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* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.
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* EvilIsPetty: As much as he tries to come as a superior kind of criminal and one with loftier goals, The Joker is incredibly petty.
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.
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* EvilIsNotAToy: The mob attempted to use the Joker to advance their own interests, but had no idea just how destructive he really was, or that the Joker was using ''them'' more for ''his'' interests. [[spoiler:When Rachel bites it, Sal Maroni even admits that he should never have let the Chechen hire the Joker in the first place.]]
* EvilIsPetty: As much as he tries to come as a superior kind of criminal and one with loftier goals, The Joker is incrediblypetty.
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creativepetty. While it's not as evident as it is in most incarnations of the character, the Joker is just as willing to settle for tormenting people by being an annoying {{Troll}} as he is murdering them. It's particularly evident in the ARG, where he has his followers harass and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan rob various Girl Scouts of their cookies and later poisons cakes from numerous bakeries just for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.the sake of it.
* EvilIsPetty: As much as he tries to come as a superior kind of criminal and one with loftier goals, The Joker is incredibly
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative
* EvilPlan: He's such a liar that it's hard to tell what ThePlan is exactly, but corrupting people - whether it's the city itself or just one man - is at the center of it.
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* EvilIsNotAToy: The mob attempted to use the Joker to advance their own interests, but had no idea just how destructive he really was, or that the Joker was using ''them'' more for ''his'' interests. [[spoiler:When Rachel bites it, Sal Maroni even admits that he should never have let the Chechen hire the Joker in the first place.]]
* EvilIsPetty: While it's not as evident as it is in most incarnations of the character, the Joker is just as willing to settle for tormenting people by being an annoying {{Troll}} as he is murdering them. It's particularly evident in the ARG, where he has his followers harass and rob various Girl Scouts of their cookies and later poisons cakes from numerous bakeries just for the sake of it.
* EvilPlan: He's such a liar that it's hard to tell what ThePlan is exactly, but corrupting people - whether it's the city itself or just one man - is at the center of it.
* EvilIsPetty: While it's not as evident as it is in most incarnations of the character, the Joker is just as willing to settle for tormenting people by being an annoying {{Troll}} as he is murdering them. It's particularly evident in the ARG, where he has his followers harass and rob various Girl Scouts of their cookies and later poisons cakes from numerous bakeries just for the sake of it.
* EvilPlan: He's such a liar that it's hard to tell what ThePlan is exactly, but corrupting people - whether it's the city itself or just one man - is at the center of it.
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!! ''[[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]]'''
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!! ''[[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]]'''Joker]]''
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* ArsenalAttire: His favoured assortment of knives with special mentions: the retractable blade in the sole of his shoe, the ''potato peeler'' being removed from the coat in jail and the grenades he had lining the interior of his coat during his intrusive meeting with the mob leaders.
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* ArsenalAttire: His favoured assortment of knives with special mentions: the retractable blade in the sole of his shoe, the ''potato peeler'' being removed from the his coat in jail and the grenades he had lining the interior of his that very coat during his intrusive meeting with the mob leaders.
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[[center: [-[[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyWayneEnterprises Wayne Enterprises]] ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBruceWayne Bruce Wayne/Batman]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows League of Shadows]] ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyOtherCostumedCharacters Other Costumed Characters]] | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyGothamCityAdministration Gotham City Administration]] | '''The Mob and Other Criminals''' ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyOtherCharacters Other Characters]] ]]-]
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[[center: [-[[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyWayneEnterprises Wayne Enterprises]] ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBruceWayne Bruce Wayne/Batman]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows League of Shadows]] ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyOtherCostumedCharacters Other Costumed Characters]] | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyGothamCityAdministration Gotham City Administration]] | '''The Mob and Other Criminals''' ([[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]]) | [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyOtherCharacters Other Characters]] ]]-]
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See his character page '''[[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker Here]]'''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chechen]]
!!''The Chechen''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nolanverse_chechen.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"We have to fix real problems: Batman."'']]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/RitchieCoster
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chechen]]
!!''The Chechen''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nolanverse_chechen.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"We have to fix real problems: Batman."'']]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/RitchieCoster
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chechen]]
!!''The Chechen''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.
[[quoteright:400:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:300:''"We have to fix real problems: Batman.
[[caption-width-right:400:''"I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... '''stranger'''."'']]
!!!'''Played by:'''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JoseAntonioMacias (Latin-American Spanish), Adriano Giannini (Italian).
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The head of the Russian Mafiya in Gotham, once a weak outfit that took advantage of the power vacuum left by Falcone. He's entered into an alliance with his fellow mobsters. When the Joker offers to kill Batman, it's the Chechen who puts the word out to hire him.
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An [[MysteriousPast unknown, mysterious]] and eccentric mob boss and terrorist. Violent, unpredictable, [[TheSociopath psychopathic]] and AxCrazy, he brings Gotham to its knees before being captured by Batman and the police. This particular incarnation of the
Added DiffLines:
* AbusiveParents:
** In the [[FreudianExcuse scar story]] [[MultipleChoicePast he told Gambol]], he was abused by his father, who one night gave him his GlasgowGrin. This is most likely false, however, as he always makes up a different story.
** His interaction with [[PoliticianGuestStar Senator Patrick Leahy's character]], however, implies he does have legitimate anger toward his father.
--->'''Patrick Leahy:''' We're not intimidated by thugs.\\
'''The Joker:''' You know, you remind me of my father. ''[pulls the guy by the back of his head, and puts a knife to his mouth]'' I HATED MY FATHER!
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He has a much dryer sense of humor than usual, and lacks much of his usual over-the-top showmanship and DirtyCoward SmugSnake tendencies. He is less of a criminal and more of a maniacal terrorist, he is more focused and centered in his goals, his demeanor is more serious, and lacks his more overtly childish behavior of his other counterparts. Perhaps most notably, when Gambol sneeringly says he's crazy, his response is a rather subdued "I'm not. No, I'm ''not''."
* AdaptationalBadass: In the comics and cartoons, Joker had numerous moments of being an incredibly pathetic DirtyCoward, where he would either beg for mercy or run away whenever he pissed off the wrong person. Not to mention that, in most adaptations, the Joker is more of a schemer than a fighter, as well as a scrawny mobster who would hardly stand a chance against Batman when cornered. This Joker, on the contrary, has an absolutely '''uncanny''' ability in planning terrorist tactics and using all sorts of warfare weaponry, and is entirely capable of taking down, knocking out, and overpowering mafia thugs and police officers with very little effort. He also seems to have knowledge in psychological warfare tactics. And we're talking about an individual [[InexplicablyAwesome who doesn't even have any explicitly mentioned military training and/or affiliation with the League of Shadows, unlike Bane]].
* AdaptationalIntelligence: Noticeable. The Joker is rarely depicted as stupid, but he is usually more about improvization and acting on a whim than any sort of premeditated plan. In contrast, this Joker is terrifyingly organized and intuitive in his plans, an exceptional [[TheChessmaster schemer]], and is incredibly articulate and abstract in his plans. With his exceptional ingenuity, the Joker can carry out unexpectedly implausible plans, from [[ConMan swindling heads of criminal organizations]] to leading the heroes into a safe trap.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Zig-zagged. On one hand, Heath Ledger's Joker is the most openly cruel, violent, and narcissistic version of the character ever filmed. Creator/MarkHamill noted that he was "joyless" without any of his LaughablyEvil showmanship. Compared to superhero films in general, he's a villain who takes the garish get-up and motifs of a costumed bad-guy and makes it deadly serious and scary in a way that other films in the genre never quite manage to accomplish. But on the other hand, he lacks some of the pettiest features the Joker possesses in other versions, like his domestic abuse of Harley, which is widely considered a very cruel-hearted part of his character. Granted, most of what the Joker does in most versions is worse than that (although he has tried repeatedly to kill and maim Harley), and it is not like this version is above manipulating someone to destroy his/her life and corrupt him/her into evil (just ask poor Harvey).
* AdaptationalMundanity: The color of his skin, hair, and lips is entirely done through makeup, which he's shown to take off to blend in with a crowd at Commissioner Loeb's funeral, as opposed to being bleached by a fall into a vat of chemicals as in most other versions. The scars around his mouth ''are'' real, but we don't know how he got them... he'll never give us a straight answer.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: His novelization counterpart is as a whole a lot more pragmatic and far less of a ForTheEvulz sadist, showing more signs that he is a WellIntentionedExtremist rather than just using that as an excuse to spread terror. The most notable instance is his PetTheDog moment of giving an old lady a hundred dollar bill after sparing her from pushing her in front of a bus, showing his belief about how his Agent of Chaos philosophy is genuine, and not merely something he preaches to justify his atrocities.
* AdaptationalOriginConnection: Inverted. Batman plays no role whatsoever in Joker's creation here, unlike in most depictions.
* AdaptationalUgliness: Also downplayed. Joker was never a particularly attractive guy to begin with. However, in contrast to his clean, cartoonish appearance in the comics and in other adaptations, ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' brings forth a Joker with a dirtier, creepier appearance that [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished gets]] [[AvertedTrope worse]] over the course of the film. His hair looks greasy, his teeth are rotten, his Glasgow smile does not benefit him, he looks like he does not care at all about his appearance, and he probably smells as bad as he looks (per word of the person who designed his looks). Ironic, considering Heath Ledger was a handsome guy.
* AdvanceNoticeCrime: He makes multiple announcements of his intentions, mainly to spread fear and panic.
** The first is a self-made film clip sent to Gotham Central News showing him interrogating Brian, the Batman impersonator he captured and later killed, mocking him for his poor imitation of Batman and his belief that Batman's made Gotham a better place. He then says that Batman must unmask and turn himself in or...
--->'''Joker:''' Oh, every day he doesn't, people will die...starting tonight. I'm a man of my word. ''[laughs maniacally as the view spins and Brian screams in the background]''
** His second message is a phone call to GCN while Coleman Reese is being interviewed, intending to expose Bruce Wayne as Batman. He says that he's changed his mind about wanting Batman exposed, and announces that if Reese isn't dead within the next hour, he'll blow up a hospital, which he ends up doing to Gotham General Hospital after freeing (and mentally twisting) Harvey Dent.
** The third is his announcement of his plan with the two ferries to their crews and passengers, letting them know that each has a detonator for the explosives planted on the other ferry and that he will spare the people who blow up the other ferry, otherwise he'll blow up both of them himself. Ultimately, neither detonator is used, and Batman foils his attempt to blow them both up.
* AllThereInTheManual: ''The Dark Knight Rises'' novelization gives us a bit more insight on where he is.
-->"The worst of the worst were sent [to Blackgate], except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham's sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he escaped. [[ShroudedInMyth Nobody was really sure.]]"
* AllegoricalCharacter: This Joker is practically the face of Terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. After taking control of organized crime and murdering many of the criminals involved, the Joker turns to large scale terrorism, with all law enforcement agencies taking action. Certainly, the level of State of Emergency during the film's climax is very evocative of the 9/11 attacks. In fact, some commentators and authors have compared the premise of the film to the [[UsefulNotes/WarOnTerror Global War on Terrorism]].
* AnimalMotifs:
** Dogs roughly, as dogs are unpredictable and prone to go after whatever grabs their attention. When talking to a scarred Dent, the Joker likens himself to a "dog chasing cars"; later, Dent refers to him a "mad dog" that the mob unleashed on Gotham. When he escapes Arkham PD, he leans out of the car window like a dog would. He even picks up a cadre of Rottweilers in time for the film's climax while questioning their loyalty. It's also symbolism for how he becomes the "alpha dog" in the criminal underworld of Gotham, practically decimating all the mob heads of the city by himself.
** Joker's eerie habit of probing his lips and scars with his tongue and smacking his lips can seem almost lizard-like. But it also is reminiscent of a dog licking its chops[[note]]Though, funnily enough, this actually came about because the prosthetics Heath Ledger was wearing [[https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-joker-licking-lips-the-dark-knight/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202017%20documentary,ensure%20they%20stayed%20in%20position had a habit of coming off]], resulting in him habitually checking if they were still there by licking. It became something of a ThrowItIn[[/note]].
** Joker's predatory posture (head bowed, chin out, bared teeth) has been compared to that of hyenas stalking their prey. This also makes him reminiscent of a feral canine, but could be a way of incorporating Joker's pet hyenas from the comics into his character.
** His scars, red lips, and green hair, plus his posture, his sliminess, his constant tongue gestures, are quite reminiscent of a reptile, particularly snakes and dragons. Which fits very well with the character and his symbolism.
* ArchEnemy: To Batman, as always, even stating that they were meant to fight each other forever.
* ArsenalAttire: His favoured assortment of knives with special mentions: the retractable blade in the sole of his shoe, the ''potato peeler'' being removed from the coat in jail and the grenades he had lining the interior of his coat during his intrusive meeting with the mob leaders.
* AssimilationPlot: [[spoiler:He actually takes control of the gangs in Gotham through psychological manipulations and was able to become a crime lord by assimilating the remaining henchmen from the fallen gangs into his own. They lose their identity but come back as part of a stronger, more successful gang. Joker does give people an offer to join his gang but if they refuse then he'll kill them and take over by force and charisma.]]
* AxCrazy: The '''epitome''' of this. The Joker is a horrific {{Sadist}} who's very open to the idea of senseless violence, and frequently kills or tries to kill people over petty excuses or just ForTheEvulz. When he's searched by the police, they find a whole lot of knives.
-->'''The Joker:''' Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?
* TheBadGuyWins: Two zig-zagged examples:
** Even after all that Batman and Commissioner Gordon did to stop the Joker's mayhem, The Joker proves that even the noblest of men (namely Harvey) can be twisted and their moral code turned to evil. But, as the movie shows, Harvey was not as pure as incorruptible as everyone thought he was... but Batman was. And, against all the odds, the people in Gotham (both civilians and criminals). So, while he corrupted Harvey, his worldview was proven wrong, and Batman taking the fall for Harvey frustrated his plans.
** A secondary objective of the Joker was to make Batman break his "[[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]]". In the end, [[spoiler:Batman is forced to break that rule by killing Harvey Dent to save Gordon's family, but it's ZigZagged because Batman was trying to save Jim's child and was not aiming to kill Harvey, whereas the Joker wanted Batman to intentionally kill someone]].
* BadassInANiceSuit: Tailored and purple. He's also a master planner who works without rules and is able to bring the city to its knees with just [[KansasCityShuffle a few well-placed moves]] and some bullets hitting the right people.
* BadassNormal: Compared to Batman's near-mystical training from the League of Shadows, or Bane's almost superhuman strength, the Joker's physical prowess is considerably more conventional. Despite this, he comes out on top of every physical confrontation except against the Batman, such as easily overpowering Gambol's bodyguard, and subduing Detective Stephens and (an admittedly hospitalized) Harvey Dent on separate occasions. This indicates considerable skills or prior training on the Joker's part. Or [[PowerBornOfMadness strength born of his own]] AxCrazy [[PowerBornOfMadness behavior]]. The guy does not have the same restraints normal people have.
* BadBoss: The Joker, as Bozo, makes the clowns kill each other for money in the opening bank robbery and offs the survivor himself. Also his idea of "tryouts" with Gambol's associates to join him, which involves breaking a pool cue into a couple of wooden shivs and leaving them to fight each other to the death over one open slot.
** Midway through the movie, the mob bosses agree to give Joker half their money to deal with Batman, effectively elevating him to their leadership. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He kills two of them for being unworthy of his vision of Gotham]], and burns the money they gave him just to KickTheDog/twist the knife further.
** He also [[spoiler:ruthlessly blows up one of his followers using a cell phone bomb sewn into the man's stomach by manipulating him into thinking Joker's helping cure his schizophrenia. Oh, and the cell block he blows up with this device has some of his own men in it as well.]]
** Joker also laughs maniacally and spits on his own henchman who was electrocuted trying to remove Batman's cowl
* BatmanGambit:
** In this series, the Joker is even better at it than the {{Trope Namer|s}}. Most of his plans begin with him issuing a public threat, then planning for what he expects people to do in response and carrying out his attack that way. For instance, take his assassination attempt on the Mayor. The Joker and his men are disguised as the honor guard, and have tied up the real honor guard members in an apartment overlooking the procession, with an egg timer attached to a window blind, which Bruce Wayne discovers by looking up a tip based on a print he found on a bullet from the scene of the Joker's previous victims. At the 21-gun salute, the timer goes off in time with the second volley, causing the blind to be pulled up and revealing Bruce, and the snipers guarding the area turn their attention to the window and fire at Bruce, and do so in time with the volley so they aren't heard by most of the crowd, distracting them for the Joker to open fire on the Mayor. Fortunately, the snipers don't hit Bruce and Gordon has just a split second to spot the Joker and tackles the mayor to the ground in time.
** He later manages to pull one on Batman himself. Having previously witnessed Batman through himself out a window to save Rachel Dawes, the Joker knew he would go to save her no matter what. [[spoiler:So when he secretly kidnaps Harvey Dent and Rachel and keeps them in two separate locations, he lies to Batman and gives him Harvey Dent's location claiming it to be Rachel's. Resulting in Rachel dying and Dent's transformation into Two-Face.]]
* BerserkButton: ''Don't'' call him a freak, unless you ''want'' to die. Gambol and the Chechen learned this the hard way.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Played With. Everyone thinks he's just a [[BerserkButton freak]] in clown makeup or a low-level nobody, and the Joker is perfectly content with allowing them to believe that. He speaks slowly and deliberately and moves with an odd, jerky posture that hides [[UnderestimatingBadassery how physically capable he actually is]]. That is, until all hell breaks loose and The Joker enacts his real plan.
* BigBad: Of [[Film/TheDarkKnight the second movie]]. He's the Joker, so would you expect anything less?
* BlatantLies: "Do I really ''look'' like a guy with a plan?" The implied answer is a lie. Gordon furiously admits as much when he's notified of his breakout from the GCPD'S Major Crimes Unit ("The Joker planned to be caught! He ''wanted'' me to lock him up in the MCU!").
** Though it could be an ExactWords twist; his means can be complicated or manipulative but they usually boil down to "AttackItsWeakPoint"--steal the Mob's money, kill a man's lover, etc. He doesn't just plan--he can also look at his enemy's plan and [[SpannerInTheWorks turn it on itself]].
* BlackComedy: He's the Joker. It's been said that you know you've written him properly when he makes the audience laugh ''and'' scream, both at once. His dialogue when he crashes the fundraiser, or [[EyeScream when he makes a pencil "disappear"]], are just the tip of the iceberg.
** A really subtle example is when being held in lockup, an officer confiscates and lays out all the knives in Joker's coat pockets on a table. The last one is... a potato peeler.
* BluntYes: As he confronts the mob for the first time.
--->'''Gambol:''' You think you can steal from us and just walk away?
--->'''The Joker:''' Yeah.
* BreakoutCharacter: Creator/HeathLedger's portrayal on the character became not just one of the most iconic takes on the Joker, but one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. After the bar set by this Joker, many subsequent Jokers end up taking inspiration from this one.
* BrightIsNotGood: He has a [[MonsterClown pale white clown face]], [[WaistcoatOfStyle a purple waistcoat]] and suit (with bright orange lining) and green hair, in contrast to Batman's [[DarkIsNotEvil black outfit]]. In addition, many of the Joker's crimes are done in broad daylight, while Batman was specifically created to be most frightening to criminals during the night.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: The man loves his bombs and [[AnarchyIsChaos anarchy]].
* CallingCard: Joker playing cards.
* CardCarryingVillain: He uses Joker playing cards as his "signature", a MythologyGag. Apart from that, he styles himself an "agent of chaos" and even refers to himself as a criminal with pride. He is definitely one of the most mature and serious examples of this type of character in fiction.
* ChaosIsEvil: He's a definite CardCarryingVillain, and calls himself an "agent of chaos". This philosophy is also exactly what [[spoiler:sends Harvey over the edge and officially finishes his rebirth as Two-Face.]]
-->'''Joker:''' Introduce a little ''anarchy'', upset the established order, and everything becomes '''''chaos!''''' ...I'm an agent of chaos. ''[snickers]'' Oh, you wanna know the thing about chaos? ... '''It's fair.'''
* CharacterCatchphrase: While he gets several memorable lines throughout the movie, the one that would best fit this trope is the question, "You wanna know how I got these scars?"
* CharacterTic: He licks his lips if he talks a lot. Given his GlasgowGrin scars, it's not a surprising behavioral trait. WordOfGod states that this was a result of Heath Ledger being annoyed by the feeling of the scar prosthetics, and unconsciously licking at them because of it. After seeing him do it a few times with the full make-up and finding it ''seriously'' creepy, Nolan and his team decided to ThrowItIn.
* CharmPerson: The Joker is repeatedly shown to have a weird, almost preternatural charisma, though it largely seems to apply to either (other) people with severe mental problems like his original crop of henchmen or to bloodthirsty animals, bending them easily to his will. In the case of the attack dogs he appropriates from the Chechen, they flip from listening to him to listening to the Joker over the course of a single scene.
