]Remember that Bruce lives in isolation; it will take a long time for someone to wonder about his absence, and by then it would have probably been too late.[[/note]] |
| 355 | ** During his [[EvilGloating monologue]] to Bruce and Terry about how he survived and what he's going to do to Gotham, the Joker makes the decision to ''show'' Terry [[spoiler:where he put the microchip he used to control Tim Drake.]] If he hadn't, Terry might not have been able to stop him for good (since [[spoiler:there would've been no other way to stop the Joker without screwing over the innocent Tim along with him]]). |
| 356 | * NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The Joker finally presses Batman's BerserkButton, and Batman attacks him with a fury that leaves Bruce's intent laid fully bare. |
| 357 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: WordOfGod states that Creator/MichaelRosenbaum deliberately made Ghoul sound like Creator/ChristopherWalken. |
| 358 | * NoEndorHolocaust: When Joker [[spoiler:runs his KillSat laser through Gotham City, it causes massive collateral damage over much of the city, including a park area with clearly-visible bystanders, but it does not seem to have killed anyone (or at the very least, the utter devastation is totally glossed over in the ending).]] |
| 359 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Traditionally, Batman always follows the ThouShaltNotKill rule, even when Joker gets into the game. He even [[SaveTheVillain saves the crook's life a few times]]. In this installment, The Joker shows Bruce the end result of all that mercy. |
| 360 | * NoSenseOfHumor: Terry believes the reason why Joker wants to make Batman laugh is because Bruce has no sense of humor, and Joker saw it as the ultimate challenge. For all his mockery of his victims, Joker ''ironically'' hates being laughed at, something which Terry also exploits and invokes. |
| 361 | * NoSympathy: Subverted when Terry sees an unconscious Tim Drake in the Jolly Jack's abandoned factory. While saying that he knows Tim is working for the Joker, a confused Tim rouses and says that the Joker's gone, and asks how he ended up here. Terry helps him to his feet and notes that he's not lying, according to the Batsuit monitoring Tim's heartbeat. Tim then starts rambling about how he gave up all this "kid's stuff" ages ago and playing with one of the abandoned toys and saying it was all fun and games until...that night. Terry immediately gets worried, realizing that Tim is NotHimself, and offers to call an ambulance when registering that he's suffering a flashback. [[spoiler:When Joker reveals that he's been taking over Tim's body and plans to make the change permanent, Terry changes his agenda to ''save'' Tim by shorting out the microchip that allows for it.]] |
| 362 | * NonActionGuy: Out of all the Jokerz, Ghoul has the least impressive success record in fighting Batman man-to-man. |
| 363 | * NoodleIncident: Fresh off his first meeting with Tim Drake, Terry wonders if all of the ex-partners were as jaded as he was at Bruce. Barbara tells him to someday look Dick Grayson up; "has he got stories". |
| 364 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: [[spoiler:Harley was a completely willing participant in the Joker's torture and remolding of Tim.]] |
| 365 | * NotListeningToMeAreYou: Between his regular life and being Batman, Terry hasn't gotten much sleep lately. While out at a club dancing, his girlfriend Dana notices and proclaims that her head is on fire, to which Terry only responds that she looks good. |
| 366 | * NotQuiteDead: After Joker attacks Bruce at Wayne Manor, Terry comes in to find the house a wreck and Bruce slumped over the Batcomputer with the telltale rictus grin of Joker venom. As Terry checks his pulse and heartbeat, Bruce springs back to life long enough to tell Terry about the antitoxin, which ultimately saves Bruce's life. |
| 367 | * NotSoStoic: The look of shock and absolute ''horror'' on Bruce's face when Joker first presents himself, especially after Joker indirectly confirms his identity by [[{{Archenemy}} addressing him personally]]. |
| 368 | * NothingIsScarier: Discussed. Terry notes that despite his infamy, the Joker was the only member of Bruce's rogues gallery that he never told him about, correctly deducing that it was because he was the worst of them all. |
| 369 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Implied with Harley: [[spoiler:She apparently [[InsaneTrollLogic thinks the Joker torturing and brainwashing Tim Drake will allow them to become a real family.]] Judging by the Joker's [[EvilGloating own response to Batman]] he doesn't seem to be under any such delusions and just did it ForTheEvulz.]] Given that Harley [[spoiler:nearly died from her confrontation with Batgirl, and later gave up the villainous life for good, this tendency no longer applies when she's an elder, as we see when she smacks her granddaughters for becoming Jokerz gang members. Barbara explicitly mentions that Harleen has been inactive for forty years since the tragedy and is too old to continue her InsaneTrollLogic]]. |
| 370 | * OffWithHisHead: This is parodied in the opening of the uncut version--after the credits, Bruce throws a [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Batarang]] that cuts the head off of a wax statue of Two-Face in the Batcave. |
| 371 | * OffhandBackhand: Batman practically invented this trope. Terry does a fine job of carrying on the tradition. |
| 372 | * TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: |
| 373 | ** This could be played straight, depending on your point of view. Joker wanted the brainwashed Tim Drake to physically be the one to kill Batman, but Joker himself masterminded the whole situation. |
| 374 | ** This is unquestionably played straight in that Joker only ever wanted Bruce to be the one who defeated him--and the only one he would ever try to make laugh. The clown reacts negatively when Terry mocks his failed attempts to make [[TheStoic Bruce]] laugh. |
| 375 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: |
| 376 | ** Acknowledged in-story by Terry after the prologue robbery. This is the third such attempted heist in a month involving this particular Jokerz gang. Terry observes this is ''very'' weird behavior, as the Jokerz have little use for high-tech machinery. Bruce (mistakenly) concludes the Jokerz are probably just fencing the goods, pointing out that corporate espionage ''is'' big business. |
| 377 | ** Bruce has a look of pure terror on his face when he sees the Joker make his public return at the Wayne Enterprises reception - not even ''[[GodOfEvil Darkseid]]'' was ever able to make the OG Batman look as scared as he does in that moment. |
| 378 | ** The flashback sequence is one of the very few times in the ''DCAU'' that Batman looks as if he is willing to kill; in particular, when he first sees what Joker has turned Tim into, he throws a knife at the clown's head. |
| 379 | ** Joker genuinely loses his temper when he is taunted by Terry playing TheHeckler. The SmugSnake MonsterClown façade crumbles under Terry saying that Joker is just not funny. Only the monster remains from that point on. |
| 380 | * OutOfCharacterAlert: Tim at first has a FreakOut when Terry finds him in the climax, sweating and reliving the night [[spoiler:he killed the Joker]]. Batman says he's calling an ambulance, only for Tim to address him by his first name and say the memories are like "bad oysters." Terry points out he never revealed his secret identity to the man. [[spoiler:It's the Joker taking over Tim's body, who proceeds to incapacitate Terry and transform, before explaining he implanted a microchip on Tim]]. |
| 381 | * OutsideContextProblem: Terry becomes this to defeat the Joker once and for all. Joker is so used to dealing with the stoic, honor-bound OG Batman that [[VillainousBreakdown the clown loses it]] when Terry openly jeers at him. Terry also has no problem fighting dirty--and in revoking JokerImmunity. |
| 382 | ** Zigzagged with the Joker to Terry. By this point in the show, Terry has encountered and fought several of Bruce's surviving original foes (and racked up his own rogues gallery as well). But none of them matched the Joker's depravity. However, Terry also ''doesn't'' have the personal connection or trauma Bruce and the others did to the Clown, so once Terry figures out how to deal with the Joker, he holds his own. |
| 383 | * PapaWolf: |
| 384 | ** Seeing what Joker has done to Tim Drake proves to be the one thing that convinces Bruce to finally try and kill Joker. (Being mocked over his parents' deaths probably pushes a few buttons, too.) |
| 385 | ** Bruce prefers not to involve Terry with the Joker, so he has to ask the latter to retire as Batman. |
| 386 | * PaperThinDisguise: Averted with the Dee Dee twins. They wear bobcut wigs that are red, but in civilian guise have long blond hair. Thus when they "cut in" and bump Dana away from the dance floor, Terry is confused but doesn't realize who they are until they attack him. |
| 387 | * PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: Misinterpreting Bruce's motives for trying to make him give up being Batman, Terry angrily quits and cuts off any ties with him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately this leaves the mansion and Bruce himself open for a personal visit by the Joker.]] |
| 388 | * PoorCommunicationKills: |
| 389 | ** Bruce at first doesn't tell Terry why he wants the latter to hang up the Batman suit, at first saying that he pushed Terry too hard to take on such a burden. When Terry later finds out the real reason, he's sympathetic when Bruce admits that he was scared of the Joker torturing Terry and breaking him. Even so, Terry tells him he's not going to go that way, and they agree the police are no match for the clown. This time, Terry has an Ace up his sleeve (in this case, in the Batmobile) and Bruce's guidance. |
| 390 | ** While Terry's learned about the old villains, Bruce has ''never'' discussed the Joker with him (and for good reason given all the pain and trauma the Clown inflicted). This hole in Terry's 'education' backfires here when the Joker seemingly returns...and Terry doesn't initially take him seriously. Terry thinks the Joker was just a wackjob who threatened people with squirting flowers and whoopee cushions (and his percpetion's also being influenced by his own encounters with Joker's 'legacy', i.e. the Jokerz Street Gangs). It's only ''after'' the Jokerz attack him and Dana (and after Joker almost kills Bruce) that Terry ''finally'' wises up and starts understanding ''why'' the Bat Family fears and loathes the Joker so much. |
| 391 | *** Ironically, this poor communication is also part of what allows Terry to eventually beat the Joker. ''Because'' he lacks that context (and, more importantly, the shared trauma from those battles that emotionally crippled Bruce, Barbara, and Tim), Terry is thus able to view and analyze the Joker strategically -- and in a way that even Bruce, for all his understanding of the Clown, ''never'' could. It thus allows Terry to counterattack in a way the Joker would ''never'' have anticipated or expected coming from 'his' Batman. |
| 392 | * PostMortemComeback: The two mysteries of the film are how The Joker died and how he came back to life. |
| 393 | * PreAssKickingOneLiner: |
| 394 | ** While fighting on a high-speed hovercraft flying high in the city, Bonk has Terry by the throat. Terry, while struggling, sees behind himself (where the hovercraft is flying) and he tries to warn his opponent of a "flgpkl". |
| 395 | --->'''Bonk''': What did you say?\ |
| 396 | '''Batman''': Flag...pole! ''(KLONK!)'' |
| 397 | ** And later in the movie... |
| 398 | --->'''Joker:''' C'mon, [=McGinnis=]! Laugh it up now, you miserable little punk! LAUGH!\ |
| 399 | ''(Terry gasps)''\ |
| 400 | '''Joker:''' ''I can't hear you!''\ |
| 401 | '''Terry:''' Ha. Ha. ''[[spoiler:(electrocutes Joker with his own joy buzzer)]]'' |
| 402 | * PreMortemOneLiner: "''Ha. Ha.''" |
| 403 | * PresentPeeking: The Joker compares finding out about Batman's secret identity to peeking at Christmas presents--and finding the contents "sadly anticlimactic". |