* CheapCostume: {{Averted|Trope}}. The Joker used some of the money he'd been stealing from mob banks to get custom-made clothing, since after [[EyeScream he makes a pencil disappear]], he says, "Oh, and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You oughta know! You bought it!"
** Played straight with his clown makeup. The longer he spends onscreen, the more it wears off. [[spoiler:Most noticeable when he is in custody]].
* TheChessmaster: As much as he insists that he hates plans and has none himself, he is ''extremely'' good at chess scheming.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He manipulates the clowns to kill each other after their part in the opening bank robbery in this order:
** Dopey and Happy zipline onto the roof. After Dopey shuts off the silent alarm, Happy shoots him in the back.
** Happy grabs Dopey's bag, runs down to the vault, and starts drilling into it. Once he gets it open, Grumpy shoots him in the back.
** Grumpy enters the vault, stuffs cash into duffel bags, and carries them to the lobby. Once he and Bozo (actually the Joker) get the money into position, Grumpy pulls a gun on Bozo, figuring that the Joker has told him to kill Grumpy. Bozo says instead that [[WhamLine he's supposed to kill the bus driver]]. As Grumpy tries to figure out what this means, a school bus crashes backwards through the side wall of the bank and kills him.
** Chuckles was supposed to kill Grumpy after the latter dispatched Happy and brought the money down, but the bank manager took him out first.
** The bus driver helps Bozo load the money into the bus, then dies in a burst of fire from Bozo's full-auto pistol.
** Even the mob bank manager is horrified at the Joker's MO, leading to this exchange:
--->'''Bank Manager:''' Oh, criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor. Respect. Look at you! What do you believe in, huh? ''What do you believe in?!''\\
''[The Joker leans down and stuffs a [[spoiler: gas]] grenade in the manager's mouth]''\\
'''The Joker:''' I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... ''[removes his mask, revealing his [[MonsterClown make-up]] and [[GlasgowGrin scars]]]'' ''stranger''.
** If you watch the entire film closely, you will notice that this is at the core of the Joker's Modus Operandi. Most of his plans rely on deception and treachery to some degree and in some form while betting that people will give in to their worst instincts if given the chance.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He disappears from the film series after [[spoiler:the SWAT team captures him.]] {{Invoked|Trope}} as [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim a result of respect for]] Heath Ledger's death. The novelization of ''The Dark Knight Rises'' does possess an ambiguous reference to him:
-->Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible to cop an insanity plea, it had replaced Arkham Asylum as the preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham's sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: He has a never-acknowledged but noticeable tendency to hang on to particularly nice weapons (or [[AngryGuardDog dogs]]) that he comes across. His knife collection alone could stock a roadside museum. The shotgun the bank manager uses is a good example.
* CombatPragmatist: He seems self-taught, and definitely can't take the highly-trained and skilled Batman in a ''fair'' fight. So, in the climax of ''The Dark Knight'', he doesn't fight fair. [[spoiler:He attacks Batman when he's blinded and unleashes dogs while furiously smacking him with a [[MythologyGag crowbar]].]]
* CombatSadomasochist: He obviously enjoys hurting and killing others, but also deeply enjoys watching Batman's JackBauerInterrogationTechnique even while [[spoiler: Batman is beating him within an inch of his life]]. In fact, he's disappointed [[spoiler:when, even after everything he's done, Batman ''still won't'' kill him]].
* CompositeCharacter: He has elements from several incarnations of the Joker from other sources of media; he has the mob connections of [[Film/Batman1989 Tim Burton's version]] and the nihilism of the ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'''s incarnation. His DarkerAndEdgier presentation mimics the incarnation from the ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' graphic novel, and both his use of a [[spoiler:bomb-filled warehouse to kill one of Batman's loved ones]] and his later use of a crowbar for the climax are nods to ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''.
* ConMan: ''A master of this''. He cons everyone both directly and indirectly: the mob (his supposed allies), white-collar criminals, the police, Batman himself... in order to get what he wants.
* ConsummateLiar: The Joker is an expert at this. You want to know how good he is? He's so good that one "incorrect" claim of his made many members of ''the audience'' believe that bad writing was responsible, even when he was clearly lying. [[spoiler:Specifically, when he tells Dent he acts randomly, without a plan, yet he repeatedly demonstrates the use of plans (the bank robbery and the clowns shooting each other; the Joker and his men impersonating the honor guard in an attempt to assassinate the mayor; his actions during the car chase on Wacker Drive), and a gift for improvising. In fact, ''it was one of those plans that allowed him to break into Dent's hospital room in the first place''. Many people thought that he was telling the truth, and the ''writers'' had screwed up.]]
** His skill with lies is in the grafting of incredibly painful truth with very subtle but important fallacies. For example:
--->'''The Joker:''' [[BaitTheDog Don't worry]]! I'm gonna tell you [[DeathTrap where they are]] - both of 'em. [[FlawExploitation And that's the point]]: [[SadisticChoice you'll have to choose]]. [[{{Deuteragonist}} He's]] at 250/52nd Street, aaaaand ''[[LoveInterest she's]]'', uh, on Avenue Ex, at Cicero.
** [[spoiler:[[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle They are at these locations, but each at the other]]: [[ILetGwenStacyDie Batman believes the Joker and attempts to rescue the girl]].]]
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: To Ra's al Ghul/Henri Ducard, the BigBad of [[Film/BatmanBegins the first film]]. They both want to destroy Gotham, but while Ra's al Ghul [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans wants a world free from evil and corruption]], the Joker is a {{sadist}}ic [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] who wants to destroy the innocence and goodness of the people. Whereas Ra's al Ghul was a KnightTemplar, Joker is a CardCarryingVillain. Whereas Ra's al Ghul [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes had loved ones]], was a TragicVillain and AffablyEvil, Joker is AxCrazy, unpredictable, and a psychopath who is completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. In many ways, Joker presents '''everything''' Ra's al Ghul hates about people and society in general.
** Their plans are diametrically opposed. Ra's was a purger, trying to commit a mass scale genocide to purge the world of the cancer of Gotham. The Joker is a cancer in itself, corrupting everything and everyone he touches. Ra's planned all from the shadows, only stepping in to finish the plan. The Joker is on it from beginning to the end, constantly shifting according to the changes. Ra's plan was massive, the Joker's plan is small scaled, but in a way, morally worse. Ra's has a gigantic, millennial organization, while the Joker has a criminal organization to carry out his actions. And so on.
** Their relationship with Batman is interesting too. Ra's was like a second father to Batman, only for him to become disappointed. The Joker is the worst of Gotham, and everything Batman fights against and hates.
* CopKiller: He kills multiple law enforcement officers throughout the film, including poisoning [[spoiler:Police Commissioner Loeb]], and uses the responsive anger within the police force to his advantage.
* TheCorrupter: His gift isn't simply in causing chaos, pain and grief. It's bringing out the capacity and drive to cause those things ''in others''; ensuring his actions have an immense ripple effect, and that even if you kill him, he's won in principle.
-->'''The Joker:''' It wasn't hard. You see madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push! ''[[[EvilLaugh laughs hysterically]]]''
* CrazyPrepared: Even more so than Batman. What's most impressive is that the Joker can be this without Batman's functionally limitless cash (which likely would have gone up in smoke).
-->'''The Joker:''' Look what I did to this city with just a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: His pitch fluctuates throughout the movie, but whenever he's joking or mocking someone, he puts on a very nasally voice to do it, only succeeding in making him look more unstable and dangerous.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[MultipleChoicePast Maybe. Maybe not.]] But there's certainly a story behind [[GlasgowGrin those scars]], and it couldn't have been pretty.
* DeadpanSnarker: He makes his entrance throwing out some dry snappy lines to mobsters. Like, "''Ah hah hah hah''... and I thought ''my'' jokes were bad."
* DeathSeeker: Subtly. [[NotAfraidToDie He really doesn't seem to care if he lives or dies]], but seems to want Batman to break his [[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]] because of and upon him. If it advances his cause, he is willing to die, and is welcoming of death. If it doesn't, he keeps self preservation.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] himself, after all the anti-heroic and idealized traits he'd acquired by fans. His previous versions in movies and TV shows, while still depraved, were particularly cartoonish, laughable, over-the-top, and bombastic. Contrasting this, Ledger's Joker is much darker, macabre, possesses real weapons rather than laughing gas, and his general character is grittier and more mundane.
** He still has a sense of humor, but he loses most of the tools and behavior that made him the audience's collective image of the Joker. Take away the fantastical laughing gas, acid posies, or the general [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall fourth-wall]] eccentricities that people know him for, and you are left with his [[PsychoForHire psychopathic]] [[AxCrazy nature]] that will use more mundane and unpleasant methods to achieve results. Like [[EyeScream making pencils disappear]] and giving people Glasgow grins. This even applies to his MonsterClown appearance, itself a means for fear: instead of bleached-white skin and a FrozenFace, he applies "war paint"-like makeup over his own GlasgowGrin scars.
** In fact, this Joker is ''very'' similar to how he was in his original appearance in ''Batman #1'': darker humor, a terrorist by announcing his moves in advance, [[ForTheEvulz crimes that made little sense at all except that he liked committing them]], etc. The Joker has come full circle.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: He is a more realistic version of The Joker than almost all the others. He is a psychopath who wants to break and corrupt everything and everyone around himself, and is willing to do anything to succeed on it.
** His peak of terror, while brutal, lasts very shortly. Logically, given he does not have the manpower to pull it for far longer. Being the most wanted man in the city, with his acts having gone from organized crime to terrorism, would not have allowed him to remain hidden for so long (he only achieved it up until then because he was completely anonymous). Not that he cares, it fits with his plans.
** Given the more realistic setting, a guy pulling the stuff the Joker does would not be able to remain free for a very long time, nor become a mob boss. In the real world, most of what the Joker does would have granted him the death penalty over a thousand times. We never see what happens to him anyway.
* DeviousDaggers: He is a cunning schemer and master of mind games. He frequently carries a knife and even has one hidden in his shoe.
* DiabolicalMastermind: Midway through the film he's effectively wrested control of the Gotham mob and begun using their manpower and resources to commit what is essentially a string of domestic terrorist attacks.
* DiabolusExNihilo: He has no StartOfDarkness and no confirmed backstory. He just shows up and wrecks shop.
* DieLaughing: He bursts into maniacal laughter when Batman throws him off the building they're fighting on, because even in his defeat he achieved victory over Batman by finally getting him to violate his "no kill" rule. When Batman saves him at the last second, he's honestly disappointed.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: {{Downplayed|Trope}} and combined with FinalBoss. Technically, he is defeated before Batman deals with Harvey, but Harvey is a PostFinalBoss and was only corrupted because of the Joker.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He has [[spoiler:the Chechen cut apart and fed to his own dogs for calling him a freak after Joker burnt the mob's money.]]
* DoWrongRight: A rare instance of this tropes ''not'' being played for laughs. The Joker looks down the Mob as an inferior class of criminal for their focus on crime for the sake of money, as opposed to ForTheEvulz.
* DoesntLikeGuns: A DownplayedTrope. He claims they kill people ''too quickly'' and he'll happily pick one up if he needs to; he just prefers knives.
* TheDon: An unusually AxCrazy version of this trope. He runs a criminal organization that somehow serves as his main resource to carry out his monstrous plans. He also usurped the Chechen's organization. That said, his actions go far beyond your typical organized crime when it is revealed that his intentions are much, ''much worse''. In fact, after taking the organized crime of Gotham, the Joker turn to full-scale terrorism.
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[to The Chechen]'' Tell your men they work for me now. This is my city.
* DramaticUnmask: "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... ''stranger''."
** Is quite put out when his attempt to do this to Batman gets interrupted.
* TheDreaded: The Joker goes from a "nobody" to the most feared criminal in Gotham in a span of a few nights. He is feared by ''everyone'' (mob bosses, civilians, cops), and for [[AxCrazy very good reasons.]] Even when Maroni thought the Joker was still technically working for him and the mob, he was still too scared of the guy to give up any information about him to Batman.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: He'll let anyone join his criminal enterprise, no matter what ethnic criminal gang you come from or whether you're a mental patient.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: A toss-up between the Bank Robbery and the Mob Meeting scene, but the latter ''really'' hammers The Joker as RefugeInAudacity incarnate. Inviting yourself to a meeting of mob bosses you just robbed and performing a [[EyeScream magic trick]] on one of their goons? That piqued their interest. Constantly treating the Gotham mob as a joke and strapping yourself full of explosives? That got him out of the lion's den scot-free.
** All this shows his intelligence and planning skills, his ability to hide in plain sight, his quick thinking, his sense of humour, his absolute contempt and lack of care for human life, his complete lack of fear of anything or anyone, and his willingness to put his life on the line if necessary. The bank robbery in particular also succinctly showcases his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies and BatmanGambit skills, both of which are the main elements of his modus operandi for the entirety of the movie.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: {{Inverted|Trope}}. He believes the Mob to be an inferior class of criminal, because they actually care for things beyond committing crimes [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of committing crimes]] (like money).
** He mocks this when he mentions how Batman didn't stop Harvey Dent from being arrested after claiming to be the Batman, even saying: "even to a guy like me, that's cold". He's obviously trolling.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Zigzagged. His "social experiment" failed, because regular Gothamites were too decent to make the choice he expected them to make, which Batman assumes is proof that the Joker doesn't really understand normal people. Lending to this is the fact he looks truly angered and confused when the plan fails. On the other hand, while he might not get how good people truly are (love and empathy are something beyond him, and when faced with the abyss, not everyone becomes a monster. Hell, he misunderstood his own fellow people, the criminals, who show that deep down, they are decent people) he does understand how they think and work, the weaknesses and the darkness in them, and knows how to manipulate and use this to manipulate and corrupt them. Hence why he is always three steps ahead of everyone. Corrupting Harvey is perhaps the best example of this (he uses everything Harvey values and loves and twists it, so Harvey gets twisted with it and becomes a murderous vigilant). He does not really need to transform him into a monster like him...just to bring him down a bit. Like he says: "I am only burning my half".
** He also thinks Batman's morality is just a misplaced sense of self righteousness. Although in this case, he seems happy of this. Nor did he expect Batman to take the fall for Harvey (although this can be argued as Batman outwitting The Joker than the Joker not necessarily being able to think about that. Everything happens very fast, and the Joker might not have thought they could keep the information closed. On the other hand, he might have not been paying attention when Batman was willing to sacrifice himself to stop him from killing people, so overlooking that might mean he stills does not get Batman).
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: The Joker emits fake laughter with a deadpan tone when he crashes the mob meeting, and ends by saying, [[AtLeastIAdmitIt "And I thought]] ''[[AtLeastIAdmitIt my]]'' [[AtLeastIAdmitIt jokes were bad..."]]. Immediately after that, he [[EyeScream makes a pencil disappear]], which is bad for the poor victim of the trick but humorous for him, and also for us. "TADA! It's, ah--bah, it's ''gone''."
* EvilIsHammy: Between laughing, gesturing, and grand speeches; his presence is exceptionally over-the-top and grandiloquent, at least by the standards of your ordinary Nolan antagonist.
* EvilIsPetty: As much as he tries to come as a superior kind of criminal and one with loftier goals, The Joker is incredibly petty.
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.
* EvilLaugh: [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker He's the freaking Joker]]. He also performs a very odd false laugh when he gatecrashes the mob's meeting.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Inverted. He speaks with a rather high nasal voice, nothing like Ledger's natural baritone voice. However, when angry, it can switch to a nightmarish gravely tone as seen in the news report tape of him torturing the fake Batman.
* EvilerThanThou: To the Chechen. And arguably, to everyone else.
-->'''The Joker:''' This town deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm gonna give it to 'em.
* EvilIsNotAToy: The mob attempted to use the Joker to advance their own interests, but had no idea just how destructive he really was, or that the Joker was using ''them'' more for ''his'' interests. [[spoiler:When Rachel bites it, Sal Maroni even admits that he should never have let the Chechen hire the Joker in the first place.]]
* EvilIsPetty: While it's not as evident as it is in most incarnations of the character, the Joker is just as willing to settle for tormenting people by being an annoying {{Troll}} as he is murdering them. It's particularly evident in the ARG, where he has his followers harass and rob various Girl Scouts of their cookies and later poisons cakes from numerous bakeries just for the sake of it.
* EvilPlan: He's such a liar that it's hard to tell what ThePlan is exactly, but corrupting people - whether it's the city itself or just one man - is at the center of it.
* ExactWords: A key method of his lying is that he rarely does; he'll tell half-truths, metaphorical truths, or make insinuations instead. And if he goes back on his word or does something that other characters didn't see coming, he often points to LoopholeAbuse in the wording he gave them.
** Since he couldn't kill Harvey Dent, he kills two policeman in his place, one called Richard Dent...and the other Patrick Harvey. Harvey Dent.
** [[spoiler:Corrupting Harvey. Most, if not all the things he tells Harvey are "true". He did not really rig the chargers, the mob and the cops do have plans and try to control everything, it is because of his own schemes that Harvey ended up where he is (and Rachel died), it is true that people do not get altered until things stop going according the plan, the hypocrisy of things, how the order of the world is unfair, and chaos might be fairer...All of these things, combined with a Harvey at the limit are enough to push him to take justice by his own hands.]]
** His policy in regards to threats.
--->'''The Joker:''' You see, ''this'' is how ''crazy'' Batman has made Gotham! If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my ''word''! ''[[[LaughingMad hysterical maniacal laughter]]]''
** Also, during the interrogation scene, he never says that the person Batman [[SadisticChoice chooses would be the one he ''saves'']]. Batman chooses Rachel, [[ILetGwenStacyDie and Rachel dies]].
--->'''Joker:''' Killing is making a choice. Choose between one life or the other: your friend the district attorney, or his blushing bride to be!
** When he sets fire to the mob's pile of money, the Chechen protests "you said you're a man of your word!" The Joker replies he is -- he's only burning ''his'' half. The fact that the ''other half'' of the pile is going to catch fire too isn't his problem.
* {{Expy}}:
** Much of his character is loosely based on Creator/MalcolmMcDowell's performance as Alex [=DeLarge=] in ''Film/AClockworkOrange''. After all, both are [[EvilIsHammy eccentric]], {{sadist}}ic, AxCrazy {{sociopath}}s with a penchant for chaos.
** According to Nicola Pecorini, Ledger had talked with him about Creator/JohnnyDepp's portrayal of Jack Sparrow in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' in relation to ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', aiming to make a performance that would be "so far out he'd be fired".
* EyeScream:
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[completely deadpan]'' Ah ha ha ha ha, hahaha, ha, ha, ha, oh, a-hee-hee, ha ha, oh, hee ha, ahaha. And I thought ''my'' jokes were bad!\\
'''Gambol:''' Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off.\\
'''The Joker:''' How about a magic trick? I'm gonna make this pencil disappear.\\
''[Gambol's crony walks over to the Joker. The Joker slams the man's head down on the pencil, forcing the entire pencil through his eye socket]''\\
'''The Joker:''' TA-DA! It's, ah...''bah'', it's ''gone''. Oh, and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You oughta know, you bought it!
* FacialHorror: While this is one of the few times the Joker's clown-like appearance is the result of make-up, he does sport a GlasgowGrin.
* FatalFlaw: His inability to get why good people are good dooms his plan. That, and some good arrogant gloating. Had he kept his damn mouth shut, Batman might had not been able to stop Harvey from killing Gordon's son, and he would have won. But he had to indulge himself in gloating to Batman he had broken Harvey, which gives Batman enough time to stop him and think of a counter measure.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Joker maintains a jovial demeanor in any given situation. Despite this, he has no conscience nor empathy, caring nothing for anyone else and will kill and maim if it serves his purpose, objectively or entertainingly.
* ForTheEvulz: He's the trope picture and the subject of the trope quote. The quote in question was from Alfred when he was talking about a Burmese bandit who stole not because he ''wanted'' what he stole, but because he thought it was fun, when giving a comparison in regards to the Joker.
-->'''Alfred:''' Some men just want to watch the world burn.
* {{Foil}}:
** A version of the Joker to meet this version of Batman. Aside from the usual similarities, this versions of them have their own particular connections:
*** Similar to Batman, he is willing to use people's fears to turn fear on to those who prey on the fearful (Batman targets the Mob, Joker targets Batman), plans ahead and seems prepared for whatever could happen. Unlike Batman, he doesn't have fancy gadgets or a tight network of friends; his methods for causing destruction are very utilitarian by comparison (petrol bombs, scavenged/black market guns and good old fashioned knives), even describing his taste in explosives as "cheap."