| 404 | * PretenderDiss: Joker repeatedly throws these at Terry, but it's entirely due to [[SmugSnake his own inflated ego]]. When he flat-out yells "YOU'RE NOT BATMAN!", it's a sign Terry's gotten under his skin in a way Bruce himself never managed. |
| 405 | * PrettySpryForADeadGuy: [[spoiler:The Joker is actually inhabiting the body of Tim Drake. But Terry says the trope phrase word-for-word after first seeing The Joker.]] |
| 406 | * {{Pun}}: The Joker uses two rather clever puns in the flashback sequence: |
| 407 | ** When making fun of Batman's tragic backstory, he says "Behind all the sturm and batarangs..." this is a reference to the German Romantic art movement from the 18th century, called Sturm und Drang (Storm and Desire). |
| 408 | ** When Batman threatens to break him in two, the Joker points out, he would've done it a long time ago, if he had the guts for it. He then claims "I on the other hand" seemingly referring to his own enjoyment of murder, and pulls a knife while Batman keeps an ''eye'' on The Joker's ''other hand''. |
| 409 | * ProperlyParanoid: Because of what happened with the Joker, Bruce forbids Terry from wearing the suit and going after him. He admits it's because he didn't want [[spoiler:Terry to suffer Tim's fate. This is even worse if you go by the events of "Epilogue". Bruce feared the Joker torturing his biological son.]] |
| 410 | * PsychopathicManchild: Joker's reaction to being called pathetic for his failed attempts to break the Bat is just a temper tantrum. |
| 411 | ** To highlight Joker's immaturity, he blows a raspberry when he dismisses Batman as a WorthyOpponent. |
| 412 | * PutTheirHeadsTogether: When the Dee Dees come at him from opposite sides after their SlipperySkid, Terry neatly pulls an invisible act worthy of DoorJudo, causing them to smash into each other in this way. |
| 413 | * PygmalionSnapBack: [[spoiler:The Joker captures Tim Drake (who was the current Robin) and gives him a "personality makeover" that’s based in Joker's own image. "J.J." ends up snapping back just long enough to kill Joker, but this traumatizes him even further. Tim undergoes years of therapy to recover, yet even that is not enough to fully heal his mind...which is exactly what Joker was counting on.]] |
| 414 | * PyrrhicVictory: The ending and ultimate outcome of the Flashback sequence. [[spoiler:Yes, the Joker is finally, if unexpectedly dead, and his threat to Gotham and the Bat Family has ended (and Harley is likewise presumed dead as well despite never locating her body). But it ''ain't'' much of a win, because the damage is done. Tim has been irreparably traumatized by being kidnapped, tortured and brainwashed, and ultimately killing the Joker. Between this and the ensuing deception they had to employ to keep the secret of that fateful night, the Bat Family effectively collapsed (with Bruce pushing Tim away out of guilt and Barbara ultimately retiring as Batgirl and refocusing herself towards law enforcement rather than vigilantism). Furthermore, Joker's legacy will endure as the Jokerz street gangs will adopt his iconography as their own. As the older Barbara bitterly observes, Joker ultimately got the last laugh on all of them.]] |
| 415 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Bruce hasn't wanted Terry to investigate the Joker, fearing that the clown will go after his protge. Then Terry gets a EurekaMoment about the Robin suit being shredded, and that the parts Joker stole could assemble a hijacking device for a satellite, with Tim Drake having gone into engineering. He says that Tim is the most likely suspect for helping the Joker, that perhaps the trauma affected him more badly than he initially revealed. Bruce doesn't like the implications, but he tells Terry to suit up and visit Tim in his lab, with backup, because further investigation can't hurt. |
| 416 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The film features a rather epic one delivered [[spoiler:by Terry to the Joker by dissing his attempts to mentally break Batman and calling him a pathetic comedian who chose supervillainy]]. |
| 417 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: The Joker now has red-colored eyes in both the flashback sequence (i.e. the present) and the future. |
| 418 | ** GlowingEyesOfDoom: Again, The Joker at first while he is seated in the shadows. |
| 419 | * RedHerring: |
| 420 | ** [[spoiler:Jordan Pryce's voice, physical features, and motive for trying to get rid of Bruce Wayne exist mostly to make you (and Batman) assume Pryce is the "new" Joker.]] |
| 421 | ** The story also later seems to be implying that [[spoiler:the Joker's brainwashing of Tim decades ago was successful after all and he's take up the persona of the new Joker. However, while he technically is the Joker, the brainwashing had really nothing to do with it; the Joker had planted a DNA-coded microchip into Tim's neck years ago that was literally turning Tim into the Joker without him knowing.]] |
| 422 | * RememberTheNewGuy: |
| 423 | ** The Joker's Jokerz gang, which never appeared on the show. It's a justified instance, as the series had established there were dozens of street gangs all operating under the Jokerz umbrella (and Terry's personal clashes had been limited to the J-Man and Terminal's Jokerz gangs). |
| 424 | ** Corporate Executive Jordan Pryce, who would've been Paxton Powers' successor (and thus part of the Powers old guard), has never been mentioned or appeared until now. This too can be justified due to Paxton being the primary Wayne-Powers POV character after Season One (and the show's corporate intrigue storylines having been abandoned after Season One). |
| 425 | * ResignationsNotAccepted: This is how The Joker responds to Bonk's demands to quit his organization. |
| 426 | * ResolvedNoodleIncident: The flashback sequence, among other things, finally answers one of the show's oldest mysteries: Why Bruce walks with a limp. [[spoiler:Joker stabbed him in the leg during their final fight and the injury never fully healed.]] |