*** They both keep their identities hidden, but where Batman uses it to protect his loved ones, Joker uses it as part of his "horrifying image". Batman became a dark urban legend, while Joker became a sheer force of terror. As a fact, The Joker is just the Joker. While Batman is still Bruce, The Joker has no life outside being The Joker.
*** If one pays attention to the Joker stories, they reveal unsettling parallels to Bruce's. Bruce had a loving father and mother who were taken from him. The Joker had a horribly abusive father who killed his mother and might have scared him. His second story is about how he lost his loved one (he scarred himself because he wanted to show her he did not care about the scars she had received from mobsters, and because he wanted to see her smile again, just like she used to say he did not smile enough and worried too much...and she left him for doing that...leaving only The Joker. Sort of like Bruce becoming Batman partially because Rachel shamed him...only for Rachel to reject him when he becomes Batman), which sort of parallels and foreshadows Rachel's fate.
*** The way both take stage in Gotham is completely different. Batman came flying (literally and metaphorically), from outside when Gotham was at it's worst, and helped pave the way for the slow recovery. His first act was a massive act, getting Carmine Falcone arrested, and a bit later, saving the city from destruction. The Joker, on the other hand, like a beast crawled from hell (moreso if you believe he came from Arkham, which is in the narrows, the darkest part of Gotham), starts slowly, climbing his way up the ladder , hiding himself as a small thief...and when Gotham seems to finally start getting good, and the mob is about to fall (in a legal way), The Joker makes his move, revealing himself as a diabolical mastermind, plunging the city into hell, and almost ruining everything Batman worked so hard to achieve (a very funny example is the party in Wayne's Penthouse. Bruce, the host and organizer, comes in his helicopter, surrounded by women, playing up his playboy facade, to give Harvey the support he needs from the rich and the powerful, so Gotham can have a true protector. The Joker appears to the party by surprise and uninvited, using the elevator, holding a police hostage, terrorising the rich and the powerful, with the explicit intention to kill Dent, bring Batman to the open and unsmask him, to plunge the entire city into hell).
*** Their M.O.'s are fairly similar. Both of them attack the keystones that hold their enemies (Batman attacking Falcone, bringing Lau and their money to the open; The Joker attacking key figures and key places in society), both use fear, theatricalities and deception, have a lot of tools, both sneak away from the law and structures (Batman using his massive fortune and resources, The Joker sneaking through the underbelly of Gotham undetected). Both of them are constantly improvising and adapting their plans to the circumstances, given their goals allow them certain versatility.
*** Both of them live for their causes. The key differences being: The Joker has nothing besides being The Joker. Batman stills has, and he wants to have a different, normal life. Both of them are willing to give everything for their causes, including their lifes (in Batman's case, his reputation too).
*** Both of them are the best and the worst of Gotham. Batman is the best Gotham could have dreamed of, a saviour in their direst moment. The Joker is Gotham's worst nightmare, and the biggest threat to the city's spirit and cohesion.
*** The way they inspire and relate to people. Batman started being distrusted, but he became a paragon and the most trusted asset from the forces of good and order, inspiring people to become better. The Joker forced himself into the mob, took their resources, and them betrayed them to bring about his own plans. He gathered a gang of fanatics and madmen around him to bring Gotham to it's knees.
*** If one believes the theory of him being an ex soldier who fought in an external conflict, it makes the parallels even more striking.
* FreudianExcuse: [[DefiedTrope Openly mocked]] by him, with his MultipleChoicePast. However, the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager, "I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...''stranger''", suggests that ''something'' happened that made him this way. [[RiddleForTheAges We never learn what exactly it is]], but we do know that the scars on his face are implied to be real, and he got them in a definitively traumatic incident.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Considered a small time hood by Batman and Maroni at the start of the movie. The remaining acts see him rise. Both Batman and the Mob at first saw him as a nobody, but they clearly underestimated him as he became Gotham's greatest threat in a matter of days.
** Bonus points for the interrogation scene, where Batman simply starts plummeling him for answers; in response, the Joker cackles that Batman has ''zero'' leverage on him because of this.
* TheGadfly: In true Joker fashion. When meeting the Mob it takes him less than a minute to start mocking them. He always doubles down on the people whose skin he gets under the most, including Gambol and Stephens.
* GambitRoulette: Zigzagged. While some of his plans might push it a bit, and one might wonder how the hell could he be so prepared, one has to remember The Joker had months and months to plan and prepare for his operations, plus the bank robbery, and obtaining the recourses from the Gotham Mob, which allowed him to expand his scope considerably. Aside that, plans like the hospital bombing and the ferries' social experiment were clearly planned beforehand, and he used the circumstances on his favour (Dent being in the hospital). Him being anonymous, and not showing how he plans things helps to create the mysticism and keep his plans well hidden, so he still remains a good case of a villain who can pull his seemingly complicated plans off without them coming as impossible or too contrived. Now, on the other hand, many of the specifics depend of particular events happening in a determined/specific way, with many of these things being out of his control. But, he is still pretty good at improvising, so many of his actions could too be improvisation.
* GlasgowGrin: The Joker features very noticeable scarring from such wounds and tells two conflicting stories of how he got them (and is interrupted from giving a third). He also loves to put the same type of "smile" on some of his victims.
* GreaterScopeVillain: In the ARG. He's still causing plenty of havoc, but the Joker spends most of it gradually building up his power base and setting up his EvilPlan while the city is distracted by the ongoing mob war.
* GreenAndMean: He dyed his hair green and he immediately strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.
* HeroKiller: This seems like a recurring M.O. for this version of the Joker, depending how you view this one. He outright murders former GCPD officer Brian Douglass (one of the vigilantes of Citizen For Batman), kills several known Gotham City cops and other law enforcement [[spoiler:including Commissioner Loeb and Rachel Dawes]], and finally [[TheCorrupter causes Dent to slide off the slope of sanity]], leading to [[spoiler:several more deaths, including [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Dent]]'s own]].
* HumansAreBastards: Joker seems to believe in this; as [[spoiler:one of his plans is foiled by [[RousseauWasRight the citizens and prisoners of Gotham choosing to not kill each other to save their own lives]]. This not only causes a minor VillainousBreakdown, where he is quiet for once, but it allows Batman to beat him due to his distraction...and [[ChekhovsGun projectile scallops]]. Unfortunately, [[TheCorrupter Joker had a backup plan]] in the form of [[FallenHero Harvey Dent]].]]
* TheHyena: All that evil laughing at his evil deeds; it has more impact by how sparingly he uses it.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** He claims to be proving the futility of imposing plans and order on the world - except virtually everything he does is ''meticulously'' planned, complete with backups. A good example is when he gives Dent the chance to shoot him. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that, despite his claims of giving Dent a choice, he's holding back the hammer of the gun (to keep it from firing).
** He tells Batman that Gotham will cast him out the moment they no longer need him, because to them, he's just another 'freak.' While this does happen at the end of the movie, the only reason it happens is because Batman takes the fall for murders [[SelfFulfillingProphecy committed by or orchestrated by the Joker]] in the first place. [[spoiler:It also ends up being subverted at the end of ''Dark Knight Rises'' where Batman is celebrated as a hero once and for all.]]
** His insistence that he's just being true to himself and that [[HumansAreBastards deep down]] everyone is as insane as he is. Much like the above example, his mental breaking of Harvey Dent had to be heavily orchestrated and planned in order to drive him fully over the edge. It also gets a ''brutal'' reality check when [[spoiler:neither of the ferries opts to blow the other up]] and tries to finish the job himself. Batman lampshades it and for once the Joker has zero rebuttal.
--->"[[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you?]] '''[[ShutUpHannibal You're alone!]]'''"
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: After [[spoiler:killing Gambol]], the Joker mentions that his currently-small operation has "a lot of potential for aggressive expansion." He then offers [[spoiler:Gambol's]] three remaining men a role, but claims that "there's only one spot open right now" and makes them fight to the death for it.
* InexplicablyAwesome: Perhaps one of the most scariest aspects of The Joker is how incredibly good he is at carrying out his plans with resources that remain a mystery. He has a criminal organization, yes, but his vast resources seem to suggest that [[NothingIsScarier he is not just any mob boss or criminal]]. It's safe to say that no one has any idea how a complete stranger became one of the most dangerous criminals of Gotham, with abilities of intellect worthy of rivaling that of Batman.
* InterimVillain: Unlike the other {{Big Bad}}s before and after this film, there is no evidence that connects him to the League of Shadows in any shape or form, the latter of which is arguably the GreaterScopeVillain of the entire trilogy. Yet he is undoubtedly the most damaging example of the trope, notably leading Batman to take the blame for [[TheAce Dent]]'s murders and go missing for years, until the events of ''Rises'' take place.
** Nolan originally planned on bringing Joker in the third part, but Ledger's death made him change his plans, and it's likely he would have played a much bigger role if things had been different.
* {{Jerkass}}: On a top of being a psychopathic, sadistic monster, he's also an utter jerk towards ''everyone''. He casually makes fun of people with his dry, sadistic sense of humor.
* KarmaHoudini: Zig-zagged. As revealed in the novelization of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', he's not only a prisoner at Arkham, he has the place to ''himself''. '''Or not''', assuming he broke out somehow. We don't really know, and [[AbortedArc we probably never will]].
* KansasCityShuffle: Almost any time that he warns the authorities about what he's going to do next, or any times he does anything, it's because their attempt to stop him will give him an opening to do something else (or be the trigger of his real plan). All his plans have plans inside, they always have a hidden objective, and he always has an ace in the hole.
* KickTheDog:
** Taken both figuratively and literally - although not explicitly shown [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed for obvious reasons]], when he sics Chechen's attack dogs on Batman [[spoiler: in the final act leading up to the ferry incident]], he quickly loses his patience and begins savagely beating both Batman ''and'' the dogs indiscriminately.
** He has his men switch clothes with the hostages and put tape on their hands while holding guns, so that the police would be forced to shoot them, and decide to go to a building with a lot of large windows so that the snipers could hit them easily. This whole part was unnecessary for the Joker's plan; he did this just to make the entire police force feel guilt for killing innocents without realizing it.
** {{Exploited|Trope}} while in GCPD custody, he starts to screw with Detective Stephens by asking Stephens how many of his friends he has killed. Even going to so far as to [[SpeakIllOfTheDead call some of them cowards]] to get under Stephens' skin. [[spoiler:This was all in an effort to take Stephens hostage so he can break out of custody with Lau.]]
** It could be argued he knew Batman would have learned his lesson from [[spoiler:Joker switching Rachel and Harvey's locations]] and would figure out the ruse, forcing him to deal with the situation and giving Joker more time to let the ferries destroy one another. Also... Joker probably found the hostage situation being flipped to be funny. Although the true point of this plan was to show the selfishness of Gotham's citizens.
* KnightOfCerebus: BlackComedy aside, the Joker is the darkest villain of the entire trilogy. The man is completely evil, and things get worse and worse the longer he is in the picture. His psychopathic behaviour is played realistically, his plans are sinister and close to reality, and the murder of Rachel and the breaking of Harvey are probably the lowest points in the entire saga. Not to mention he is the villain who came the closest to breaking Batman and Gotham, and, in a way, he won.
* LackOfEmpathy: Ledger himself openly declared him a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
* LaughablyEvil: His threat level is played ''dead seriously'', however (being the Joker), he still provides some of the funniest moments in the film, even by the standards of a Nolan film... although obviously without hindering the serious narrative of the film. For example, it's impossible not to find hilarious when he disguises himself as a female nurse.
* LaughingMad: Right when Batman foiled him and threw him off the roof to [[DisneyVillainDeath certain death]] before saving him, he started breaking into laughter. It was his victory, you see: in throwing him off a building, The Batman had broken his [[ThouShaltNotKill no-killing rule]]. He's really let down when, seconds later, Batman saves him.
* LipLosses: Behind-the-scenes images of Heath Ledger's facial prosthetics for the Joker show that his lower lip also has some extensive scarring, although in the film his makeup means these scars aren't very obvious.
* LostInACrowd:
** To escape from the bank, the Joker slips his school bus into an opening in a long line of identical buses driving past the bank as the police arrive.
** For the Joker and his men to escape the funeral after attempting to shoot the mayor, notice how all the assembled officers break formation and run every which way after Gordon goes down intercepting the Joker's bullet. The Joker and his men use the chaos and confusion to escape, and all of them do get away, except for Thomas Schiff, who is tagged in the left leg.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: His "why I use a knife" dialogue to Stephens strongly implies that he likes knifing people so he can bask in their agony, but given how good he is at manipulation, it's very possible that he was simply saying this to goad Stephens into attacking him, since Stephens had already said that he knew that the Joker would enjoy getting beaten up.
* MadBomber: He loves blowing things up. Cars, ferries, hospitals, judges, [[spoiler:Rachel and Harvey]]--it's all fair game. He even carries a bundle of grenades under his coat to the mob meeting, just in case they get...unfriendly.
--> "I'm a man of simple tastes. I enjoy... dynamite, and gunpowder, and ''gasoline''. And you know the thing they have in common? . . . [[ComicallyMissingThePoint They're cheap]]."
* ManipulativeBastard: He screws with people's heads for shits and giggles. [[BadBoss Even his own men.]] He knows how to get inside people's heads, he knows what they are going to do and react, and he knows how to twist them.
* MuggedForDisguise: To get to the mayor during Commissioner Loeb's funeral, the Joker and his men abduct the honor guard, tie them up and gag them in an apartment overlooking the parade, then steal their rifles and uniforms.
* MuggingTheMonster: Subverted InUniverse. The Gotham mob bosses initially think Joker's theft is this, with the man at the bank declaring that the Joker is "dead." They eventually realize that the monster mugged ''them.''
* MindRape: Does this to an already very-stressed [[spoiler:Harvey Dent]], and it breaks him.
* MonsterClown: Looks like a clown, and is far more terrifying than mobsters.
* MouthingTheProfanity: After Batman fails to mow him down on the street, he mouths "fuck".
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Subverted. He transitions from a dark indigo suit to a more traditional purple suit and green waistcoat.
* MultipleChoicePast: As is the case, he has several stories about how he got the scars on his face, this being a reference to ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', the {{Trope Namer|s}}. However, the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager, "I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...''stranger''", suggests that ''something'' happened that made him this way.
* MythologyGag:
** The use of play cards as his calling cards, but also done on a meta level when Batman dismisses Joker as a clown and not a real threat. This signals to the audience that Batman's made a fatal error.
** He mercilessly bludgeons Batman with a crowbar during their FinalBattle, as he did to Jason Todd in ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''.
* NWordPrivileges: He calls himself and Batman "freaks" a few times, as a sign of them being superior to the rest. [[BerserkButton If anyone else tries to call him a "freak"]], [[DisproportionateRetribution the results aren't going to be pretty.]]
* NervesOfSteel: A subverted case, not because he faces his fears, but because he simply lacks fear and does not care about living or dying.
* NearVillainVictory: If Batman hadn't pulled his ZeroApprovalGambit at the end of the movie, the Joker would have definitely won. In ''Rises'', when [[spoiler:Bane]] publicizes [[spoiler:Harvey Dent's murderous actions as Two-Face]], Gotham is quickly plunged into anarchy and chaos, just as the Joker had originally intended.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Downplayed. Being one of the trilogy's most depraved villains, some of his actions ended up having more positive rather than destructive repercussions. While he was still indirectly responsible for Bane's revolution in [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises the sequel]], a pretty large chunk of his actions end up directly or indirectly aiding Batman in his crusade against crime: he pulls off daring robberies against Mob-controlled banks, he swindles the Mob out of millions of dollars, he assassinates [[spoiler:the Gotham Police Department's incompetent Commissioner]] (allowing the idealistic and ruthlessly efficient [[TheCommissionerGordon Jim Gordon]] to take the job), and he personally murders [[spoiler:Lau, Gambol and the Chechen]]--three of the city's most powerful criminals. Even one of his most heinous acts[[spoiler:--turning Harvey Dent into the villainous Two-Face--]]just results in [[spoiler:Dent]] going on a murderous rampage against corrupt police officers. Furthermore, [[spoiler:Dent's death]] allowed cops to clean up the city of organized crime, resulting in a much cleaner and safer city than it had been before. In short, the Joker did indirectly far more damage to Gotham's criminal underworld than Batman ever did, which is cruelly ironic considering his plan was to destroy society, not clean it up... although Bane almost succeeded.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His mannerisms and "chaotic" look seem to be at least partly based in countercultural pop culture artists such as Music/IggyPop, Music/JohnnyRotten, and Music/SidVicious. Some rumors even suggest that Ledger may have been based on Music/TomWaits to shape his mannerisms and voice.
* NoNameGiven: "No name. No other alias..." He is only ''the Joker''. Makes you wonder if he was born homeless or just had managed to easily avoid doing anything that would give him prints or a name that might go on a database. More impressive by not needing a "clean slate" to go incognito, like the one Selina Kyle would try to obtain eight years later.
* NoodleImplements: His collection of knives as the evidence handler arranges them. Knife, knife, knife, ''potato peeler.'' Even the handler has a DoubleTake.
* NotAfraidToDie: He's completely unfazed by the prospect of death, especially if it means tarnishing [[ThouShaltNotKill the Batman]]. When he thinks he's falling to his death, he laughs. He's disappointed when Batman doesn't kill him.
* NothingPersonal: He tells Harvey Rachel's death was nothing personal. How honest he is being, is ambiguous.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** He is at first regarded as a nuisance to the mob and a low-level bank robber. Then his EvilPlan starts...
** Going further, ''everything'' about The Joker's appearance is meant to both [[MonsterClown disturb]], yet mask his lethal nature. His hired goons liken his make-up to "war paint", he buys an expensive (custom-made!) overcoat that he proceeds to pack with knives and grenades, and even his physicality is informed by this - he usually walks with a hunched, loping gait that hides [[LightningBruiser just how quick he can actually be.]]
* NothingIsScarier: One of the things that makes him so horrifying is we really don't know ''anything'' about him. He gives a MultipleChoicePast and it's hard to tell which one, if ''any'' of them is the truth. He has no origin or reason or explanation. He just ''is''.
* NotWearingTights: DownplayedTrope. His character-defining theatrics, while still present, go nowhere near the levels seen in other media. He wears a custom suit, paints his face, uses a two-tone automatic Glock, and once in a while he does something crazy like hanging a fake Batman from a noose, but things that go into the realm of silliness like the "Bang" pistol he is seen using a few times in other medias are not present. He's more of a "practical Joker".
* ObfuscatingInsanity: As he put it, "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" Key word being looks. No, he does not look like a guy with a plan...But he has more plan than all the other characters put together.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When it suits his needs he's capable of convincing the likes of Harvey Dent that he's just a "mad dog" out to kill people. While there is truth on it, he is omitting the fact practically ALL of what happened was his plan.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: The Joker's motivation for putting a hit out on Coleman Reese was not wanting Batman's identity to be revealed and thus lose his WorthyOpponent. His [[spoiler:killing off of Gambol and The Chechen]] can be seen as this too.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Joker has no known name or alias.
* OrderVersusChaos: Represents chaos to Batman's order and calls himself an 'agent' of it. Although they fit better to the idea of a good order vs an evil chaos, or simply of good vs evil.
* OutsideContextProblem: ''No one'' saw The Joker coming. Not the police, not the Mob, and certainly not the Batman. Gordon drops a bit of foreshadowing at the end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'', when he worries about escalation within the criminal underground (back when The Joker was merely a thief with a flair for theatrics) but until the clown knocks off a Mafia-run Bank at the beginning of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', no one takes him seriously.
* PragmaticAdaptation: In order to keep up with the film's realistic approach, this version of the Joker doesn't have permanently bleached skin and green hair. Instead, he achieves his MonsterClown appearance through makeup and hair dye.
-->'''Happy:''' So why do they call him the Joker?\\
'''Dopey:''' I heard he wears makeup.\\
'''Happy:''' Makeup?\\
'''Dopey:''' Yeah, to scare people. Y'know, war paint.
** Nolan's Joker also does away with all of the novelty gag weapons like the ElectricJoybuzzer and acid posy, and even the Joker Venom is nowhere to be seen (though at least three of his victims have painted faces as a nod to Jokerized victims dying with a smile). Instead, this Joker mainly uses his malignant intellect to plan out major terror attacks, troll Batman and corrupt Harvey Dent, and fights with unstylized weapons like a bazooka and his infamous crowbar.
* PrecisionFStrike: After the Batman fails to mow him down on the street with the Batpod. Considering the MOS nature of the IMAX cameras (and that Grumpy had sputtered "What the fuck?!" when the mob bank manager tagged him) that were used to film that scene, it's possible that Heath Ledger swore audibly on camera, but the word wasn't dubbed back in during ADR.
-->'''The Joker:''' Come on, hit me! Hit me!\\
''[The Batpod misses him]''\\
'''The Joker:''' ''[mouths]'' Fuck!
* PsychoForHire: He acts like this to the mob (with the whole psycho part in full display), but he is actually just using them for his own ends.
* PsychoKnifeNut: Befitting an AxCrazy lunatic, the Joker has a fondness for knives, citing his preference of them over guns due to them killing more slowly and painfully.
* PsychoStrings: The Joker's theme motif is the sound of plucking violin strings with a razor blade.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His standard outfit is a tailored purple suit and he quickly rises in becoming Gotham's most dangerous criminal.
* PutOnAPrisonBus: At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Batman has the opportunity to let the Joker fall to his death, but following his CharacterDevelopment, he instead catches the Joker with his grappling hook, letting him dangle upside down for the police to take him away. He was made absent in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' due to Creator/HeathLedger passing away, but the novelization confirms he's still in Arkham. Or so it's hoped.]]
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: Lampshaded. The circus semi truck the Joker and his men drive in during the car chase has had the side wording - "Laughter is the Best Medicine" - altered by way of a spray-painted red "S" right before "Laughter" to make it read "(S)LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE".
* RealMenWearPink: He wears makeup, lipstick, has green hair and wears a tailored purple suit and makes every mob boss and cop in Gotham tremble in fear. He also disguises himself as a female nurse in one scene, complete with curly blonde wig, heels, a knee-high skirt and pink hemming.
* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: To convey the character's disorganized yet quick-moving mind, Heath Ledger does things like trail off, back up and repeat himself, interrupt his own verbal train of thought, etc. This has the eerie effect of making the biggest psychopath in the trilogy also the one who sounds most like an actual person.
* RecklessGunUsage: The Joker doesn't seem to be all that big on proper gun safety. He constantly waves guns around with his finger on the trigger, twice shoots behind him without looking, and when he gets out of the truck carrying a machine gun, it goes off and randomly sprays bullets when he slips. Then again, he's the Joker. It's likely he doesn't care.
* RedHerringShirt: In the opening scene, a mob-employed bank manager tries to take down the clowns with a sawed off shotgun, killing Chuckles and hitting Grumpy in the shoulder, then is shot down by Bozo. Unfortunately for him, Bozo is secretly the Joker.
* RefugeInAudacity: The Joker robs a mob bank, then calmly walks into a meeting of the gangsters he stole from and proposes they give him half their earnings if he kills Batman.
** "Oh, by the way: The suit, it wasn't cheap. I mean, you oughta know, you bought it!"
** Practically all his operations are like this. Hiding as the ceremonial guards, leading the convoy to kill Dent, getting himself captured and blowing the station up, dressing as a nurse, etc.
* RelativeRidicule: The Joker mocks Gambol by insinuating that if he does nothing to stop Batman, he won't be able to support his grandmother.
* RiddleForTheAges: He openly defies his FreudianExcuse with his MultipleChoicePast, but the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager implies something drove him to nihilism. It's unknown what exactly happened, but it's known the GlasgowGrin is implied to be real, and he got them somehow - that the experience that gave him them was traumatic is unbelievable. Despite his capture, virtually nothing about his origins can be picked up from the GCPD criminal database.
* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a few dogs to aid him when he personally assaults Batman.
* RuggedScar: Rather than the Joker's traditional FrozenFace, this one has a GlasgowGrin, indicating the series' DarkerAndEdgier tone while still establishing the character as [[JokerImmunity someone who isn't going to die easily]].
* {{Sadist}}: He is amused by the pain of everyone, including ''his own''.
* SadisticChoice: Enjoys giving others these; like making Batman choose between saving [[spoiler:Harvey Dent or Rachel Dawes]]. To make that SadisticChoice worse he [[spoiler:switched the addresses, apparently in hopes of invoking FailureIsTheOnlyOption... and this leads to Harvey going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after Rachel is blown up]].
* SatanicArchetype: The Devil to Batman's messianic figure. He has incredibly Satanic elements surrounding his character: he is a [[MisanthropeSupreme misanthropic]] [[StrawNihilist nihilist]], a [[TheCorrupter corrupter]], knows perfectly well how to get into the psychology of those who corrupts or murders, [[{{Sadist}} enjoys the physical pain of everyone]] (including ''his own''), is an [[TheChessmaster exceptional]] [[ManipulativeBastard manipulator]], a ConMan and, to add an even more disturbing element, is a complete stranger out of nowhere who finally disappears from the narrative of the story, without leaving any trace. There is also the brutal, enigmatic and unpredictable nature of his crimes, complete with the NothingIsScarier trope enhancing his Satanic qualities. It's safe to say that no one is safe from him.
* ScarsAreUgly: His GlasgowGrin is his most noticeable feature, though whether it was self-inflicted or was forced upon him changes depending on who he tells the story too. Notably, the scars show signs of infection as the film goes on.
* SecretIdentityApathy: He actually doesn't start off as this, initially working with the mob to expose Batman's identity to the public. Eventually he has a change of heart that brings him in line with most continuities where he stops caring about Batman's SecretIdentity because he decides that Batman is the true face anyway...and because he has so much fun with Batman that he'd hate to have the surprise spoiled. This is what motivates him to go after Coleman Reese.
* SelfDeprecation: Oh, yes, Joker is a ConsummateLiar, he refers to himself as an agent of chaos, and he is wholly a violent and unrepentant murderer...and he's ''so'' shameless about it that he isn't even above making jabs at himself. His first line to the mob is "And I thought ''my'' jokes were bad", and his meeting with Harvey features this gem;
-->'''Harvey:''' Your men, your plan.\\
'''Joker:''' ''[disguised as a nurse]'' [[DeadpanSnarker Do I really look like a guy with a plan?]]
* SequelAdaptationIconicVillain: While ''Batman Begins'' focused on less famous members of Batman's rogues gallery, The Joker, his iconic ArchEnemy, made his grand debut in ''The Dark Knight''.
* SinisterSwitchblade: With the exception of his shoe knife and his potato peeler, all of his blades are out-the-front automatic knives.
* SkinToneDisguise: Inverted; the Joker is an infamous criminal who doesn't hide his face when doing crimes, but manages to blend in to a parade by removing his signature makeup.
* SlasherSmile: Carved into his face in a similar fashion to a Glasgow smile.
-->"Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always ''smiling''."
* TheSocialExpert: He has a clear understanding of how society is ''supposed'' to work and that's why he's so good at breaking it up.
* TheSociopath: Just like most versions of the Joker, he is a man whose only goal is to watch everything crumble around him for his own amusement. He has no empathy for the people he hurts and kills -- not even his own men are exempt. He shows little regard for the safety of himself or others. Despite his violent nature, he is a natural smooth-talker and able to convince others to ally with him. However, he is also a pathological liar (despite his claims of being a man of his word) who will say anything to either misdirect others or get under their skin. He does this to satiate a sense of boredom as he implicitly admits to Batman. He states that Batman is "too much fun" and is willing to endanger people's lives when Reese decides to expose him which threatens to take his game away -- and this is after he threatened for Batman to unmask himself, but changed his mind because the idea was boring. And throughout the entire movie, he never once shows a shred of remorse for what he does.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He has a very quiet, unassuming voice. That's until he raises his voice...
* SoreLoser: [[spoiler:His angry muttering when both ferries refuse to blow each other up has shades of this, [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose before he tries to blow them both up.]]]]
-->[[spoiler:"You can't rely on anyone these days. You gotta do ''everything'' yourself. '''''Don't we?'''''"]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: The Joker is a self-proclaimed "Agent of Chaos"; he really doesn't plan (or so [[ConsummateLiar he]] claims to Dent), he just looks at his enemies' plans and attacks the weak point that causes the most chaos - though the means he uses are often complicated, the goals is usually just "AttackItsWeakPoint". He's not a planner, he's an [[http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=775 anti-planner]].
-->Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm like a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know, I just... do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon's got plans. You know, they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. When I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth. It's the schemers that put you where you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and look where that got you. I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
* TheSpook: Like Gordon said, the Gotham PD has nothing on him: "No name, no other alias. Nothing on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom; no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint." This is especially scary when you consider that in the next movie, Selina Kyle is trying to erase her criminal records and is boxed in by all of the information on her already, but the Joker is a big blank.
* StatusQuoIsGod: In keeping with his "agent of chaos" philosophy, he gives a MotiveRant to Harvey mocking how this is overrated.
-->"If I tell people that tomorrow, a drug dealer is gonna get shot, or a truck full of soldiers is gonna get blown up somewhere overseas, nobody panics. Because it's all..part...of the plan. But when I say that ''one'' little mayor is gonna die...well, then everyone just ''loses'' their ''minds!''"
* TheStinger: In ''Batman Begins'', he leaves [[MyCard a joker card for the police to find.]]
* StrawNihilist: He believes that morality is meaningless and "the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules". Plus, the main objective behind his "social experiment" is to prove [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters people are bad at heart]]. For example: he has his men switch clothes with the hostages and put tape on their hands while holding guns, so that the police would be forced to shoot them, unaware they just killed innocents without them even realizing it. While this was unnecessary for the Joker's plan, he did this just to make the entire police force feel remorse for it, as part of his scheme to prove everyone is just like him and that people are cruel beneath their goody-goody exteriors.
* StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred: How he [[spoiler:convinces Harvey to give into madness]], and how he hopes to corrupt Batman too.
-->'''Joker:''' Come on...! Do it! I want you to do it! Hit me! HIT MEEEEE!
* StuffBlowingUp: He ''really'' likes explosions:
-->'''Joker:''' See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite... and gunpowder... and gasoline! And you know the thing they have in common? They're cheap!
* SuddenlyShouting: He can go from something slightly higher than a whisper to snarling threats in a second.
* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: [[spoiler:[[Film/Batman1989 This time,]] ''[[AvertedTrope averted.]]'' Out of the central villains in the trilogy, he's the single one who's only incarcerated rather than killed off. His final fate is never really explored in ''Rises'', with the closest it ever got being him becoming an urban legend in the novelization, but it's made fairly obvious that he never died in this series. Unfortunately, he was still omitted from ''Rises'' due to Heath Ledger's passing, and in order to pay respects Joker is never mentioned.]]
* TakingYouWithMe: {{Implied}} when Gambol attempts to have him killed before settling on a bounty. He reveals that he has wired himself with explosives and had a string on his finger. Just in case the guys [[DeadlyEuphemism blew things outta proportion]].
* TerroristsWithoutACause: Lampshaded.
-->'''Joker:''' You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ONE IF I CAUGHT IT! You know I just ''do'' things.
* TooKinkyToTorture: He enjoys pain. When Batman tries the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique on him, he shrugs off the first attempt ("Never start with the head!"), and actually looks ''disappointed'' when Batman's blow to his head keeps him from feeling the next punch. As Batman gets more violent with him on finding out [[spoiler:he has Rachel captive]], he just laughs:
--> '''Joker:''' You have ''nothing''! Nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!
* TranquilFury: One very memorable moment despite not normally being prone to this. When the people on the two ferries refuse to blow one another up his facial expression and the subtle twitch of his mouth indicate how absolutely livid he is.
* TheUnfettered: There is nothing he won't do; he has no limits of any kind.
* {{Troll}}: He loves pushing people's buttons like Gambol and Batman. The terrifying thing is that he uses it as another weapon in his arsenal: he alternates from doing it just because he can, to manipulating people by using their own anger against them. All while sprinkling half-truths and full lies to make it all the more confusing as well as infuriating. By the time you figure out whether he is just taking the piss or if he is telling the true, you've most likely already fell right into his trap.
* UnreliableNarrator: Naturally. He tells two completely different stories about how he got his cheek scars (abusive father story to Gambol, and the loan shark one to Rachel).
* UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject: He espouses a moral version of this in regards to himself and Batman, describing it using this very metaphor. While Batman will never be corrupted by the Joker into breaking his RuleNumberOne (incorruptible spirit), the Joker will never be stopped by anything less (endless mayhem). Thus, stalemate. "I think you and I are destined to do this forever."
* VerbalTic: He tends to stutter, draw out his words and insert "uh" into pretty much every other sentence.
* VillainHasAPoint: When he tells Batman that [[{{Foreshadowing}} Gotham will cast him out the moment they no longer need him,]] because to them, he's just another 'freak' like The Joker. They did that when he became a liability,...and they do it again, but for different reasons.
** Most of the things he tells Harvey are extremely accurate. How easy it was to unsettle the standing order, the hypocrisy of people, the schemes of everyone.
* VillainousBreakdown: A rather subtle one, but quite noticeable. [[spoiler:When both ferries refuse to use the detonators -- proving his philosophy of ''all'' humans being bastards deep down wrong -- the Joker gets visibly irritated and mumbles about how people just aren't reliable before attempting to blow them both up. Interestingly, he says this in a rather calm tone, making this moment something of a [[InvertedTrope reverse breakdown]]... guess that's what happens when your ''normal'' demeanor is over-the-top insane.]]
-->'''The Joker:''' [[spoiler:Can't rely on anyone these days, you gotta do ''everything yourself''...don't we?! That's okay, I came prepared...]]
** Also, when [[spoiler:the police come to arrest him while he's hanging upside down from the building, his laughter slowly starts to shade into something like sobbing right before the camera cuts away.]]
* VillainousCrossdresser: Briefly dresses up as a female nurse, complete with wig, to get into Gotham General Hospital--and to a mentally-fragile Dent. It's shown when he shoots a guard who finds "her" while looking for another guard who failed to check in through radio (doubtless also the Joker's work).
* VillainousEthicsDecay: The Joker makes clear in his very first scene that he cares not and follows not the standards (however few they may be) of the criminal element of Gotham. The rest of the film then has him [[EvilerThanThou bringing Gotham to its knees]] thanks to said decay making him unpredictable.
* VillainousLegacy: Even after he's taken out and incapacitated, his reign of terror and corruption of Harvey Dent leaves a mark on Gotham that persists into ''The Dark Knight Rises''.
* VillainousRescue: In a way. Joker's intervention is what prevents Coleman Reese from exposing Batman's identity. Not that Batman [[UnwantedAssistance wanted the help]] since it involved a hospital being blown up.
* VillainRespect: To Batman.
** A smaller case with the Bank manager. He seems quite amused by his bravery, and just makes him a joke with a gas grenade.
** When Gordon captures him and is promoted to Commissioner, he grudgingly claps along with the rest of the crowd.
* VillainousUnderdog: Batman is a billionaire McNinja, against whom Joker uses his personality and his intelligence. He gloats about how cheaply and quickly he brought the city down to its knees.
* VocalDissonance: The Joker mostly speaks in a high voice, but when he gets angry, his voice becomes monstrously deep, almost a snarl. The best example is when he has the Bat-wannabe tied up on camera and he yells at him: "'''LOOK AT ME'''!"
** It is more subtle, but when he speaks with Batman, he adopts a more serious and direct tone than usual, dropping the condescending mockery he uses with everyone else, and treating him like if he was speaking with an equal of his.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: That suit he wears is stylish, custom made and very expensive.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Due to the death of Heath Ledger, the Joker is not mentioned in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' and the last we see of him in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is [[spoiler:him hanging upside down and about to be arrested by SWAT team members.]] [[spoiler:However, he is mentioned in the novelization, where he's stated to be Arkham's sole remaining inmate after the Dent Act - or not.]]
* WickedCultured: Some of his conversations and mind games seem to suggest that he has very advanced knowledge of psychology and philosophy. He almost gives you the impression that he has studied [[HobbesWasRight Thomas Hobbes]] and Creator/FriedrichNietzsche.
* WorthyOpponent: He considers Batman one. He sees him as the only one at his level.
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[to Batman]'' I don't wanna ''kill'' you. What would I do ''without'' you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no. No, you... [[PunctuatedForEmphasis You. Complete. Me.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: With his absolute cruelty and ruthlessness, he definitely doesn't care about the age of any of his victims, as shown when he tries to blow up a ship filled with men, women, and children.
* XanatosGambit:
** Batman doesn't kill him? He can continue reaping destruction. Batman kills him? It forces him to cross his one moral boundary and proves he's no better.
** More generally, because his only apparent goal is to create chaos, he 'wins' even when he loses as long as he's managed to make the world seem less orderly and predictable.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Like Batman, he is very good at altering and changing his plans. When your role is to fuck up everything, you got an advantage on versatility.
** A good example of this is his corruption of Harvey. Now, he had no way of ensuring Harvey would be wounded in the explosion, and even if wounded, it was not a guarantee he would go to Gotham´s general. Hell, he had no way to ensure Harvey would even survive the explosion. But, given all of that happened, why not take the chance to corrupt Gotham´s White Knight?
** Another example would be when Maroni doesn't come for the money along with the Chechen. The Joker correctly deduces that Maroni has sold him out to the police and that they are going to come for him with all they have so he takes advantage of Coleman Reese's interview to make a general threat to blow up a hospital in an hour if the man is not dead, derailing Gordon's effort to catch him and forcing him to evacuate all hospitals.
* YouRemindMeOfX: "You remind me of my father. I ''hated'' my father."
* YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive: It might not be obvious until you count them all, but he dismisses so many things as "little" that it's practically another catchphrase.
* YoureInsane: Claimed by others, but he denies it. As a matter of fact, he is not. Psychopaths are not considered crazy in the normal psychological sense of craziness. Despite lacking an essential feature of human nature (empathy and love), The Joker is very smart, very aware of what he is doing, and very much in control. Defending this is the fact everything he tells the mobsters is true. To be considered "crazy" psychologically one must be a ''psychotic'', which means they don't perceive reality correctly and may not even realize what they're doing is wrong.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chechen]]
!!''The Chechen''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nolanverse_chechen.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"We have to fix real problems: Batman."'']]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/RitchieCoster
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''ARG/WhySoSerious'' | ''Film/TheDarkKnight''
The head of the Russian Mafiya in Gotham, once a weak outfit that took advantage of the power vacuum left by Falcone. He's entered into an alliance with his fellow mobsters. When the Joker offers to kill Batman, it's the Chechen who puts the word out to hire him.
----
** In the [[FreudianExcuse scar story]] [[MultipleChoicePast he told Gambol]], he was abused by his father, who one night gave him his GlasgowGrin. This is most likely false, however, as he always makes up a different story.
** His interaction with [[PoliticianGuestStar Senator Patrick Leahy's character]], however, implies he does have legitimate anger toward his father.
--->'''Patrick Leahy:''' We're not intimidated by thugs.\\
'''The Joker:''' You know, you remind me of my father. ''[pulls the guy by the back of his head, and puts a knife to his mouth]'' I HATED MY FATHER!
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He has a much dryer sense of humor than usual, and lacks much of his usual over-the-top showmanship and DirtyCoward SmugSnake tendencies. He is less of a criminal and more of a maniacal terrorist, he is more focused and centered in his goals, his demeanor is more serious, and lacks his more overtly childish behavior of his other counterparts. Perhaps most notably, when Gambol sneeringly says he's crazy, his response is a rather subdued "I'm not. No, I'm ''not''."
* AdaptationalBadass: In the comics and cartoons, Joker had numerous moments of being an incredibly pathetic DirtyCoward, where he would either beg for mercy or run away whenever he pissed off the wrong person. Not to mention that, in most adaptations, the Joker is more of a schemer than a fighter, as well as a scrawny mobster who would hardly stand a chance against Batman when cornered. This Joker, on the contrary, has an absolutely '''uncanny''' ability in planning terrorist tactics and using all sorts of warfare weaponry, and is entirely capable of taking down, knocking out, and overpowering mafia thugs and police officers with very little effort. He also seems to have knowledge in psychological warfare tactics. And we're talking about an individual [[InexplicablyAwesome who doesn't even have any explicitly mentioned military training and/or affiliation with the League of Shadows, unlike Bane]].
* AdaptationalIntelligence: Noticeable. The Joker is rarely depicted as stupid, but he is usually more about improvization and acting on a whim than any sort of premeditated plan. In contrast, this Joker is terrifyingly organized and intuitive in his plans, an exceptional [[TheChessmaster schemer]], and is incredibly articulate and abstract in his plans. With his exceptional ingenuity, the Joker can carry out unexpectedly implausible plans, from [[ConMan swindling heads of criminal organizations]] to leading the heroes into a safe trap.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Zig-zagged. On one hand, Heath Ledger's Joker is the most openly cruel, violent, and narcissistic version of the character ever filmed. Creator/MarkHamill noted that he was "joyless" without any of his LaughablyEvil showmanship. Compared to superhero films in general, he's a villain who takes the garish get-up and motifs of a costumed bad-guy and makes it deadly serious and scary in a way that other films in the genre never quite manage to accomplish. But on the other hand, he lacks some of the pettiest features the Joker possesses in other versions, like his domestic abuse of Harley, which is widely considered a very cruel-hearted part of his character. Granted, most of what the Joker does in most versions is worse than that (although he has tried repeatedly to kill and maim Harley), and it is not like this version is above manipulating someone to destroy his/her life and corrupt him/her into evil (just ask poor Harvey).