| 427 | * RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:Jordan Pryce uses his position within Wayne Enterprises to help the Jokerz to steal from the company. In exchange, he gets their cooperation in getting rid of Bruce Wayne and becoming the company's new [=CEO=]. When The Joker decides to tie up loose ends, The Jokerz try to kill Pryce. Batman saves him--and turns over evidence of the betrayal, as well as Pryce himself, to the police.]] |
| 428 | * RiddleForTheAges: Downplayed, but the reveal in the final scenes that [[spoiler:the now-elderly Harley Quinn is the grandmother of the Dee-Dees. Was it sheer coincidence that the Joker recruited them of all people as his Jokerz? Or was Joker aware of their heritage all along and intentionally "enlisted" them to mock Harley's attempts to reform following his original death?]] |
| 429 | * SarcasmFailure: Noting that Joker is an AttentionWhore who loves to gloat even if others don't like it, Terry trolls his fixation with the OG Batman, mocks his origin story, and calls him [[BoringInsult boring]] for his lame material. After all, a comedian's worst enemy is TheHeckler. |
| 430 | * SaveTheVillain: |
| 431 | ** Terry [[spoiler:saves one of the Dee-Dees from falling to her death]]. |
| 432 | ** [[spoiler:Batgirl tries to save Harley from falling down a deep chasm at Arkham, but fails. The film's climax reveals that she survived.]] |
| 433 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: At first, Bruce wants Terry to leave the Joker to the police, fearing he's too dangerous for Terry to take on. But later, [[spoiler:after Terry figured out the Joker's identity and what his agenda is (as well as the [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive Jokerz attacking Terry in his civilian identity]] anyway)]], Bruce tells Terry to suit up. |
| 434 | -->'''Terry:''' What happened to leaving it to the cops?\ |
| 435 | '''Bruce:''' Not their game. |
| 436 | * ScreamDiscretionShot: In the censored version, [[spoiler:Joker's death by electrocution cuts away just as he accidentally flips the switch that turns the power on to Barbara hearing his screaming from down the hall]]. |
| 437 | * SecondaryAdaptation: Released in 2000, it is a [[TheMovie feature-length episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', a 1999 cartoon based on the Creator/DCComics character, [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman]]. |
| 438 | * SelectiveObliviousness: Despite knowing who Terry [=McGinnis=] is, Joker makes absolutely no effort to learn anything about him beyond people that he's close to. This leads to him being surprised by Terry's stark differences from Bruce and the Batfamily in the final battle, ultimately leading to his defeat. |
| 439 | * SharingABody: [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that Tim Drake and the resurrected Joker are the same person, though this isn't a willing example on Drake's part. He's been implanted with a microchip containing the Joker's memories and DNA, which means the Joker can hijack the former Robin's body whenever he wants in order to create widespread chaos]]. |
| 440 | * ShellShockedVeteran: [[spoiler:Tim Drake.]] Considering [[MindRape what]] happened to him, no one should be surprised that he still has some effects forty years later. This goes FromBadToWorse when [[spoiler:The Joker [[GrandTheftMe hijacks him through a DNA chip on his neck]] and commits crimes through his body, all while Tim's mind believes he is reliving a nightmare]]. |
| 441 | * ShoutOut: |
| 442 | ** WordOfGod explicitly states [[spoiler:the orbital satellite laser]] was inspired by ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. |
| 443 | ** One of Terry's wild guesses on how the Joker survived is that he was [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica frozen in a block of ice for decades]]. |
| 444 | ** The poster, seen as the page image above, features a giant green Joker head, closely mimicking one of the posters for ''Literature/TheManWhoLaughs'', the film which inspired the Joker. |
| 445 | ** After Terry [[spoiler:has saved Bruce's life]], one WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon Ace is watching is the WesternAnimation/BugsBunny short "Hare Ribbin'", known for its controversial ending (which is also shown)[[note]]in which a Russian stereotype dog, in his "MyGodWhatHaveIDone" moment, laments that he has apparently killed Bugs Bunny and that he himself should have been the one to die; his lamentation is also heard in the audio, but only in the uncut version[[/note]]. |
| 446 | ** ShoutOut/ToShakespeare: When Bonk gets angry at the Joker and calls him a fake, the Joker replies, "Ah, brave new world...that has such [putzes/yutzes] in it." This is a parody of a line spoken by Miranda in ''Theatre/TheTempest'': "O, wonder!/How many goodly creatures are there here!/How beauteous mankind is! ''O brave new world''/''That has such people in't''" (V, i). |
| 447 | ** According to Creator/BruceTimm on the DVDCommentary, the Joker's red eyes and slicked-back hair that he has in the future were inspired by [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]]. |
| 448 | ** "[[KickTheDog End of the line]], [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]]." |
| 449 | ** The Joker's transformation is a shout-out to at least one film version of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'': it's accomplished with subtle misdirection and a clever fade. |
| 450 | ** The title of the film itself could be seen as a reference to [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi]] only with Mark Hamill returning as a villain instead of a hero. |
| 451 | ** The Joker implants a [[spoiler:genetic microchip onto Tim Drake]] that would later corrupt him without him noticing, similar to another hero who fought another mad villain. [[VideoGame/StarGladiator Sound familiar?]] [[note]] Of course, Hayato and Black Hayato are NOT backup bodies for Bilstein, but seperate personalites for each other [[/note]] |
| 452 | * TheShrink: [[spoiler:Dr. Leslie Thompkins needs a year to bring Tim "back to sanity" after Joker's torture.]] |