* AdaptationalMundanity: The color of his skin, hair, and lips is entirely done through makeup, which he's shown to take off to blend in with a crowd at Commissioner Loeb's funeral, as opposed to being bleached by a fall into a vat of chemicals as in most other versions. The scars around his mouth ''are'' real, but we don't know how he got them... he'll never give us a straight answer.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: His novelization counterpart is as a whole a lot more pragmatic and far less of a ForTheEvulz sadist, showing more signs that he is a WellIntentionedExtremist rather than just using that as an excuse to spread terror. The most notable instance is his PetTheDog moment of giving an old lady a hundred dollar bill after sparing her from pushing her in front of a bus, showing his belief about how his Agent of Chaos philosophy is genuine, and not merely something he preaches to justify his atrocities.
* AdaptationalOriginConnection: Inverted. Batman plays no role whatsoever in Joker's creation here, unlike in most depictions.
* AdaptationalUgliness: Also downplayed. Joker was never a particularly attractive guy to begin with. However, in contrast to his clean, cartoonish appearance in the comics and in other adaptations, ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' brings forth a Joker with a dirtier, creepier appearance that [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished gets]] [[AvertedTrope worse]] over the course of the film. His hair looks greasy, his teeth are rotten, his Glasgow smile does not benefit him, he looks like he does not care at all about his appearance, and he probably smells as bad as he looks (per word of the person who designed his looks). Ironic, considering Heath Ledger was a handsome guy.
* AdvanceNoticeCrime: He makes multiple announcements of his intentions, mainly to spread fear and panic.
** The first is a self-made film clip sent to Gotham Central News showing him interrogating Brian, the Batman impersonator he captured and later killed, mocking him for his poor imitation of Batman and his belief that Batman's made Gotham a better place. He then says that Batman must unmask and turn himself in or...
--->'''Joker:''' Oh, every day he doesn't, people will die...starting tonight. I'm a man of my word. ''[laughs maniacally as the view spins and Brian screams in the background]''
** His second message is a phone call to GCN while Coleman Reese is being interviewed, intending to expose Bruce Wayne as Batman. He says that he's changed his mind about wanting Batman exposed, and announces that if Reese isn't dead within the next hour, he'll blow up a hospital, which he ends up doing to Gotham General Hospital after freeing (and mentally twisting) Harvey Dent.
** The third is his announcement of his plan with the two ferries to their crews and passengers, letting them know that each has a detonator for the explosives planted on the other ferry and that he will spare the people who blow up the other ferry, otherwise he'll blow up both of them himself. Ultimately, neither detonator is used, and Batman foils his attempt to blow them both up.
* AllThereInTheManual: ''The Dark Knight Rises'' novelization gives us a bit more insight on where he is.
-->"The worst of the worst were sent [to Blackgate], except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham's sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he escaped. [[ShroudedInMyth Nobody was really sure.]]"
* AllegoricalCharacter: This Joker is practically the face of Terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. After taking control of organized crime and murdering many of the criminals involved, the Joker turns to large scale terrorism, with all law enforcement agencies taking action. Certainly, the level of State of Emergency during the film's climax is very evocative of the 9/11 attacks. In fact, some commentators and authors have compared the premise of the film to the [[UsefulNotes/WarOnTerror Global War on Terrorism]].
* AnimalMotifs:
** Dogs roughly, as dogs are unpredictable and prone to go after whatever grabs their attention. When talking to a scarred Dent, the Joker likens himself to a "dog chasing cars"; later, Dent refers to him a "mad dog" that the mob unleashed on Gotham. When he escapes Arkham PD, he leans out of the car window like a dog would. He even picks up a cadre of Rottweilers in time for the film's climax while questioning their loyalty. It's also symbolism for how he becomes the "alpha dog" in the criminal underworld of Gotham, practically decimating all the mob heads of the city by himself.
** Joker's eerie habit of probing his lips and scars with his tongue and smacking his lips can seem almost lizard-like. But it also is reminiscent of a dog licking its chops[[note]]Though, funnily enough, this actually came about because the prosthetics Heath Ledger was wearing [[https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-joker-licking-lips-the-dark-knight/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202017%20documentary,ensure%20they%20stayed%20in%20position had a habit of coming off]], resulting in him habitually checking if they were still there by licking. It became something of a ThrowItIn[[/note]].
** Joker's predatory posture (head bowed, chin out, bared teeth) has been compared to that of hyenas stalking their prey. This also makes him reminiscent of a feral canine, but could be a way of incorporating Joker's pet hyenas from the comics into his character.
** His scars, red lips, and green hair, plus his posture, his sliminess, his constant tongue gestures, are quite reminiscent of a reptile, particularly snakes and dragons. Which fits very well with the character and his symbolism.
* ArchEnemy: To Batman, as always, even stating that they were meant to fight each other forever.
* ArsenalAttire: His favoured assortment of knives with special mentions: the retractable blade in the sole of his shoe, the ''potato peeler'' being removed from the coat in jail and the grenades he had lining the interior of his coat during his intrusive meeting with the mob leaders.
* AssimilationPlot: [[spoiler:He actually takes control of the gangs in Gotham through psychological manipulations and was able to become a crime lord by assimilating the remaining henchmen from the fallen gangs into his own. They lose their identity but come back as part of a stronger, more successful gang. Joker does give people an offer to join his gang but if they refuse then he'll kill them and take over by force and charisma.]]
* AxCrazy: The '''epitome''' of this. The Joker is a horrific {{Sadist}} who's very open to the idea of senseless violence, and frequently kills or tries to kill people over petty excuses or just ForTheEvulz. When he's searched by the police, they find a whole lot of knives.
-->'''The Joker:''' Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?
* TheBadGuyWins: Two zig-zagged examples:
** Even after all that Batman and Commissioner Gordon did to stop the Joker's mayhem, The Joker proves that even the noblest of men (namely Harvey) can be twisted and their moral code turned to evil. But, as the movie shows, Harvey was not as pure as incorruptible as everyone thought he was... but Batman was. And, against all the odds, the people in Gotham (both civilians and criminals). So, while he corrupted Harvey, his worldview was proven wrong, and Batman taking the fall for Harvey frustrated his plans.
** A secondary objective of the Joker was to make Batman break his "[[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]]". In the end, [[spoiler:Batman is forced to break that rule by killing Harvey Dent to save Gordon's family, but it's ZigZagged because Batman was trying to save Jim's child and was not aiming to kill Harvey, whereas the Joker wanted Batman to intentionally kill someone]].
* BadassInANiceSuit: Tailored and purple. He's also a master planner who works without rules and is able to bring the city to its knees with just [[KansasCityShuffle a few well-placed moves]] and some bullets hitting the right people.
* BadassNormal: Compared to Batman's near-mystical training from the League of Shadows, or Bane's almost superhuman strength, the Joker's physical prowess is considerably more conventional. Despite this, he comes out on top of every physical confrontation except against the Batman, such as easily overpowering Gambol's bodyguard, and subduing Detective Stephens and (an admittedly hospitalized) Harvey Dent on separate occasions. This indicates considerable skills or prior training on the Joker's part. Or [[PowerBornOfMadness strength born of his own]] AxCrazy [[PowerBornOfMadness behavior]]. The guy does not have the same restraints normal people have.
* BadBoss: The Joker, as Bozo, makes the clowns kill each other for money in the opening bank robbery and offs the survivor himself. Also his idea of "tryouts" with Gambol's associates to join him, which involves breaking a pool cue into a couple of wooden shivs and leaving them to fight each other to the death over one open slot.
** Midway through the movie, the mob bosses agree to give Joker half their money to deal with Batman, effectively elevating him to their leadership. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He kills two of them for being unworthy of his vision of Gotham]], and burns the money they gave him just to KickTheDog/twist the knife further.
** He also [[spoiler:ruthlessly blows up one of his followers using a cell phone bomb sewn into the man's stomach by manipulating him into thinking Joker's helping cure his schizophrenia. Oh, and the cell block he blows up with this device has some of his own men in it as well.]]
** Joker also laughs maniacally and spits on his own henchman who was electrocuted trying to remove Batman's cowl
* BatmanGambit:
** In this series, the Joker is even better at it than the {{Trope Namer|s}}. Most of his plans begin with him issuing a public threat, then planning for what he expects people to do in response and carrying out his attack that way. For instance, take his assassination attempt on the Mayor. The Joker and his men are disguised as the honor guard, and have tied up the real honor guard members in an apartment overlooking the procession, with an egg timer attached to a window blind, which Bruce Wayne discovers by looking up a tip based on a print he found on a bullet from the scene of the Joker's previous victims. At the 21-gun salute, the timer goes off in time with the second volley, causing the blind to be pulled up and revealing Bruce, and the snipers guarding the area turn their attention to the window and fire at Bruce, and do so in time with the volley so they aren't heard by most of the crowd, distracting them for the Joker to open fire on the Mayor. Fortunately, the snipers don't hit Bruce and Gordon has just a split second to spot the Joker and tackles the mayor to the ground in time.
** He later manages to pull one on Batman himself. Having previously witnessed Batman through himself out a window to save Rachel Dawes, the Joker knew he would go to save her no matter what. [[spoiler:So when he secretly kidnaps Harvey Dent and Rachel and keeps them in two separate locations, he lies to Batman and gives him Harvey Dent's location claiming it to be Rachel's. Resulting in Rachel dying and Dent's transformation into Two-Face.]]
* BerserkButton: ''Don't'' call him a freak, unless you ''want'' to die. Gambol and the Chechen learned this the hard way.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Played With. Everyone thinks he's just a [[BerserkButton freak]] in clown makeup or a low-level nobody, and the Joker is perfectly content with allowing them to believe that. He speaks slowly and deliberately and moves with an odd, jerky posture that hides [[UnderestimatingBadassery how physically capable he actually is]]. That is, until all hell breaks loose and The Joker enacts his real plan.
* BigBad: Of [[Film/TheDarkKnight the second movie]]. He's the Joker, so would you expect anything less?
* BlatantLies: "Do I really ''look'' like a guy with a plan?" The implied answer is a lie. Gordon furiously admits as much when he's notified of his breakout from the GCPD'S Major Crimes Unit ("The Joker planned to be caught! He ''wanted'' me to lock him up in the MCU!").
** Though it could be an ExactWords twist; his means can be complicated or manipulative but they usually boil down to "AttackItsWeakPoint"--steal the Mob's money, kill a man's lover, etc. He doesn't just plan--he can also look at his enemy's plan and [[SpannerInTheWorks turn it on itself]].
* BlackComedy: He's the Joker. It's been said that you know you've written him properly when he makes the audience laugh ''and'' scream, both at once. His dialogue when he crashes the fundraiser, or [[EyeScream when he makes a pencil "disappear"]], are just the tip of the iceberg.
** A really subtle example is when being held in lockup, an officer confiscates and lays out all the knives in Joker's coat pockets on a table. The last one is... a potato peeler.
* BluntYes: As he confronts the mob for the first time.
--->'''Gambol:''' You think you can steal from us and just walk away?
--->'''The Joker:''' Yeah.
* BreakoutCharacter: Creator/HeathLedger's portrayal on the character became not just one of the most iconic takes on the Joker, but one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. After the bar set by this Joker, many subsequent Jokers end up taking inspiration from this one.
* BrightIsNotGood: He has a [[MonsterClown pale white clown face]], [[WaistcoatOfStyle a purple waistcoat]] and suit (with bright orange lining) and green hair, in contrast to Batman's [[DarkIsNotEvil black outfit]]. In addition, many of the Joker's crimes are done in broad daylight, while Batman was specifically created to be most frightening to criminals during the night.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: The man loves his bombs and [[AnarchyIsChaos anarchy]].
* CallingCard: Joker playing cards.
* CardCarryingVillain: He uses Joker playing cards as his "signature", a MythologyGag. Apart from that, he styles himself an "agent of chaos" and even refers to himself as a criminal with pride. He is definitely one of the most mature and serious examples of this type of character in fiction.
* ChaosIsEvil: He's a definite CardCarryingVillain, and calls himself an "agent of chaos". This philosophy is also exactly what [[spoiler:sends Harvey over the edge and officially finishes his rebirth as Two-Face.]]
-->'''Joker:''' Introduce a little ''anarchy'', upset the established order, and everything becomes '''''chaos!''''' ...I'm an agent of chaos. ''[snickers]'' Oh, you wanna know the thing about chaos? ... '''It's fair.'''
* CharacterCatchphrase: While he gets several memorable lines throughout the movie, the one that would best fit this trope is the question, "You wanna know how I got these scars?"
* CharacterTic: He licks his lips if he talks a lot. Given his GlasgowGrin scars, it's not a surprising behavioral trait. WordOfGod states that this was a result of Heath Ledger being annoyed by the feeling of the scar prosthetics, and unconsciously licking at them because of it. After seeing him do it a few times with the full make-up and finding it ''seriously'' creepy, Nolan and his team decided to ThrowItIn.
* CharmPerson: The Joker is repeatedly shown to have a weird, almost preternatural charisma, though it largely seems to apply to either (other) people with severe mental problems like his original crop of henchmen or to bloodthirsty animals, bending them easily to his will. In the case of the attack dogs he appropriates from the Chechen, they flip from listening to him to listening to the Joker over the course of a single scene.
* CheapCostume: {{Averted|Trope}}. The Joker used some of the money he'd been stealing from mob banks to get custom-made clothing, since after [[EyeScream he makes a pencil disappear]], he says, "Oh, and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You oughta know! You bought it!"
** Played straight with his clown makeup. The longer he spends onscreen, the more it wears off. [[spoiler:Most noticeable when he is in custody]].
* TheChessmaster: As much as he insists that he hates plans and has none himself, he is ''extremely'' good at chess scheming.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He manipulates the clowns to kill each other after their part in the opening bank robbery in this order:
** Dopey and Happy zipline onto the roof. After Dopey shuts off the silent alarm, Happy shoots him in the back.
** Happy grabs Dopey's bag, runs down to the vault, and starts drilling into it. Once he gets it open, Grumpy shoots him in the back.
** Grumpy enters the vault, stuffs cash into duffel bags, and carries them to the lobby. Once he and Bozo (actually the Joker) get the money into position, Grumpy pulls a gun on Bozo, figuring that the Joker has told him to kill Grumpy. Bozo says instead that [[WhamLine he's supposed to kill the bus driver]]. As Grumpy tries to figure out what this means, a school bus crashes backwards through the side wall of the bank and kills him.
** Chuckles was supposed to kill Grumpy after the latter dispatched Happy and brought the money down, but the bank manager took him out first.
** The bus driver helps Bozo load the money into the bus, then dies in a burst of fire from Bozo's full-auto pistol.
** Even the mob bank manager is horrified at the Joker's MO, leading to this exchange:
--->'''Bank Manager:''' Oh, criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor. Respect. Look at you! What do you believe in, huh? ''What do you believe in?!''\\
''[The Joker leans down and stuffs a [[spoiler: gas]] grenade in the manager's mouth]''\\
'''The Joker:''' I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... ''[removes his mask, revealing his [[MonsterClown make-up]] and [[GlasgowGrin scars]]]'' ''stranger''.
** If you watch the entire film closely, you will notice that this is at the core of the Joker's Modus Operandi. Most of his plans rely on deception and treachery to some degree and in some form while betting that people will give in to their worst instincts if given the chance.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He disappears from the film series after [[spoiler:the SWAT team captures him.]] {{Invoked|Trope}} as [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim a result of respect for]] Heath Ledger's death. The novelization of ''The Dark Knight Rises'' does possess an ambiguous reference to him:
-->Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible to cop an insanity plea, it had replaced Arkham Asylum as the preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham's sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: He has a never-acknowledged but noticeable tendency to hang on to particularly nice weapons (or [[AngryGuardDog dogs]]) that he comes across. His knife collection alone could stock a roadside museum. The shotgun the bank manager uses is a good example.
* CombatPragmatist: He seems self-taught, and definitely can't take the highly-trained and skilled Batman in a ''fair'' fight. So, in the climax of ''The Dark Knight'', he doesn't fight fair. [[spoiler:He attacks Batman when he's blinded and unleashes dogs while furiously smacking him with a [[MythologyGag crowbar]].]]
* CombatSadomasochist: He obviously enjoys hurting and killing others, but also deeply enjoys watching Batman's JackBauerInterrogationTechnique even while [[spoiler: Batman is beating him within an inch of his life]]. In fact, he's disappointed [[spoiler:when, even after everything he's done, Batman ''still won't'' kill him]].
* CompositeCharacter: He has elements from several incarnations of the Joker from other sources of media; he has the mob connections of [[Film/Batman1989 Tim Burton's version]] and the nihilism of the ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'''s incarnation. His DarkerAndEdgier presentation mimics the incarnation from the ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' graphic novel, and both his use of a [[spoiler:bomb-filled warehouse to kill one of Batman's loved ones]] and his later use of a crowbar for the climax are nods to ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''.
* ConMan: ''A master of this''. He cons everyone both directly and indirectly: the mob (his supposed allies), white-collar criminals, the police, Batman himself... in order to get what he wants.
* ConsummateLiar: The Joker is an expert at this. You want to know how good he is? He's so good that one "incorrect" claim of his made many members of ''the audience'' believe that bad writing was responsible, even when he was clearly lying. [[spoiler:Specifically, when he tells Dent he acts randomly, without a plan, yet he repeatedly demonstrates the use of plans (the bank robbery and the clowns shooting each other; the Joker and his men impersonating the honor guard in an attempt to assassinate the mayor; his actions during the car chase on Wacker Drive), and a gift for improvising. In fact, ''it was one of those plans that allowed him to break into Dent's hospital room in the first place''. Many people thought that he was telling the truth, and the ''writers'' had screwed up.]]
** His skill with lies is in the grafting of incredibly painful truth with very subtle but important fallacies. For example:
--->'''The Joker:''' [[BaitTheDog Don't worry]]! I'm gonna tell you [[DeathTrap where they are]] - both of 'em. [[FlawExploitation And that's the point]]: [[SadisticChoice you'll have to choose]]. [[{{Deuteragonist}} He's]] at 250/52nd Street, aaaaand ''[[LoveInterest she's]]'', uh, on Avenue Ex, at Cicero.
** [[spoiler:[[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle They are at these locations, but each at the other]]: [[ILetGwenStacyDie Batman believes the Joker and attempts to rescue the girl]].]]
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: To Ra's al Ghul/Henri Ducard, the BigBad of [[Film/BatmanBegins the first film]]. They both want to destroy Gotham, but while Ra's al Ghul [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans wants a world free from evil and corruption]], the Joker is a {{sadist}}ic [[TheCorrupter corrupter]] who wants to destroy the innocence and goodness of the people. Whereas Ra's al Ghul was a KnightTemplar, Joker is a CardCarryingVillain. Whereas Ra's al Ghul [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes had loved ones]], was a TragicVillain and AffablyEvil, Joker is AxCrazy, unpredictable, and a psychopath who is completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. In many ways, Joker presents '''everything''' Ra's al Ghul hates about people and society in general.
** Their plans are diametrically opposed. Ra's was a purger, trying to commit a mass scale genocide to purge the world of the cancer of Gotham. The Joker is a cancer in itself, corrupting everything and everyone he touches. Ra's planned all from the shadows, only stepping in to finish the plan. The Joker is on it from beginning to the end, constantly shifting according to the changes. Ra's plan was massive, the Joker's plan is small scaled, but in a way, morally worse. Ra's has a gigantic, millennial organization, while the Joker has a criminal organization to carry out his actions. And so on.
** Their relationship with Batman is interesting too. Ra's was like a second father to Batman, only for him to become disappointed. The Joker is the worst of Gotham, and everything Batman fights against and hates.
* CopKiller: He kills multiple law enforcement officers throughout the film, including poisoning [[spoiler:Police Commissioner Loeb]], and uses the responsive anger within the police force to his advantage.
* TheCorrupter: His gift isn't simply in causing chaos, pain and grief. It's bringing out the capacity and drive to cause those things ''in others''; ensuring his actions have an immense ripple effect, and that even if you kill him, he's won in principle.
-->'''The Joker:''' It wasn't hard. You see madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push! ''[[[EvilLaugh laughs hysterically]]]''
* CrazyPrepared: Even more so than Batman. What's most impressive is that the Joker can be this without Batman's functionally limitless cash (which likely would have gone up in smoke).
-->'''The Joker:''' Look what I did to this city with just a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: His pitch fluctuates throughout the movie, but whenever he's joking or mocking someone, he puts on a very nasally voice to do it, only succeeding in making him look more unstable and dangerous.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[MultipleChoicePast Maybe. Maybe not.]] But there's certainly a story behind [[GlasgowGrin those scars]], and it couldn't have been pretty.
* DeadpanSnarker: He makes his entrance throwing out some dry snappy lines to mobsters. Like, "''Ah hah hah hah''... and I thought ''my'' jokes were bad."
* DeathSeeker: Subtly. [[NotAfraidToDie He really doesn't seem to care if he lives or dies]], but seems to want Batman to break his [[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]] because of and upon him. If it advances his cause, he is willing to die, and is welcoming of death. If it doesn't, he keeps self preservation.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] himself, after all the anti-heroic and idealized traits he'd acquired by fans. His previous versions in movies and TV shows, while still depraved, were particularly cartoonish, laughable, over-the-top, and bombastic. Contrasting this, Ledger's Joker is much darker, macabre, possesses real weapons rather than laughing gas, and his general character is grittier and more mundane.
** He still has a sense of humor, but he loses most of the tools and behavior that made him the audience's collective image of the Joker. Take away the fantastical laughing gas, acid posies, or the general [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall fourth-wall]] eccentricities that people know him for, and you are left with his [[PsychoForHire psychopathic]] [[AxCrazy nature]] that will use more mundane and unpleasant methods to achieve results. Like [[EyeScream making pencils disappear]] and giving people Glasgow grins. This even applies to his MonsterClown appearance, itself a means for fear: instead of bleached-white skin and a FrozenFace, he applies "war paint"-like makeup over his own GlasgowGrin scars.
** In fact, this Joker is ''very'' similar to how he was in his original appearance in ''Batman #1'': darker humor, a terrorist by announcing his moves in advance, [[ForTheEvulz crimes that made little sense at all except that he liked committing them]], etc. The Joker has come full circle.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: He is a more realistic version of The Joker than almost all the others. He is a psychopath who wants to break and corrupt everything and everyone around himself, and is willing to do anything to succeed on it.
** His peak of terror, while brutal, lasts very shortly. Logically, given he does not have the manpower to pull it for far longer. Being the most wanted man in the city, with his acts having gone from organized crime to terrorism, would not have allowed him to remain hidden for so long (he only achieved it up until then because he was completely anonymous). Not that he cares, it fits with his plans.
** Given the more realistic setting, a guy pulling the stuff the Joker does would not be able to remain free for a very long time, nor become a mob boss. In the real world, most of what the Joker does would have granted him the death penalty over a thousand times. We never see what happens to him anyway.
* DeviousDaggers: He is a cunning schemer and master of mind games. He frequently carries a knife and even has one hidden in his shoe.
* DiabolicalMastermind: Midway through the film he's effectively wrested control of the Gotham mob and begun using their manpower and resources to commit what is essentially a string of domestic terrorist attacks.
* DiabolusExNihilo: He has no StartOfDarkness and no confirmed backstory. He just shows up and wrecks shop.
* DieLaughing: He bursts into maniacal laughter when Batman throws him off the building they're fighting on, because even in his defeat he achieved victory over Batman by finally getting him to violate his "no kill" rule. When Batman saves him at the last second, he's honestly disappointed.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: {{Downplayed|Trope}} and combined with FinalBoss. Technically, he is defeated before Batman deals with Harvey, but Harvey is a PostFinalBoss and was only corrupted because of the Joker.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He has [[spoiler:the Chechen cut apart and fed to his own dogs for calling him a freak after Joker burnt the mob's money.]]
* DoWrongRight: A rare instance of this tropes ''not'' being played for laughs. The Joker looks down the Mob as an inferior class of criminal for their focus on crime for the sake of money, as opposed to ForTheEvulz.
* DoesntLikeGuns: A DownplayedTrope. He claims they kill people ''too quickly'' and he'll happily pick one up if he needs to; he just prefers knives.
* TheDon: An unusually AxCrazy version of this trope. He runs a criminal organization that somehow serves as his main resource to carry out his monstrous plans. He also usurped the Chechen's organization. That said, his actions go far beyond your typical organized crime when it is revealed that his intentions are much, ''much worse''. In fact, after taking the organized crime of Gotham, the Joker turn to full-scale terrorism.
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[to The Chechen]'' Tell your men they work for me now. This is my city.
* DramaticUnmask: "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... ''stranger''."
** Is quite put out when his attempt to do this to Batman gets interrupted.
* TheDreaded: The Joker goes from a "nobody" to the most feared criminal in Gotham in a span of a few nights. He is feared by ''everyone'' (mob bosses, civilians, cops), and for [[AxCrazy very good reasons.]] Even when Maroni thought the Joker was still technically working for him and the mob, he was still too scared of the guy to give up any information about him to Batman.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: He'll let anyone join his criminal enterprise, no matter what ethnic criminal gang you come from or whether you're a mental patient.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: A toss-up between the Bank Robbery and the Mob Meeting scene, but the latter ''really'' hammers The Joker as RefugeInAudacity incarnate. Inviting yourself to a meeting of mob bosses you just robbed and performing a [[EyeScream magic trick]] on one of their goons? That piqued their interest. Constantly treating the Gotham mob as a joke and strapping yourself full of explosives? That got him out of the lion's den scot-free.
** All this shows his intelligence and planning skills, his ability to hide in plain sight, his quick thinking, his sense of humour, his absolute contempt and lack of care for human life, his complete lack of fear of anything or anyone, and his willingness to put his life on the line if necessary. The bank robbery in particular also succinctly showcases his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies and BatmanGambit skills, both of which are the main elements of his modus operandi for the entirety of the movie.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: {{Inverted|Trope}}. He believes the Mob to be an inferior class of criminal, because they actually care for things beyond committing crimes [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of committing crimes]] (like money).
** He mocks this when he mentions how Batman didn't stop Harvey Dent from being arrested after claiming to be the Batman, even saying: "even to a guy like me, that's cold". He's obviously trolling.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Zigzagged. His "social experiment" failed, because regular Gothamites were too decent to make the choice he expected them to make, which Batman assumes is proof that the Joker doesn't really understand normal people. Lending to this is the fact he looks truly angered and confused when the plan fails. On the other hand, while he might not get how good people truly are (love and empathy are something beyond him, and when faced with the abyss, not everyone becomes a monster. Hell, he misunderstood his own fellow people, the criminals, who show that deep down, they are decent people) he does understand how they think and work, the weaknesses and the darkness in them, and knows how to manipulate and use this to manipulate and corrupt them. Hence why he is always three steps ahead of everyone. Corrupting Harvey is perhaps the best example of this (he uses everything Harvey values and loves and twists it, so Harvey gets twisted with it and becomes a murderous vigilant). He does not really need to transform him into a monster like him...just to bring him down a bit. Like he says: "I am only burning my half".
** He also thinks Batman's morality is just a misplaced sense of self righteousness. Although in this case, he seems happy of this. Nor did he expect Batman to take the fall for Harvey (although this can be argued as Batman outwitting The Joker than the Joker not necessarily being able to think about that. Everything happens very fast, and the Joker might not have thought they could keep the information closed. On the other hand, he might have not been paying attention when Batman was willing to sacrifice himself to stop him from killing people, so overlooking that might mean he stills does not get Batman).
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: The Joker emits fake laughter with a deadpan tone when he crashes the mob meeting, and ends by saying, [[AtLeastIAdmitIt "And I thought]] ''[[AtLeastIAdmitIt my]]'' [[AtLeastIAdmitIt jokes were bad..."]]. Immediately after that, he [[EyeScream makes a pencil disappear]], which is bad for the poor victim of the trick but humorous for him, and also for us. "TADA! It's, ah--bah, it's ''gone''."
* EvilIsHammy: Between laughing, gesturing, and grand speeches; his presence is exceptionally over-the-top and grandiloquent, at least by the standards of your ordinary Nolan antagonist.
* EvilIsPetty: As much as he tries to come as a superior kind of criminal and one with loftier goals, The Joker is incredibly petty.
* EvilGenius: A resourceful, creative and clever {{Chessmaster}} with a plan for everything. He is also an expert in psychological manipulation and strategy.
* EvilLaugh: [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker He's the freaking Joker]]. He also performs a very odd false laugh when he gatecrashes the mob's meeting.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Inverted. He speaks with a rather high nasal voice, nothing like Ledger's natural baritone voice. However, when angry, it can switch to a nightmarish gravely tone as seen in the news report tape of him torturing the fake Batman.
* EvilerThanThou: To the Chechen. And arguably, to everyone else.
-->'''The Joker:''' This town deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm gonna give it to 'em.
* EvilIsNotAToy: The mob attempted to use the Joker to advance their own interests, but had no idea just how destructive he really was, or that the Joker was using ''them'' more for ''his'' interests. [[spoiler:When Rachel bites it, Sal Maroni even admits that he should never have let the Chechen hire the Joker in the first place.]]
* EvilIsPetty: While it's not as evident as it is in most incarnations of the character, the Joker is just as willing to settle for tormenting people by being an annoying {{Troll}} as he is murdering them. It's particularly evident in the ARG, where he has his followers harass and rob various Girl Scouts of their cookies and later poisons cakes from numerous bakeries just for the sake of it.
* EvilPlan: He's such a liar that it's hard to tell what ThePlan is exactly, but corrupting people - whether it's the city itself or just one man - is at the center of it.
* ExactWords: A key method of his lying is that he rarely does; he'll tell half-truths, metaphorical truths, or make insinuations instead. And if he goes back on his word or does something that other characters didn't see coming, he often points to LoopholeAbuse in the wording he gave them.
** Since he couldn't kill Harvey Dent, he kills two policeman in his place, one called Richard Dent...and the other Patrick Harvey. Harvey Dent.
** [[spoiler:Corrupting Harvey. Most, if not all the things he tells Harvey are "true". He did not really rig the chargers, the mob and the cops do have plans and try to control everything, it is because of his own schemes that Harvey ended up where he is (and Rachel died), it is true that people do not get altered until things stop going according the plan, the hypocrisy of things, how the order of the world is unfair, and chaos might be fairer...All of these things, combined with a Harvey at the limit are enough to push him to take justice by his own hands.]]
** His policy in regards to threats.
--->'''The Joker:''' You see, ''this'' is how ''crazy'' Batman has made Gotham! If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my ''word''! ''[[[LaughingMad hysterical maniacal laughter]]]''
** Also, during the interrogation scene, he never says that the person Batman [[SadisticChoice chooses would be the one he ''saves'']]. Batman chooses Rachel, [[ILetGwenStacyDie and Rachel dies]].
--->'''Joker:''' Killing is making a choice. Choose between one life or the other: your friend the district attorney, or his blushing bride to be!
** When he sets fire to the mob's pile of money, the Chechen protests "you said you're a man of your word!" The Joker replies he is -- he's only burning ''his'' half. The fact that the ''other half'' of the pile is going to catch fire too isn't his problem.
* {{Expy}}:
** Much of his character is loosely based on Creator/MalcolmMcDowell's performance as Alex [=DeLarge=] in ''Film/AClockworkOrange''. After all, both are [[EvilIsHammy eccentric]], {{sadist}}ic, AxCrazy {{sociopath}}s with a penchant for chaos.
** According to Nicola Pecorini, Ledger had talked with him about Creator/JohnnyDepp's portrayal of Jack Sparrow in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' in relation to ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', aiming to make a performance that would be "so far out he'd be fired".
* EyeScream:
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[completely deadpan]'' Ah ha ha ha ha, hahaha, ha, ha, ha, oh, a-hee-hee, ha ha, oh, hee ha, ahaha. And I thought ''my'' jokes were bad!\\
'''Gambol:''' Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off.\\
'''The Joker:''' How about a magic trick? I'm gonna make this pencil disappear.\\
''[Gambol's crony walks over to the Joker. The Joker slams the man's head down on the pencil, forcing the entire pencil through his eye socket]''\\
'''The Joker:''' TA-DA! It's, ah...''bah'', it's ''gone''. Oh, and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You oughta know, you bought it!
* FacialHorror: While this is one of the few times the Joker's clown-like appearance is the result of make-up, he does sport a GlasgowGrin.
* FatalFlaw: His inability to get why good people are good dooms his plan. That, and some good arrogant gloating. Had he kept his damn mouth shut, Batman might had not been able to stop Harvey from killing Gordon's son, and he would have won. But he had to indulge himself in gloating to Batman he had broken Harvey, which gives Batman enough time to stop him and think of a counter measure.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Joker maintains a jovial demeanor in any given situation. Despite this, he has no conscience nor empathy, caring nothing for anyone else and will kill and maim if it serves his purpose, objectively or entertainingly.
* ForTheEvulz: He's the trope picture and the subject of the trope quote. The quote in question was from Alfred when he was talking about a Burmese bandit who stole not because he ''wanted'' what he stole, but because he thought it was fun, when giving a comparison in regards to the Joker.
-->'''Alfred:''' Some men just want to watch the world burn.
* {{Foil}}:
** A version of the Joker to meet this version of Batman. Aside from the usual similarities, this versions of them have their own particular connections:
*** Similar to Batman, he is willing to use people's fears to turn fear on to those who prey on the fearful (Batman targets the Mob, Joker targets Batman), plans ahead and seems prepared for whatever could happen. Unlike Batman, he doesn't have fancy gadgets or a tight network of friends; his methods for causing destruction are very utilitarian by comparison (petrol bombs, scavenged/black market guns and good old fashioned knives), even describing his taste in explosives as "cheap."
*** They both keep their identities hidden, but where Batman uses it to protect his loved ones, Joker uses it as part of his "horrifying image". Batman became a dark urban legend, while Joker became a sheer force of terror. As a fact, The Joker is just the Joker. While Batman is still Bruce, The Joker has no life outside being The Joker.
*** If one pays attention to the Joker stories, they reveal unsettling parallels to Bruce's. Bruce had a loving father and mother who were taken from him. The Joker had a horribly abusive father who killed his mother and might have scared him. His second story is about how he lost his loved one (he scarred himself because he wanted to show her he did not care about the scars she had received from mobsters, and because he wanted to see her smile again, just like she used to say he did not smile enough and worried too much...and she left him for doing that...leaving only The Joker. Sort of like Bruce becoming Batman partially because Rachel shamed him...only for Rachel to reject him when he becomes Batman), which sort of parallels and foreshadows Rachel's fate.
*** The way both take stage in Gotham is completely different. Batman came flying (literally and metaphorically), from outside when Gotham was at it's worst, and helped pave the way for the slow recovery. His first act was a massive act, getting Carmine Falcone arrested, and a bit later, saving the city from destruction. The Joker, on the other hand, like a beast crawled from hell (moreso if you believe he came from Arkham, which is in the narrows, the darkest part of Gotham), starts slowly, climbing his way up the ladder , hiding himself as a small thief...and when Gotham seems to finally start getting good, and the mob is about to fall (in a legal way), The Joker makes his move, revealing himself as a diabolical mastermind, plunging the city into hell, and almost ruining everything Batman worked so hard to achieve (a very funny example is the party in Wayne's Penthouse. Bruce, the host and organizer, comes in his helicopter, surrounded by women, playing up his playboy facade, to give Harvey the support he needs from the rich and the powerful, so Gotham can have a true protector. The Joker appears to the party by surprise and uninvited, using the elevator, holding a police hostage, terrorising the rich and the powerful, with the explicit intention to kill Dent, bring Batman to the open and unsmask him, to plunge the entire city into hell).
*** Their M.O.'s are fairly similar. Both of them attack the keystones that hold their enemies (Batman attacking Falcone, bringing Lau and their money to the open; The Joker attacking key figures and key places in society), both use fear, theatricalities and deception, have a lot of tools, both sneak away from the law and structures (Batman using his massive fortune and resources, The Joker sneaking through the underbelly of Gotham undetected). Both of them are constantly improvising and adapting their plans to the circumstances, given their goals allow them certain versatility.
*** Both of them live for their causes. The key differences being: The Joker has nothing besides being The Joker. Batman stills has, and he wants to have a different, normal life. Both of them are willing to give everything for their causes, including their lifes (in Batman's case, his reputation too).
*** Both of them are the best and the worst of Gotham. Batman is the best Gotham could have dreamed of, a saviour in their direst moment. The Joker is Gotham's worst nightmare, and the biggest threat to the city's spirit and cohesion.
*** The way they inspire and relate to people. Batman started being distrusted, but he became a paragon and the most trusted asset from the forces of good and order, inspiring people to become better. The Joker forced himself into the mob, took their resources, and them betrayed them to bring about his own plans. He gathered a gang of fanatics and madmen around him to bring Gotham to it's knees.
*** If one believes the theory of him being an ex soldier who fought in an external conflict, it makes the parallels even more striking.
* FreudianExcuse: [[DefiedTrope Openly mocked]] by him, with his MultipleChoicePast. However, the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager, "I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...''stranger''", suggests that ''something'' happened that made him this way. [[RiddleForTheAges We never learn what exactly it is]], but we do know that the scars on his face are implied to be real, and he got them in a definitively traumatic incident.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Considered a small time hood by Batman and Maroni at the start of the movie. The remaining acts see him rise. Both Batman and the Mob at first saw him as a nobody, but they clearly underestimated him as he became Gotham's greatest threat in a matter of days.
** Bonus points for the interrogation scene, where Batman simply starts plummeling him for answers; in response, the Joker cackles that Batman has ''zero'' leverage on him because of this.
* TheGadfly: In true Joker fashion. When meeting the Mob it takes him less than a minute to start mocking them. He always doubles down on the people whose skin he gets under the most, including Gambol and Stephens.
* GambitRoulette: Zigzagged. While some of his plans might push it a bit, and one might wonder how the hell could he be so prepared, one has to remember The Joker had months and months to plan and prepare for his operations, plus the bank robbery, and obtaining the recourses from the Gotham Mob, which allowed him to expand his scope considerably. Aside that, plans like the hospital bombing and the ferries' social experiment were clearly planned beforehand, and he used the circumstances on his favour (Dent being in the hospital). Him being anonymous, and not showing how he plans things helps to create the mysticism and keep his plans well hidden, so he still remains a good case of a villain who can pull his seemingly complicated plans off without them coming as impossible or too contrived. Now, on the other hand, many of the specifics depend of particular events happening in a determined/specific way, with many of these things being out of his control. But, he is still pretty good at improvising, so many of his actions could too be improvisation.
* GlasgowGrin: The Joker features very noticeable scarring from such wounds and tells two conflicting stories of how he got them (and is interrupted from giving a third). He also loves to put the same type of "smile" on some of his victims.
* GreaterScopeVillain: In the ARG. He's still causing plenty of havoc, but the Joker spends most of it gradually building up his power base and setting up his EvilPlan while the city is distracted by the ongoing mob war.
* GreenAndMean: He dyed his hair green and he immediately strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.
* HeroKiller: This seems like a recurring M.O. for this version of the Joker, depending how you view this one. He outright murders former GCPD officer Brian Douglass (one of the vigilantes of Citizen For Batman), kills several known Gotham City cops and other law enforcement [[spoiler:including Commissioner Loeb and Rachel Dawes]], and finally [[TheCorrupter causes Dent to slide off the slope of sanity]], leading to [[spoiler:several more deaths, including [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Dent]]'s own]].
* HumansAreBastards: Joker seems to believe in this; as [[spoiler:one of his plans is foiled by [[RousseauWasRight the citizens and prisoners of Gotham choosing to not kill each other to save their own lives]]. This not only causes a minor VillainousBreakdown, where he is quiet for once, but it allows Batman to beat him due to his distraction...and [[ChekhovsGun projectile scallops]]. Unfortunately, [[TheCorrupter Joker had a backup plan]] in the form of [[FallenHero Harvey Dent]].]]
* TheHyena: All that evil laughing at his evil deeds; it has more impact by how sparingly he uses it.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** He claims to be proving the futility of imposing plans and order on the world - except virtually everything he does is ''meticulously'' planned, complete with backups. A good example is when he gives Dent the chance to shoot him. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that, despite his claims of giving Dent a choice, he's holding back the hammer of the gun (to keep it from firing).
** He tells Batman that Gotham will cast him out the moment they no longer need him, because to them, he's just another 'freak.' While this does happen at the end of the movie, the only reason it happens is because Batman takes the fall for murders [[SelfFulfillingProphecy committed by or orchestrated by the Joker]] in the first place. [[spoiler:It also ends up being subverted at the end of ''Dark Knight Rises'' where Batman is celebrated as a hero once and for all.]]
** His insistence that he's just being true to himself and that [[HumansAreBastards deep down]] everyone is as insane as he is. Much like the above example, his mental breaking of Harvey Dent had to be heavily orchestrated and planned in order to drive him fully over the edge. It also gets a ''brutal'' reality check when [[spoiler:neither of the ferries opts to blow the other up]] and tries to finish the job himself. Batman lampshades it and for once the Joker has zero rebuttal.
--->"[[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you?]] '''[[ShutUpHannibal You're alone!]]'''"
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: After [[spoiler:killing Gambol]], the Joker mentions that his currently-small operation has "a lot of potential for aggressive expansion." He then offers [[spoiler:Gambol's]] three remaining men a role, but claims that "there's only one spot open right now" and makes them fight to the death for it.