| 453 | * SinisterSuffocation: The Joker, who is portrayed as Batman's most fearsome and deranged enemy, shows a clear predilection for asphyxiation as an assassination method. His weapon of choice is a poison that causes victims to laugh uncontrollably until the respiratory system ceases to function, and during the final battle, he tries to finish off the hero by strangling him to death. |
| 454 | * SlasherSmile: With Joker and his venom around, this is inevitable. This time, the horror (and creepy) factor is amplified, especially with poor Tim. |
| 455 | * SmallNameBigEgo: As [[TheHeckler Terry]] snidely points out, Joker genuinely thinks he's the greatest comedian (aka supervillain) ever, when pretty much all of his supposed jokes are [[BoringInsult boring]] and that he failed in making Batman laugh. Joker doesn't take this insult [[VillainousBreakdown lightly]]. |
| 456 | * SmugSnake: Joker regards Terry as a Batman wannabe and takes constant amusement in taunting him, thinking he's incapable of defeating the Clown Prince of Crime. Terry flips it upside down by trolling the MonsterClown and dissing his motives in an epic BoringInsult, which [[VillainousBreakdown enrages the Joker]]. |
| 457 | * SnarkyVillainEarnestHero: Inverted. Joker has a spectacular VillainousBreakdown when Terry [[TheHeckler heckles]] his fixation with Batman, clown-themed modus operandi, and even his penchant for cracking jokes on others' misery [[BoringInsult bland]]. |
| 458 | * SoHappyTogether: Terry surprises Dana at the dance club after being fired as Batman. They get a little banter and a sweet dance together...then the Jokerz crash the party and almost kill both of them. |
| 459 | * SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: When the Joker announces his return to Neo Gotham, Bruce is absolutely stunned, muttering "it can't be". Joker assures Bruce he's the real deal because "who'd know me better than ''you''". This also foreshadows the later reveal that [[spoiler:Joker managed to figure out Batman's secret identity in the past]]. |
| 460 | * SoProudOfYou: |
| 461 | ** In the edited version of the film, Bruce gives a silently approving smile when [[spoiler:Tim throws away the gun given to him by The Joker]]. |
| 462 | ** Bruce at the end of the film, after seeing Terry defeat the Joker. |
| 463 | * SoreLoser: Exploited by Terry so he can get under the MonsterClown's skin in a way Bruce never imagined via the BoringInsult. For someone like the Joker whose jokes are laced with references to nihilism and loves to hear himself laugh even if others don't like it, the only thing worse than getting silent glares is TheHeckler who {{Trash Talk}}s. |
| 464 | * SoulJar: [[spoiler:The DNA/Microchip package The Joker implanted in Tim Drake during the weeks he was holding him captive.]] |
| 465 | * SpannerInTheWorks: Bruce ironically ends up being this to Jordan Pryce. With the downfall of Paxton Powers (in "King's Ransom"), Pryce was next in line for the CEO role. Bruce unexpectedly regaining control of Wayne Enterprises destroyed those plans (and prompts Jordan's actions in this film). |
| 466 | * SparedByTheAdaptation: PlayedWith. In the censored version, Bonk is still shot by the Joker at the beginning of the film. But in that version, the gun is filled with Joker gas and it (only) ends up driving him insane, instead of killing him outright, as opposed to his fate in the uncensored version, where Bonk is impaled in the heart by the mini-spear gun. He doesn't appear for the rest of the film either way. |
| 467 | * SpottingTheThread: Terry notes that Joker should be Bruce's age, in his 90s, but he looks "spry" given he was able to match the new Batman blow-for-blow. He floats some possibilities -- clone, robot, suspended animation -- but Bruce doesn't want to follow that line of thought because the Joker shouldn't be alive, and hinted he'll be going after Terry. [[spoiler:Terry investigates both Tim Drake and Jordan Pryce rather than assume this Joker is a ghost risen; it turns out he was right that Joker is a "clone". The clown reveals that he implanted a microchip into Tim Drake's brain, to transform him unwillingly and unconsciously into the Joker]]. |
| 468 | * StealthHiBye: It's ''Batman''. This is [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Tim Drake when [[LegacyCharacter Terry]] pulls one: |
| 469 | --> '''Tim Drake''': ''Some'' things never change. |
| 470 | * StealthPun: [[spoiler:The Joker is reduced to screaming as he chokes out Terry, demanding Terry laugh. Terry forces out a, "Ha. ''Ha.''" before zapping the microchip, killing the Joker for good. In other words, Terry gets the last laugh.]] |
| 471 | * TheStoolPigeon: [[spoiler:Poor Tim. He didn't mean to since he was tortured and drugged for three weeks. Joker commented that Tim held out for longer than the clown expected]]. |
| 472 | * StrappedToAnOperatingTable: [[spoiler:Tim Drake.]] This is easily the most disturbing moment in Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse history. The censored version cuts out the actual torture. |
| 473 | * StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: A feature of Terry’s batsuit is that it enhances his strength and reflexes yet, somehow, the Joker is able to fight him hand-to-hand and even gain the advantage. This is never explained although it could be a secondary effect of the technology he used to bring himself back to life, and Joker explains he has Bruce and Tim's knowledge and the latter's training combined. |
| 474 | * SuperiorSuccessor: When Bruce explicitly tells Terry to ignore Joker's gloating, Terry [[EurekaMoment realizes]] he's got his own [[TheGadfly style]] and proceeds to verbally deconstruct the clown. |
| 475 | * SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: |
| 476 | ** After stopping the Jokerz in the ColdOpen, Terry tries to go out and dance with Dana. Bruce tells him he ought to get some sleep since he's been up all night, but Terry assures him he's fine. One GilliganCut later and Terry is fast asleep in the nightclub. |
| 477 | ** Bruce regaining control of Wayne-Powers. With the downfall of Paxton Powers in "King's Ransom" (and Derek Powers long presumed dead since "Ascension"), the influence and control the Powers family had over Bruce's company is now gone. Of course Bruce would take advantage of this long-awaited opening to try and finally regain control of his family's company. One might also imagine the Wayne-Powers shareholders and board members (minus Jordan Pryce) supported Bruce's return both because of his standing as a veteran captain of industry and as damage control in the wake of Paxton's scandal (and the previous damage from his father's exposure as Blight). |
| 478 | ** Assisting criminals with [[spoiler:sabotaging your own company (as well as trying to get rid of the CEO) will get you in trouble with the police, even if you're a high-end corporate executive]]. |
| 479 | ** At first Tim understandably seems bitter that Bruce retired him, and how his hero career ended with torture, brainwashing and murder. TenMinuteRetirement, after all, is supposed to be a thing. He admits, however, that Bruce made the right call. After the trauma, Tim needed a new direction and focus because you can't exactly throw yourself back into a similar situation and expect to heal. At the end, it's made clear that he considers Bruce as a good father and missed him. |
| 480 | ** [[spoiler:Joker stabbed Bruce in the leg, deep enough for the blade to lodge into his knee. ''Yikes''. Normally Batman walks off a bad injury. Not this time; to the present day, Bruce walks with a limp]]. |
| 481 | ** Once again Bruce's old age becomes detrimental: when Joker attacks Wayne Manor, he couldn't fight back, and would surely be dead if it wasn't for Terry's timely return. [[spoiler:Then, when the manor becomes one of the first targets of Joker's KillSat]], Bruce has a very visible OhCrap on his face; there's no way he would be able to escape before the laser hits, especially in his condition [[note]]aside from his age, he has a limp, not to mention he's still recovering from the earlier attack[[/note]]. He can call for help, but that would take even longer since the manor is in the outskirts of the city. Joker even points this out. |
| 482 | ** In the flashback sequence, Barbara mentions that Arkham Asylum was eventually abandoned and moved to a new, more modern facility some time after the ending of TNBA. Between how antiquated the old Asylum was shown to be during BTAS and the completely ineffective security measures, it makes sense that Gotham would finally invest in a newer facility rather than continue to play the existing Zero Sum Game. |
| 483 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: As Bruce Wayne's slimy corporate rival for his company, Jordan Pryce is practically a stand-in for either of the Powerses. |
| 484 | * TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Or laughing him to death. Joker hates both options. Who knew the clown had NoSenseOfHumor when ''he'' is the punchline? |
| 485 | * TapOnTheHead: |
| 486 | ** Subverted with Dana. When she bumps her head after being tossed by Ghoul, she's unconscious and has to be taken to the hospital. |
| 487 | ** Played straight with the Jokerz. Terry knocks them out on more than one occasion and they aren't the worse for wear. |
| 488 | * TargetedToHurtTheHero: The Joker deliberately targets those closest to Terry, including Bruce Wayne, his brother Matt and mother Mary and his girlfriend, Dana, who gets sent to the hospital after some members of the Jokerz gang attack her. When Joker gets a hold of [[spoiler:a military satellite]], he tells Terry that he has a choice of who he can save, as he is targeting Wayne Manor, the apartment building where he lives with his family, and the hospital Dana is in. |
| 489 | * ThatManIsDead: Tim is very sour towards his time as Robin. He says one day he hoped to become like Batman, but that time has long passed. |
| 490 | * ThemeTwinNaming: The Dee-Dees. |
| 491 | * TheseHandsHaveKilled: [[spoiler:Tim starts crying uncontrollably after he kills The Joker, which is proof that Joker's brainwashing is wearing off. Tim reveals in the climax that he harbored guilt and nightmares for killing The Joker for years and The Joker personality’s which is programmed into the chip that has been implanted in Tim's neck used that guilt to take over. Bruce, upon hearing how Tim was haunted by voices telling him "he's as bad as Joker", is visibly shaken]]. |
| 492 | * ThisCannotBe: Bruce is positively stunned to see The Joker in the flesh again. |
| 493 | -->'''Bruce:''' It can't be.\ |
| 494 | '''Joker:''' Oh, no, your old eyes do not deceive you, Brucie. After all, [[{{Foreshadowing}} who'd know me better than you]]? |
| 495 | * ThouShaltNotKill: Subverted in this movie. |
| 496 | ** Bruce was going to kill The Joker as evidenced by Bruce throwing a knife at Joker's head. |
| 497 | --->'''Batman:''' ''(murderously angry)'' I'll break you in two!\ |
| 498 | '''Joker:''' Oh, Batman, if you had the guts for ''that'' kind of fun, you'd have done it ''years'' ago. |
| 499 | ** Uncut version only; [[spoiler:Tim shoots the Joker instead of Batman while brainwashed. He's not happy about it]]. |
| 500 | ** [[spoiler:Terry kills the Joker a second time by frying the microchip that is changing Tim into Mr. J. Overlaps with WhatMeasureIsANonhuman.]] |
| 501 | * TookALevelInBadass: Upon his return, the Joker is suddenly an even match for Batman in hand-to-hand combat. [[spoiler:This is because he is using Tim Drake's body and Tim was trained by Bruce himself.]] |
| 502 | * TrashTalk: How Terry takes down the Joker. He gives a BreakingSpeech by [[BoringInsult calling]] the clown's MO for villainy and failed attempts to break the Bat [[IShallTauntYou pathetic]]. Being an AttentionWhore, Joker loves to hear himself laugh even if others don't like it, but when others heckle him, he [[BerserkButton flips out]]. |
| 503 | * TheTriple: |
| 504 | ** Dee-Dee meeting Bruce Wayne. "Well, if it isn't old Mr. Wayne. So debonair. So dapper. ''(knee him in stomach)'' So decrepit!" |
| 505 | ** Terry as to why The Joker is NotQuiteDead: "Clone? Robot? [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Suspended animation due to floating around in a block of ice?]]" |