* InexplicablyAwesome: Perhaps one of the most scariest aspects of The Joker is how incredibly good he is at carrying out his plans with resources that remain a mystery. He has a criminal organization, yes, but his vast resources seem to suggest that [[NothingIsScarier he is not just any mob boss or criminal]]. It's safe to say that no one has any idea how a complete stranger became one of the most dangerous criminals of Gotham, with abilities of intellect worthy of rivaling that of Batman.
* InterimVillain: Unlike the other {{Big Bad}}s before and after this film, there is no evidence that connects him to the League of Shadows in any shape or form, the latter of which is arguably the GreaterScopeVillain of the entire trilogy. Yet he is undoubtedly the most damaging example of the trope, notably leading Batman to take the blame for [[TheAce Dent]]'s murders and go missing for years, until the events of ''Rises'' take place.
** Nolan originally planned on bringing Joker in the third part, but Ledger's death made him change his plans, and it's likely he would have played a much bigger role if things had been different.
* {{Jerkass}}: On a top of being a psychopathic, sadistic monster, he's also an utter jerk towards ''everyone''. He casually makes fun of people with his dry, sadistic sense of humor.
* KarmaHoudini: Zig-zagged. As revealed in the novelization of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', he's not only a prisoner at Arkham, he has the place to ''himself''. '''Or not''', assuming he broke out somehow. We don't really know, and [[AbortedArc we probably never will]].
* KansasCityShuffle: Almost any time that he warns the authorities about what he's going to do next, or any times he does anything, it's because their attempt to stop him will give him an opening to do something else (or be the trigger of his real plan). All his plans have plans inside, they always have a hidden objective, and he always has an ace in the hole.
* KickTheDog:
** Taken both figuratively and literally - although not explicitly shown [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed for obvious reasons]], when he sics Chechen's attack dogs on Batman [[spoiler: in the final act leading up to the ferry incident]], he quickly loses his patience and begins savagely beating both Batman ''and'' the dogs indiscriminately.
** He has his men switch clothes with the hostages and put tape on their hands while holding guns, so that the police would be forced to shoot them, and decide to go to a building with a lot of large windows so that the snipers could hit them easily. This whole part was unnecessary for the Joker's plan; he did this just to make the entire police force feel guilt for killing innocents without realizing it.
** {{Exploited|Trope}} while in GCPD custody, he starts to screw with Detective Stephens by asking Stephens how many of his friends he has killed. Even going to so far as to [[SpeakIllOfTheDead call some of them cowards]] to get under Stephens' skin. [[spoiler:This was all in an effort to take Stephens hostage so he can break out of custody with Lau.]]
** It could be argued he knew Batman would have learned his lesson from [[spoiler:Joker switching Rachel and Harvey's locations]] and would figure out the ruse, forcing him to deal with the situation and giving Joker more time to let the ferries destroy one another. Also... Joker probably found the hostage situation being flipped to be funny. Although the true point of this plan was to show the selfishness of Gotham's citizens.
* KnightOfCerebus: BlackComedy aside, the Joker is the darkest villain of the entire trilogy. The man is completely evil, and things get worse and worse the longer he is in the picture. His psychopathic behaviour is played realistically, his plans are sinister and close to reality, and the murder of Rachel and the breaking of Harvey are probably the lowest points in the entire saga. Not to mention he is the villain who came the closest to breaking Batman and Gotham, and, in a way, he won.
* LackOfEmpathy: Ledger himself openly declared him a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
* LaughablyEvil: His threat level is played ''dead seriously'', however (being the Joker), he still provides some of the funniest moments in the film, even by the standards of a Nolan film... although obviously without hindering the serious narrative of the film. For example, it's impossible not to find hilarious when he disguises himself as a female nurse.
* LaughingMad: Right when Batman foiled him and threw him off the roof to [[DisneyVillainDeath certain death]] before saving him, he started breaking into laughter. It was his victory, you see: in throwing him off a building, The Batman had broken his [[ThouShaltNotKill no-killing rule]]. He's really let down when, seconds later, Batman saves him.
* LipLosses: Behind-the-scenes images of Heath Ledger's facial prosthetics for the Joker show that his lower lip also has some extensive scarring, although in the film his makeup means these scars aren't very obvious.
* LostInACrowd:
** To escape from the bank, the Joker slips his school bus into an opening in a long line of identical buses driving past the bank as the police arrive.
** For the Joker and his men to escape the funeral after attempting to shoot the mayor, notice how all the assembled officers break formation and run every which way after Gordon goes down intercepting the Joker's bullet. The Joker and his men use the chaos and confusion to escape, and all of them do get away, except for Thomas Schiff, who is tagged in the left leg.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: His "why I use a knife" dialogue to Stephens strongly implies that he likes knifing people so he can bask in their agony, but given how good he is at manipulation, it's very possible that he was simply saying this to goad Stephens into attacking him, since Stephens had already said that he knew that the Joker would enjoy getting beaten up.
* MadBomber: He loves blowing things up. Cars, ferries, hospitals, judges, [[spoiler:Rachel and Harvey]]--it's all fair game. He even carries a bundle of grenades under his coat to the mob meeting, just in case they get...unfriendly.
--> "I'm a man of simple tastes. I enjoy... dynamite, and gunpowder, and ''gasoline''. And you know the thing they have in common? . . . [[ComicallyMissingThePoint They're cheap]]."
* ManipulativeBastard: He screws with people's heads for shits and giggles. [[BadBoss Even his own men.]] He knows how to get inside people's heads, he knows what they are going to do and react, and he knows how to twist them.
* MuggedForDisguise: To get to the mayor during Commissioner Loeb's funeral, the Joker and his men abduct the honor guard, tie them up and gag them in an apartment overlooking the parade, then steal their rifles and uniforms.
* MuggingTheMonster: Subverted InUniverse. The Gotham mob bosses initially think Joker's theft is this, with the man at the bank declaring that the Joker is "dead." They eventually realize that the monster mugged ''them.''
* MindRape: Does this to an already very-stressed [[spoiler:Harvey Dent]], and it breaks him.
* MonsterClown: Looks like a clown, and is far more terrifying than mobsters.
* MouthingTheProfanity: After Batman fails to mow him down on the street, he mouths "fuck".
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Subverted. He transitions from a dark indigo suit to a more traditional purple suit and green waistcoat.
* MultipleChoicePast: As is the case, he has several stories about how he got the scars on his face, this being a reference to ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', the {{Trope Namer|s}}. However, the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager, "I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...''stranger''", suggests that ''something'' happened that made him this way.
* MythologyGag:
** The use of play cards as his calling cards, but also done on a meta level when Batman dismisses Joker as a clown and not a real threat. This signals to the audience that Batman's made a fatal error.
** He mercilessly bludgeons Batman with a crowbar during their FinalBattle, as he did to Jason Todd in ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily''.
* NWordPrivileges: He calls himself and Batman "freaks" a few times, as a sign of them being superior to the rest. [[BerserkButton If anyone else tries to call him a "freak"]], [[DisproportionateRetribution the results aren't going to be pretty.]]
* NervesOfSteel: A subverted case, not because he faces his fears, but because he simply lacks fear and does not care about living or dying.
* NearVillainVictory: If Batman hadn't pulled his ZeroApprovalGambit at the end of the movie, the Joker would have definitely won. In ''Rises'', when [[spoiler:Bane]] publicizes [[spoiler:Harvey Dent's murderous actions as Two-Face]], Gotham is quickly plunged into anarchy and chaos, just as the Joker had originally intended.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Downplayed. Being one of the trilogy's most depraved villains, some of his actions ended up having more positive rather than destructive repercussions. While he was still indirectly responsible for Bane's revolution in [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises the sequel]], a pretty large chunk of his actions end up directly or indirectly aiding Batman in his crusade against crime: he pulls off daring robberies against Mob-controlled banks, he swindles the Mob out of millions of dollars, he assassinates [[spoiler:the Gotham Police Department's incompetent Commissioner]] (allowing the idealistic and ruthlessly efficient [[TheCommissionerGordon Jim Gordon]] to take the job), and he personally murders [[spoiler:Lau, Gambol and the Chechen]]--three of the city's most powerful criminals. Even one of his most heinous acts[[spoiler:--turning Harvey Dent into the villainous Two-Face--]]just results in [[spoiler:Dent]] going on a murderous rampage against corrupt police officers. Furthermore, [[spoiler:Dent's death]] allowed cops to clean up the city of organized crime, resulting in a much cleaner and safer city than it had been before. In short, the Joker did indirectly far more damage to Gotham's criminal underworld than Batman ever did, which is cruelly ironic considering his plan was to destroy society, not clean it up... although Bane almost succeeded.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His mannerisms and "chaotic" look seem to be at least partly based in countercultural pop culture artists such as Music/IggyPop, Music/JohnnyRotten, and Music/SidVicious. Some rumors even suggest that Ledger may have been based on Music/TomWaits to shape his mannerisms and voice.
* NoNameGiven: "No name. No other alias..." He is only ''the Joker''. Makes you wonder if he was born homeless or just had managed to easily avoid doing anything that would give him prints or a name that might go on a database. More impressive by not needing a "clean slate" to go incognito, like the one Selina Kyle would try to obtain eight years later.
* NoodleImplements: His collection of knives as the evidence handler arranges them. Knife, knife, knife, ''potato peeler.'' Even the handler has a DoubleTake.
* NotAfraidToDie: He's completely unfazed by the prospect of death, especially if it means tarnishing [[ThouShaltNotKill the Batman]]. When he thinks he's falling to his death, he laughs. He's disappointed when Batman doesn't kill him.
* NothingPersonal: He tells Harvey Rachel's death was nothing personal. How honest he is being, is ambiguous.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** He is at first regarded as a nuisance to the mob and a low-level bank robber. Then his EvilPlan starts...
** Going further, ''everything'' about The Joker's appearance is meant to both [[MonsterClown disturb]], yet mask his lethal nature. His hired goons liken his make-up to "war paint", he buys an expensive (custom-made!) overcoat that he proceeds to pack with knives and grenades, and even his physicality is informed by this - he usually walks with a hunched, loping gait that hides [[LightningBruiser just how quick he can actually be.]]
* NothingIsScarier: One of the things that makes him so horrifying is we really don't know ''anything'' about him. He gives a MultipleChoicePast and it's hard to tell which one, if ''any'' of them is the truth. He has no origin or reason or explanation. He just ''is''.
* NotWearingTights: DownplayedTrope. His character-defining theatrics, while still present, go nowhere near the levels seen in other media. He wears a custom suit, paints his face, uses a two-tone automatic Glock, and once in a while he does something crazy like hanging a fake Batman from a noose, but things that go into the realm of silliness like the "Bang" pistol he is seen using a few times in other medias are not present. He's more of a "practical Joker".
* ObfuscatingInsanity: As he put it, "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" Key word being looks. No, he does not look like a guy with a plan...But he has more plan than all the other characters put together.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When it suits his needs he's capable of convincing the likes of Harvey Dent that he's just a "mad dog" out to kill people. While there is truth on it, he is omitting the fact practically ALL of what happened was his plan.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: The Joker's motivation for putting a hit out on Coleman Reese was not wanting Batman's identity to be revealed and thus lose his WorthyOpponent. His [[spoiler:killing off of Gambol and The Chechen]] can be seen as this too.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Joker has no known name or alias.
* OrderVersusChaos: Represents chaos to Batman's order and calls himself an 'agent' of it. Although they fit better to the idea of a good order vs an evil chaos, or simply of good vs evil.
* OutsideContextProblem: ''No one'' saw The Joker coming. Not the police, not the Mob, and certainly not the Batman. Gordon drops a bit of foreshadowing at the end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'', when he worries about escalation within the criminal underground (back when The Joker was merely a thief with a flair for theatrics) but until the clown knocks off a Mafia-run Bank at the beginning of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', no one takes him seriously.
* PragmaticAdaptation: In order to keep up with the film's realistic approach, this version of the Joker doesn't have permanently bleached skin and green hair. Instead, he achieves his MonsterClown appearance through makeup and hair dye.
-->'''Happy:''' So why do they call him the Joker?\\
'''Dopey:''' I heard he wears makeup.\\
'''Happy:''' Makeup?\\
'''Dopey:''' Yeah, to scare people. Y'know, war paint.
** Nolan's Joker also does away with all of the novelty gag weapons like the ElectricJoybuzzer and acid posy, and even the Joker Venom is nowhere to be seen (though at least three of his victims have painted faces as a nod to Jokerized victims dying with a smile). Instead, this Joker mainly uses his malignant intellect to plan out major terror attacks, troll Batman and corrupt Harvey Dent, and fights with unstylized weapons like a bazooka and his infamous crowbar.
* PrecisionFStrike: After the Batman fails to mow him down on the street with the Batpod. Considering the MOS nature of the IMAX cameras (and that Grumpy had sputtered "What the fuck?!" when the mob bank manager tagged him) that were used to film that scene, it's possible that Heath Ledger swore audibly on camera, but the word wasn't dubbed back in during ADR.
-->'''The Joker:''' Come on, hit me! Hit me!\\
''[The Batpod misses him]''\\
'''The Joker:''' ''[mouths]'' Fuck!
* PsychoForHire: He acts like this to the mob (with the whole psycho part in full display), but he is actually just using them for his own ends.
* PsychoKnifeNut: Befitting an AxCrazy lunatic, the Joker has a fondness for knives, citing his preference of them over guns due to them killing more slowly and painfully.
* PsychoStrings: The Joker's theme motif is the sound of plucking violin strings with a razor blade.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His standard outfit is a tailored purple suit and he quickly rises in becoming Gotham's most dangerous criminal.
* PutOnAPrisonBus: At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Batman has the opportunity to let the Joker fall to his death, but following his CharacterDevelopment, he instead catches the Joker with his grappling hook, letting him dangle upside down for the police to take him away. He was made absent in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' due to Creator/HeathLedger passing away, but the novelization confirms he's still in Arkham. Or so it's hoped.]]
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: Lampshaded. The circus semi truck the Joker and his men drive in during the car chase has had the side wording - "Laughter is the Best Medicine" - altered by way of a spray-painted red "S" right before "Laughter" to make it read "(S)LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE".
* RealMenWearPink: He wears makeup, lipstick, has green hair and wears a tailored purple suit and makes every mob boss and cop in Gotham tremble in fear. He also disguises himself as a female nurse in one scene, complete with curly blonde wig, heels, a knee-high skirt and pink hemming.
* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: To convey the character's disorganized yet quick-moving mind, Heath Ledger does things like trail off, back up and repeat himself, interrupt his own verbal train of thought, etc. This has the eerie effect of making the biggest psychopath in the trilogy also the one who sounds most like an actual person.
* RecklessGunUsage: The Joker doesn't seem to be all that big on proper gun safety. He constantly waves guns around with his finger on the trigger, twice shoots behind him without looking, and when he gets out of the truck carrying a machine gun, it goes off and randomly sprays bullets when he slips. Then again, he's the Joker. It's likely he doesn't care.
* RedHerringShirt: In the opening scene, a mob-employed bank manager tries to take down the clowns with a sawed off shotgun, killing Chuckles and hitting Grumpy in the shoulder, then is shot down by Bozo. Unfortunately for him, Bozo is secretly the Joker.
* RefugeInAudacity: The Joker robs a mob bank, then calmly walks into a meeting of the gangsters he stole from and proposes they give him half their earnings if he kills Batman.
** "Oh, by the way: The suit, it wasn't cheap. I mean, you oughta know, you bought it!"
** Practically all his operations are like this. Hiding as the ceremonial guards, leading the convoy to kill Dent, getting himself captured and blowing the station up, dressing as a nurse, etc.
* RelativeRidicule: The Joker mocks Gambol by insinuating that if he does nothing to stop Batman, he won't be able to support his grandmother.
* RiddleForTheAges: He openly defies his FreudianExcuse with his MultipleChoicePast, but the line he gives when unmasking himself to the bank manager implies something drove him to nihilism. It's unknown what exactly happened, but it's known the GlasgowGrin is implied to be real, and he got them somehow - that the experience that gave him them was traumatic is unbelievable. Despite his capture, virtually nothing about his origins can be picked up from the GCPD criminal database.
* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a few dogs to aid him when he personally assaults Batman.
* RuggedScar: Rather than the Joker's traditional FrozenFace, this one has a GlasgowGrin, indicating the series' DarkerAndEdgier tone while still establishing the character as [[JokerImmunity someone who isn't going to die easily]].
* {{Sadist}}: He is amused by the pain of everyone, including ''his own''.
* SadisticChoice: Enjoys giving others these; like making Batman choose between saving [[spoiler:Harvey Dent or Rachel Dawes]]. To make that SadisticChoice worse he [[spoiler:switched the addresses, apparently in hopes of invoking FailureIsTheOnlyOption... and this leads to Harvey going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after Rachel is blown up]].
* SatanicArchetype: The Devil to Batman's messianic figure. He has incredibly Satanic elements surrounding his character: he is a [[MisanthropeSupreme misanthropic]] [[StrawNihilist nihilist]], a [[TheCorrupter corrupter]], knows perfectly well how to get into the psychology of those who corrupts or murders, [[{{Sadist}} enjoys the physical pain of everyone]] (including ''his own''), is an [[TheChessmaster exceptional]] [[ManipulativeBastard manipulator]], a ConMan and, to add an even more disturbing element, is a complete stranger out of nowhere who finally disappears from the narrative of the story, without leaving any trace. There is also the brutal, enigmatic and unpredictable nature of his crimes, complete with the NothingIsScarier trope enhancing his Satanic qualities. It's safe to say that no one is safe from him.
* ScarsAreUgly: His GlasgowGrin is his most noticeable feature, though whether it was self-inflicted or was forced upon him changes depending on who he tells the story too. Notably, the scars show signs of infection as the film goes on.
* SecretIdentityApathy: He actually doesn't start off as this, initially working with the mob to expose Batman's identity to the public. Eventually he has a change of heart that brings him in line with most continuities where he stops caring about Batman's SecretIdentity because he decides that Batman is the true face anyway...and because he has so much fun with Batman that he'd hate to have the surprise spoiled. This is what motivates him to go after Coleman Reese.
* SelfDeprecation: Oh, yes, Joker is a ConsummateLiar, he refers to himself as an agent of chaos, and he is wholly a violent and unrepentant murderer...and he's ''so'' shameless about it that he isn't even above making jabs at himself. His first line to the mob is "And I thought ''my'' jokes were bad", and his meeting with Harvey features this gem;
-->'''Harvey:''' Your men, your plan.\\
'''Joker:''' ''[disguised as a nurse]'' [[DeadpanSnarker Do I really look like a guy with a plan?]]
* SequelAdaptationIconicVillain: While ''Batman Begins'' focused on less famous members of Batman's rogues gallery, The Joker, his iconic ArchEnemy, made his grand debut in ''The Dark Knight''.
* SinisterSwitchblade: With the exception of his shoe knife and his potato peeler, all of his blades are out-the-front automatic knives.
* SkinToneDisguise: Inverted; the Joker is an infamous criminal who doesn't hide his face when doing crimes, but manages to blend in to a parade by removing his signature makeup.
* SlasherSmile: Carved into his face in a similar fashion to a Glasgow smile.
-->"Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always ''smiling''."
* TheSocialExpert: He has a clear understanding of how society is ''supposed'' to work and that's why he's so good at breaking it up.
* TheSociopath: Just like most versions of the Joker, he is a man whose only goal is to watch everything crumble around him for his own amusement. He has no empathy for the people he hurts and kills -- not even his own men are exempt. He shows little regard for the safety of himself or others. Despite his violent nature, he is a natural smooth-talker and able to convince others to ally with him. However, he is also a pathological liar (despite his claims of being a man of his word) who will say anything to either misdirect others or get under their skin. He does this to satiate a sense of boredom as he implicitly admits to Batman. He states that Batman is "too much fun" and is willing to endanger people's lives when Reese decides to expose him which threatens to take his game away -- and this is after he threatened for Batman to unmask himself, but changed his mind because the idea was boring. And throughout the entire movie, he never once shows a shred of remorse for what he does.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He has a very quiet, unassuming voice. That's until he raises his voice...
* SoreLoser: [[spoiler:His angry muttering when both ferries refuse to blow each other up has shades of this, [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose before he tries to blow them both up.]]]]
-->[[spoiler:"You can't rely on anyone these days. You gotta do ''everything'' yourself. '''''Don't we?'''''"]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: The Joker is a self-proclaimed "Agent of Chaos"; he really doesn't plan (or so [[ConsummateLiar he]] claims to Dent), he just looks at his enemies' plans and attacks the weak point that causes the most chaos - though the means he uses are often complicated, the goals is usually just "AttackItsWeakPoint". He's not a planner, he's an [[http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=775 anti-planner]].