| 506 | * {{Troll}}: Joker finds himself spectacularly outmatched in this department and flies into a rage when Terry jeers at his fixation with Batman and clown-themed gags. |
| 507 | * TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler:Bruce does this to Terry, afraid of what Joker might do to him. Bruce being Bruce, he does not do the best job of getting that across, after apologizing to Terry for imposing the Batman legacy on him.]] |
| 508 | -->'''Bruce:''' Stupid kid. You don't know what you want. None of you ever did. |
| 509 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: |
| 510 | ** Terry makes the common mistake of dismissing the idea that a man dressed as a clown can be dangerous. He learns the hard way that underestimating Joker is a bad idea. |
| 511 | ** Conversely, Joker thinks that Terry is a Bat-fake who cannot measure up to the original. Their final fight convinces Joker that Terry is willing to fight dirty, [[spoiler:turn the Joker's mind games back on him, and kill him if necessary]]. |
| 512 | * UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:In the flashback, the thing that finally snaps Tim out of the Joker's control is the villain ordering him to kill Batman.]] |
| 513 | * UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:Harley was last seen falling down a BottomlessPit to her apparent doom in the flashback, but turns up at the end as an old woman in the present. How she survived her fall is not explained (although considering her boyfriend has survived far more ridiculous scenarios unscathed, perhaps he rubbed off on her), although that's partly because she ''was'' originally intended to die, but the depiction of Harley as a whiny grandma allowed her to survive through RuleOfFunny.]] |
| 514 | * UnhandThemVillain: Played straight with the Jokerz as Dana demands "Let me go!" |
| 515 | --> '''Ghoul:''' [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Sure, cutes.]] ''throws Dana from a ledge'' |
| 516 | * UnstoppableRage: The Joker hits Bruce's PapaWolf instincts and BerserkButton one time too many in the flashback sequence. He all but convinced Bruce to attempt to kill Joker for good. [[spoiler:Bruce didn't do it. But Tim did. Sort of.]] |
| 517 | * UseTheirOwnWeaponAgainstThem: The Joker suffers this twice. |
| 518 | ** [[spoiler:In the flashback to when he is tortured Tim Drake and driven him mad, the Joker hands Tim a gun and tells him to shoot Batman. Tim shoots the Joker instead[[note]]This applies to the unrated version. In the PG-13 cut, Tim kills the Joker by shoving him into [[EletricifiedBathtub water tubing and exposed wires]][[/note]].]] |
| 519 | ** [[spoiler:Terry destroys the Joker -- specifically, the chip containing his DNA and consciousness -- using the villain's electric joy buzzer ring.]] |
| 520 | * VillainExitStageLeft: The Joker is so used to this trope that [[spoiler:when he loses control of the KillSat]], he seems to think he can just walk away--although that may also have been due to his lack of respect for Terry. |
| 521 | --> '''Joker:''' [[spoiler:Oh, good, the beam's headed here! Now I'll have to start all over again.]] Thanks for wreckin' everything, kid. See ya round. |
| 522 | --> '''Terry:''' Hold it! |
| 523 | --> '''Joker:''' Oh, wise up, junior--GAME'S OVER! |
| 524 | * TheVillainKnowsWhereYouLive: The Joker attacks Bruce at Wayne Manor and gases him with Joker venom. |
| 525 | * TheVillainMustBePunished: After Terry foils The Joker's plans, an annoyed Joker bemoans that the "fun's over" and disheartedly tries to leave, telling Batman "see you around". However, Terry refuses to let the Joker go and says it's not over until he takes the Joker in. Joker, still seeing Terry as a pretender to the Batman title and not a threat, merely laughs and knocks Terry around a bit, deciding to humor him with a fight. Terry locks the two of them inside the room and [[IShallTauntYou throws the Joker off his game]] by trading barbs and insults, which the original Batman never did. Once Joker has become blinded by rage and thinks he has Terry at his mercy, Terry takes one of Joker's own joybuzzers and electrocutes him, destroying the mind-control chip that allowed Joker to possess Tim Drake, thus not only only ending the Joker's threat (seemingly for good) but finally allowing the traumatized Tim a chance at some closure. |
| 526 | * VillainOpeningScene: The movie starts with The Jokerz trying to steal some sort of device...[[BatmanColdOpen before Batman shows up]]. |
| 527 | * VillainousBreakdown: Terry is one of only a mere handful of people in the DCAU to drive the Joker nuts. |
| 528 | -->'''Joker:''' '''''SHUT UP! SHUT UP!''''' |
| 529 | ** The epic scream that seals it. |
| 530 | --> '''''YOU'RE NOT BATMAN!!!''''' |
| 531 | ** [[spoiler:In the censored version, the Joker goes into a rage when his attempt to corrupt Tim fails. After Tim knocks him into the glass water container, the Joker furiously tries to lunge toward the boy]]. |
| 532 | * VisualPun: In the flashback sequence, when the Joker says, "I, on the ''other hand...''", he pulls out a knife in his left hand while distracting Batman with his right. Get it? "Eye on the other hand." |
| 533 | * VocalEvolution: As opposed to the usual over the top performance he gives in ''Batman: The Animated Series'' and the rest of the ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'', Mark Hamill gives Joker a calmer, serious and intimidating sounding performance here, with his hammier moments being more subdued and toned down than usual, especially during Joker's VillainousBreakdown. The only time he goes into his traditionally over the top performance is [[spoiler:in the flashback sequence to Joker's torturing of Tim]]. |
| 534 | * WatchWhereYoureGoing: |
| 535 | ** From the opening: "Flagpole". |
| 536 | ** Terry getting the Dee-Dees to hit each other. |
| 537 | * WhamLine: |
| 538 | ** When Joker [[spoiler:invades the Batcave and gasses Bruce]]: |
| 539 | --->'''Joker:''' Don't get up, Bruce. It's just an old friend come by to say "hello". Hello...[[spoiler:''Batman'']]. (''EvilLaugh'') |
| 540 | ** From the flashback sequence: |
| 541 | --->'''Joker:''' And Harley and I were thinking it was time to start a family! Add a Joker Jr. to our merry brood!\ |
| 542 | '''Harley:''' But rather than go through all the ''joy'' of childbirth, we decided to adopt!\ |
| 543 | '''Joker:''' We couldn't do it legally, but then we remembered you always had a few spare kids hanging around! ''So we borrowed one...'' |
| 544 | ** Of course, there is also the biggest "wham" of the film: |
| 545 | --->'''Joker''': Secrets that are mine alone to know...[[spoiler:''Bruce'']]. |
| 546 | ** It predates TheReveal for only a few seconds, but... |
| 547 | --->'''Batman''': ''[[INeverToldYouMyName How do you know my name?]]''\ |
| 548 | [[spoiler:'''Tim''']]: ''There's nothing about you I don't know, [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay Bat-fake]].'' |
| 549 | ** As well as: |
| 550 | --->'''Terry''': Wait...[[EurekaMoment I like to talk, too]]. |
| 551 | ** One of the final scenes has one of the humorous variety: |
| 552 | --->'''Dee-Dee:''' Oh, shut up, [[spoiler:Nana Harley]]. |
| 553 | * WhamShot: |
| 554 | ** Robin as Joker Junior, StrappedToAnOperatingTable. |
| 555 | ** [[spoiler:The adult Tim Drake's]] transformation. |
| 556 | * WhenIWasYourAge: The Joker explains why he was not only superior to the current Jokerz, but he had a better Batman, too. |
| 557 | * WhosLaughingNow: |
| 558 | ** Terry gives the revived Joker a taste of his own medicine. Via an epic BoringInsult. The clown doesn't take it lightly. |
| 559 | ** Joker turns it back on Terry after managing to pin him under a table, shouting at Terry to laugh while attempting to choke him to death. Terry obliges. |
| 560 | --->'''Terry:''' Ha. Ha. ''[[spoiler:(electrocutes Joker with his own joy buzzer)]]'' |
| 561 | * TheWorfEffect: Woof consistently beats Batman in every fight during this movie. Then Batman decides to bring some backup for the final showdown: Ace the Bat-hound. Ace soon sends the Splicer hyena running after biting his arm and tearing off a portion of his vest. As Terry remarks with pride, "''Good'' bad dog." |
| 562 | * WorthyOpponent: Lampshaded, mocked, and averted by the Joker towards Bruce as he prepares to blast Wayne Manor with his KillSat: |
| 563 | -->'''Joker:''' Adios, Brucie! I guess I should salute you as a 'worthy adversary' and all that, but the truth is I really did ''hate your guts.'' *[[BlowingARaspberry Raspberry]]* |
| 564 | * WouldntHitAGirl: Played straight with Dee Dee. Terry largely just grapples and tosses them around rather than the rather intense beating he would give the other Jokerz. [[spoiler:Terry somehow got them to beat each other up.]] It definitely sticks out as in the flashback, we see Barbara throwing full on punches at Harley. |
| 565 | * WoundedGazelleGambit: The Dee Dees pull this trick to get the drop on Terry when he sees them for the first time. (When he interrupts a heist the Jokerz are pulling, the Dee Dees grab on to each other and pretend to be terrified; then when he turns his back to concentrate on the tougher-looking male members of the gang, they pounce.) |
| 566 | * WrittenInAbsence: For the flashback segment, Barbara mentions that Nightwing had already left for Bludhaven by the time Tim was kidnapped, explaining why he doesn't appear. |
| 567 | * WrongGenreSavvy: |
| 568 | ** While the Joker knows Bruce almost as well as a best friend (he did have access to Tim's memories) and could predict his actions very well, Terry makes it a point to let The Joker know that he doesn't know much about himself while [[CombatPragmatist kneeing The Joker]] [[GroinAttack in the crotch]]. More than that, Terry had an outsiders' perspective on The Joker though with in-depth knowledge from studying Bruce's old files, which meant he could more objectively find the flaws in The Joker's thinking and planning without the serious personal history that the original Batman had with the Joker. Since most of The Joker's plans revolve around goading Batman and making it [[ItsPersonal personal]] to cloud Bruce's judgement and lure him into traps, this is utterly ineffective against Terry who just sees The Joker as a clown. [[VillainousBreakdown The Joker doesn't take Terry's lack of respect well.]] Ironically, the villain isn't entirely wrong when he furiously shouts that Terry isn't Batman; Terry is a ''completely different type of'' Batman at least. |
| 569 | ** On a similar note, after shattering Robin's mind and alienating Bruce from [[IWorkAlone ever bringing another partner with him into the field again]], Joker seemed to fully expect that his latest protege would follow suit as a solo act since Bruce would never repeat that same mistake. Sadly for him, while Terry typically works alone, he's far more pragmatic about accepting help than his predecessor. This comes back to bite the Joker ''hard'' when he has Terry at his mercy, but loses his hold on the situation because Terry brought [[RightHandAttackDog backup.]] |
| 570 | * WronskiFeint: How Terry beat the Dee Dees: his jet boots got him out of the way so they crashed into one another. |
| 571 | * YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Bruce says this to Terry at the end. |
| 572 | -->"Terry, I've been thinking about something you once told me, and you were wrong. It's not Batman that makes you worthwhile, it's the other way around. Never tell yourself anything different." |
| 573 | * YouFightLikeACow: Terry drives Joker to a VillainousBreakdown [[spoiler:so the clown will lower his guard and be taken down for good]]. |
| 574 | * YouHaveFailedMe: Joker didn't actually say it, but Bonk was a huge liability: he was the least dependable in the opening heist and he actively jeopardized it multiple times, even endangering one of the Dee Dees[[note]]Batman was trying to save her when she fell but Bonk chose to keep attacking Batman[[/note]]. Badmouthing the Joker was probably the last straw. |
| 575 | * YouMonster: Bruce outright calls his ArchEnemy a monster when Terry asked about his RoguesGallery. |
| 576 | ** Downplayed, but Batgirl calls out Harley Quinn on how she could help Joker go through with [[spoiler:torturing Drake.]] |
| 577 | ---- |
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