-->Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm like a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know, I just... do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon's got plans. You know, they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. When I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth. It's the schemers that put you where you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and look where that got you. I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
* TheSpook: Like Gordon said, the Gotham PD has nothing on him: "No name, no other alias. Nothing on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom; no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint." This is especially scary when you consider that in the next movie, Selina Kyle is trying to erase her criminal records and is boxed in by all of the information on her already, but the Joker is a big blank.
* StatusQuoIsGod: In keeping with his "agent of chaos" philosophy, he gives a MotiveRant to Harvey mocking how this is overrated.
-->"If I tell people that tomorrow, a drug dealer is gonna get shot, or a truck full of soldiers is gonna get blown up somewhere overseas, nobody panics. Because it's all..part...of the plan. But when I say that ''one'' little mayor is gonna die...well, then everyone just ''loses'' their ''minds!''"
* TheStinger: In ''Batman Begins'', he leaves [[MyCard a joker card for the police to find.]]
* StrawNihilist: He believes that morality is meaningless and "the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules". Plus, the main objective behind his "social experiment" is to prove [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters people are bad at heart]]. For example: he has his men switch clothes with the hostages and put tape on their hands while holding guns, so that the police would be forced to shoot them, unaware they just killed innocents without them even realizing it. While this was unnecessary for the Joker's plan, he did this just to make the entire police force feel remorse for it, as part of his scheme to prove everyone is just like him and that people are cruel beneath their goody-goody exteriors.
* StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred: How he [[spoiler:convinces Harvey to give into madness]], and how he hopes to corrupt Batman too.
-->'''Joker:''' Come on...! Do it! I want you to do it! Hit me! HIT MEEEEE!
* StuffBlowingUp: He ''really'' likes explosions:
-->'''Joker:''' See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite... and gunpowder... and gasoline! And you know the thing they have in common? They're cheap!
* SuddenlyShouting: He can go from something slightly higher than a whisper to snarling threats in a second.
* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: [[spoiler:[[Film/Batman1989 This time,]] ''[[AvertedTrope averted.]]'' Out of the central villains in the trilogy, he's the single one who's only incarcerated rather than killed off. His final fate is never really explored in ''Rises'', with the closest it ever got being him becoming an urban legend in the novelization, but it's made fairly obvious that he never died in this series. Unfortunately, he was still omitted from ''Rises'' due to Heath Ledger's passing, and in order to pay respects Joker is never mentioned.]]
* TakingYouWithMe: {{Implied}} when Gambol attempts to have him killed before settling on a bounty. He reveals that he has wired himself with explosives and had a string on his finger. Just in case the guys [[DeadlyEuphemism blew things outta proportion]].
* TerroristsWithoutACause: Lampshaded.
-->'''Joker:''' You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ONE IF I CAUGHT IT! You know I just ''do'' things.
* TooKinkyToTorture: He enjoys pain. When Batman tries the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique on him, he shrugs off the first attempt ("Never start with the head!"), and actually looks ''disappointed'' when Batman's blow to his head keeps him from feeling the next punch. As Batman gets more violent with him on finding out [[spoiler:he has Rachel captive]], he just laughs:
--> '''Joker:''' You have ''nothing''! Nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!
* TranquilFury: One very memorable moment despite not normally being prone to this. When the people on the two ferries refuse to blow one another up his facial expression and the subtle twitch of his mouth indicate how absolutely livid he is.
* TheUnfettered: There is nothing he won't do; he has no limits of any kind.
* {{Troll}}: He loves pushing people's buttons like Gambol and Batman. The terrifying thing is that he uses it as another weapon in his arsenal: he alternates from doing it just because he can, to manipulating people by using their own anger against them. All while sprinkling half-truths and full lies to make it all the more confusing as well as infuriating. By the time you figure out whether he is just taking the piss or if he is telling the true, you've most likely already fell right into his trap.
* UnreliableNarrator: Naturally. He tells two completely different stories about how he got his cheek scars (abusive father story to Gambol, and the loan shark one to Rachel).
* UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject: He espouses a moral version of this in regards to himself and Batman, describing it using this very metaphor. While Batman will never be corrupted by the Joker into breaking his RuleNumberOne (incorruptible spirit), the Joker will never be stopped by anything less (endless mayhem). Thus, stalemate. "I think you and I are destined to do this forever."
* VerbalTic: He tends to stutter, draw out his words and insert "uh" into pretty much every other sentence.
* VillainHasAPoint: When he tells Batman that [[{{Foreshadowing}} Gotham will cast him out the moment they no longer need him,]] because to them, he's just another 'freak' like The Joker. They did that when he became a liability,...and they do it again, but for different reasons.
** Most of the things he tells Harvey are extremely accurate. How easy it was to unsettle the standing order, the hypocrisy of people, the schemes of everyone.
* VillainousBreakdown: A rather subtle one, but quite noticeable. [[spoiler:When both ferries refuse to use the detonators -- proving his philosophy of ''all'' humans being bastards deep down wrong -- the Joker gets visibly irritated and mumbles about how people just aren't reliable before attempting to blow them both up. Interestingly, he says this in a rather calm tone, making this moment something of a [[InvertedTrope reverse breakdown]]... guess that's what happens when your ''normal'' demeanor is over-the-top insane.]]
-->'''The Joker:''' [[spoiler:Can't rely on anyone these days, you gotta do ''everything yourself''...don't we?! That's okay, I came prepared...]]
** Also, when [[spoiler:the police come to arrest him while he's hanging upside down from the building, his laughter slowly starts to shade into something like sobbing right before the camera cuts away.]]
* VillainousCrossdresser: Briefly dresses up as a female nurse, complete with wig, to get into Gotham General Hospital--and to a mentally-fragile Dent. It's shown when he shoots a guard who finds "her" while looking for another guard who failed to check in through radio (doubtless also the Joker's work).
* VillainousEthicsDecay: The Joker makes clear in his very first scene that he cares not and follows not the standards (however few they may be) of the criminal element of Gotham. The rest of the film then has him [[EvilerThanThou bringing Gotham to its knees]] thanks to said decay making him unpredictable.
* VillainousLegacy: Even after he's taken out and incapacitated, his reign of terror and corruption of Harvey Dent leaves a mark on Gotham that persists into ''The Dark Knight Rises''.
* VillainousRescue: In a way. Joker's intervention is what prevents Coleman Reese from exposing Batman's identity. Not that Batman [[UnwantedAssistance wanted the help]] since it involved a hospital being blown up.
* VillainRespect: To Batman.
** A smaller case with the Bank manager. He seems quite amused by his bravery, and just makes him a joke with a gas grenade.
** When Gordon captures him and is promoted to Commissioner, he grudgingly claps along with the rest of the crowd.
* VillainousUnderdog: Batman is a billionaire McNinja, against whom Joker uses his personality and his intelligence. He gloats about how cheaply and quickly he brought the city down to its knees.
* VocalDissonance: The Joker mostly speaks in a high voice, but when he gets angry, his voice becomes monstrously deep, almost a snarl. The best example is when he has the Bat-wannabe tied up on camera and he yells at him: "'''LOOK AT ME'''!"
** It is more subtle, but when he speaks with Batman, he adopts a more serious and direct tone than usual, dropping the condescending mockery he uses with everyone else, and treating him like if he was speaking with an equal of his.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: That suit he wears is stylish, custom made and very expensive.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Due to the death of Heath Ledger, the Joker is not mentioned in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' and the last we see of him in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is [[spoiler:him hanging upside down and about to be arrested by SWAT team members.]] [[spoiler:However, he is mentioned in the novelization, where he's stated to be Arkham's sole remaining inmate after the Dent Act - or not.]]
* WickedCultured: Some of his conversations and mind games seem to suggest that he has very advanced knowledge of psychology and philosophy. He almost gives you the impression that he has studied [[HobbesWasRight Thomas Hobbes]] and Creator/FriedrichNietzsche.
* WorthyOpponent: He considers Batman one. He sees him as the only one at his level.
-->'''The Joker:''' ''[to Batman]'' I don't wanna ''kill'' you. What would I do ''without'' you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no. No, you... [[PunctuatedForEmphasis You. Complete. Me.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: With his absolute cruelty and ruthlessness, he definitely doesn't care about the age of any of his victims, as shown when he tries to blow up a ship filled with men, women, and children.
* XanatosGambit:
** Batman doesn't kill him? He can continue reaping destruction. Batman kills him? It forces him to cross his one moral boundary and proves he's no better.
** More generally, because his only apparent goal is to create chaos, he 'wins' even when he loses as long as he's managed to make the world seem less orderly and predictable.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Like Batman, he is very good at altering and changing his plans. When your role is to fuck up everything, you got an advantage on versatility.
** A good example of this is his corruption of Harvey. Now, he had no way of ensuring Harvey would be wounded in the explosion, and even if wounded, it was not a guarantee he would go to Gotham´s general. Hell, he had no way to ensure Harvey would even survive the explosion. But, given all of that happened, why not take the chance to corrupt Gotham´s White Knight?
** Another example would be when Maroni doesn't come for the money along with the Chechen. The Joker correctly deduces that Maroni has sold him out to the police and that they are going to come for him with all they have so he takes advantage of Coleman Reese's interview to make a general threat to blow up a hospital in an hour if the man is not dead, derailing Gordon's effort to catch him and forcing him to evacuate all hospitals.
* YouRemindMeOfX: "You remind me of my father. I ''hated'' my father."
* YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive: It might not be obvious until you count them all, but he dismisses so many things as "little" that it's practically another catchphrase.
* YoureInsane: Claimed by others, but he denies it. As a matter of fact, he is not. Psychopaths are not considered crazy in the normal psychological sense of craziness. Despite lacking an essential feature of human nature (empathy and love), The Joker is very smart, very aware of what he is doing, and very much in control. Defending this is the fact everything he tells the mobsters is true. To be considered "crazy" psychologically one must be a ''psychotic'', which means they don't perceive reality correctly and may not even realize what they're doing is wrong.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chechen]]
!!''The Chechen''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nolanverse_chechen.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"We have to fix real problems: Batman."'']]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/RitchieCoster
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''ARG/WhySoSerious'' | ''Film/TheDarkKnight''
The head of the Russian Mafiya in Gotham, once a weak outfit that took advantage of the power vacuum left by Falcone. He's entered into an alliance with his fellow mobsters. When the Joker offers to kill Batman, it's the Chechen who puts the word out to hire him.
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* RousseauWasRight: [[spoiler:This convict, who shows that love, kindness and decency can come from the seemingly ugliest and darkest of places, is ''the'' strongest case against the Joker's cynical ideology of fundamental human ugliness.]] It's also plainly on display with the other convicts who back him up when he intimidates the warden into giving him the detonator. ''None of them bat an eye when [[spoiler:he tossed the detonator overboard]]''; in fact, when he sits back down, they close a circle around him like they're either protecting him or praying for him and all share his similar [[FaceDeathWithDignity willingness to face their demise calmly]]. It's clear he told them what he planned to do and they backed him up fully aware of his intentions.
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* RousseauWasRight: [[spoiler:This convict, who shows that love, kindness and decency can come from the seemingly ugliest and darkest of places, is ''the'' strongest case against the Joker's cynical ideology of fundamental human ugliness.]] It's also plainly on display with the other convicts who back him up when he intimidates the warden into giving him the detonator. ''None of them bat an eye when [[spoiler:he tossed the detonator overboard]]''; in fact, when he sits back down, they close a circle around him like they're either protecting him or praying for him and all share his similar [[FaceDeathWithDignity willingness to face their demise calmly]]. It's clear he either told them what he planned was going to do and they backed him up fully aware of up, or they're merely supporting his intentions.decision after the fact.
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** Dopey is shot by Happy after he's done hacking the alarm.
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** Happy shoots Dopey is shot by Happy after he's done hacking the alarm.
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** Grumpy takes a bus to the face after being manipulated into position by Bozo.
** The clown driving the bus is shot by the Joker once the money's loaded onto the bus.
** The clown driving the bus is shot by the Joker once the money's loaded onto the bus.
to:
** The bus driver runs over Grumpy takes a bus to the face after being manipulated into position by Bozo.
**The clown driving Bozo shoots the bus is shot by the Joker driver once the money's loaded onto the bus.
**
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Changed line(s) 149 (click to see context) from:
* ConspicuouslyPublicAssasination: He tries to shoot Harvey Dent in the middle of a courtroom on Maroni's orders. Dent immediately punches Rossi and disarms him.
to:
* ConspicuouslyPublicAssasination: ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: He tries to shoot Harvey Dent in the middle of a courtroom on Maroni's orders. Dent immediately punches Rossi and disarms him.
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Changed line(s) 141 (click to see context) from:
to:
[[folder:Al Rossi]]
!!Albert "Al" Rossi
!!!'''Played By:''' Michael Vieau
!!!'''Appears In:''' ''ARG/WhySoSerious'' | ''Film/TheDarkKnight''
A capo working for Sal Maroni.
----
* AscendedExtra: He's a minor character in the film itself, but a major supporting player in the ARG.
* ConspicuouslyPublicAssasination: He tries to shoot Harvey Dent in the middle of a courtroom on Maroni's orders. Dent immediately punches Rossi and disarms him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Implied. The ARG reveals he owns a deli that he inherited from his father and uses as a front for mob activities. Given that one of the menu items is named after his father, it's indicated Rossi has some affection for him.
[[/folder]]
!!Albert "Al" Rossi
!!!'''Played By:''' Michael Vieau
!!!'''Appears In:''' ''ARG/WhySoSerious'' | ''Film/TheDarkKnight''
A capo working for Sal Maroni.
----
* AscendedExtra: He's a minor character in the film itself, but a major supporting player in the ARG.
* ConspicuouslyPublicAssasination: He tries to shoot Harvey Dent in the middle of a courtroom on Maroni's orders. Dent immediately punches Rossi and disarms him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Implied. The ARG reveals he owns a deli that he inherited from his father and uses as a front for mob activities. Given that one of the menu items is named after his father, it's indicated Rossi has some affection for him.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* AffablyEvil: He seems genuinely apologetic for what happened to Harvey and Rachel, and clearly did not want things to escalate the way they did.
to:
* AffablyEvil: Downplayed. He tries to be charming, but it mostly comes across as smarmy and insincere, yet he's not cruel enough to be FauxAffablyEvil. Notably, he seems genuinely apologetic for what happened to Harvey and Rachel, and clearly did not want things to escalate the way they did.did.
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Changed line(s) 117 (click to see context) from:
* HorrifyingTheHorror: He's a ruthless mobster who thinks nothing of having Dent assassinated in a courtroom in front of dozens of witnesses and is easily able to escape any charges. Thus, it says a lot when even ''he'' is scared out of his wits by the Joker and is genuinely afraid he could be killed if he turned on him in spite of all his power and protection.
to:
* HorrifyingTheHorror: He's a ruthless mobster who thinks nothing of having Dent assassinated in a courtroom in front of dozens of witnesses and is easily able to escape any charges. Thus, it says a lot when even ''he'' is scared out of his wits by the Joker and is genuinely afraid he could be killed if he turned on him in spite of all his power and protection. He's notably the only one of the three bosses to be wary of the Joker from the start while also seeing the threat he is. The Chechen seems to be under the impression the Joker is mostly theatrics and is only motivated by money like the rest of them and happy to accept his offer, while Gambol like Maroni wants nothing to do with him but also thinks the Joker is just some nobody dressed like a clown who is no threat to him and repeatedly provokes him which ends with the Joker killing his bodyguard and eventually Gambol himself.
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Changed line(s) 204 (click to see context) from:
* HotBlooded: Exhibits this trait throughout the mob meeting, but then again it may stem from being in the same room as [[{{Troll}} The]] [[MonsterClown Joker]].
to:
* HotBlooded: HairTriggerTemper: Exhibits this trait throughout the mob meeting, but then again it may stem from being in the same room as [[{{Troll}} The]] [[MonsterClown Joker]].
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Changed line(s) 240 (click to see context) from:
* DeathByIrony: He refuses to divulge the location of the Mob's money because "The money is the only reason I'm still alive." [[spoiler:He's killed on the pile of said money.]]
to:
* DeathByIrony: He refuses to divulge tell Rache where he hid the location of the Mob's money because mob's money, saying, "The money is the only reason I'm still alive." [[spoiler:He's killed [[spoiler:The Joker forces him to turn it all over, then burns him alive on the pile top of said money.it.]]
Changed line(s) 246 (click to see context) from:
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:The Joker does this to him; while he is tied up on top of a bunch of the Gotham Mob's money.]]
to:
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:The Joker does this to him; while he is tied up on top of makes a bunch pile of the Gotham Mob's money.mob's money and uses it to burn Lau alive.]]
Changed line(s) 252 (click to see context) from:
* TheStoolPigeon: Once he's captured, he's ready to cut a deal and sell out the Gotham mobsters.
to:
* TheStoolPigeon: Once he's captured, he's ready to cut a deal and sell out the Gotham mobsters.mobsters, both to stay out of prison and so he can take thei money for himself.
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Changed line(s) 239 (click to see context) from:
* CrazyPrepared: He has enough foresight to move the mob's money to a secure location and flee the jurisdiction of the Gotham Police. It works perfectly [[SubvertedTrope except he never accounted for Batman's jurisdiction--or lack thereof.]]
to:
* CrazyPrepared: He has enough foresight to move withdraw the mob's money from ''five banks all at once'', move it to a secure location location, and flee the jurisdiction of the Gotham Police. It works perfectly [[SubvertedTrope except he never accounted for Batman's jurisdiction--or lack thereof.]]
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Deleted line(s) 193 (click to see context) :
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's a muscular and imposing guy and was quite ready to take on Joker in a fight. He's also played by famed martial artist Michael Jai White.
Changed line(s) 200 (click to see context) from:
* [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Men Love Their Grandmas]]: When Joker disses Gambol and his grandma, that's when Gambol snaps and wants Joker dead.
to:
* [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Men Love Their Grandmas]]: EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: When Joker disses Gambol and his grandma, that's when Gambol snaps and wants Joker dead.
* RankScalesWithAsskicking: He's a muscular and imposing guy and was quite ready to take on Joker in a fight. He's also played by famed martial artist Michael Jai White.
Deleted line(s) 264 (click to see context) :
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: You see that dude with the shotgun? He's in charge of the bank being robbed.
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* RankScalesWithAsskicking: You see that dude with the shotgun? He's in charge of the bank being robbed.
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Changed line(s) 215 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Gambol''': I'm putting the word out: 500 grand for this clown dead, a million alive--so I get to teach him some manners first.
to:
-->'''Gambol''': I'm putting the word out: 500 out. Five hundred grand for this clown dead, a dead. A million alive--so alive, so I get to can teach him some manners first.first!
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Changed line(s) 206 (click to see context) from:
* IWantThemAlive: Somewhat, as he did wish to personally teach the Joker a lesson just enough to double the bounty for him being brought alive. He seems okay with him coming in dead though.
to:
* IWantThemAlive: Somewhat, as he did wish to personally teach Somewhat. He puts out a $500,000 contract on the Joker a lesson just enough Joker's life, but offers to pay double the bounty for if anyone brings him being brought alive. He seems okay with in alive so Gambol can teach him coming in dead though.a lesson.
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Changed line(s) 339,340 (click to see context) from:
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He's a convict and he's determined to save the people on the other ferry even though it will spell certain doom for him.]]
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Discussed and subverted. Ginty is aware that the prison guard holding the detonator for the other boat is too scared to pull the trigger. Ginty tells the guard to give him the trigger so Ginty can do "what [he] shoulda done ten minutes ago." [[spoiler:It seems like Ginty is going to pull the trigger, but instead, he throws the detonator out the window. Despite whatever his past crimes may have been, he is still not depraved enough to blow up a boat of people, even if it means saving his own skin]].
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Discussed and subverted. Ginty is aware that the prison guard holding the detonator for the other boat is too scared to pull the trigger. Ginty tells the guard to give him the trigger so Ginty can do "what [he] shoulda done ten minutes ago." [[spoiler:It seems like Ginty is going to pull the trigger, but instead, he throws the detonator out the window. Despite whatever his past crimes may have been, he is still not depraved enough to blow up a boat of people, even if it means saving his own skin]].
to:
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He's a convict and he's determined to save the people on the other ferry even though it will spell certain doom means he'll still have to serve time for him.whatever crimes he's committed.]]
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Discussed and subverted. Ginty is aware that the prison guard holding the detonator for the other boat is too scared topull the trigger. use it. Ginty tells the guard to give him the trigger so Ginty can do "what [he] shoulda done did ten minutes ago." [[spoiler:It seems like Ginty is going to pull use the trigger, detonator, but instead, he throws the detonator it out the window. Despite whatever his past crimes may have been, he is still not depraved enough to blow up a boat of people, even if it means saving his own skin]].
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Discussed and subverted. Ginty is aware that the prison guard holding the detonator for the other boat is too scared to
Changed line(s) 344 (click to see context) from:
* ExactWords: When he confronts the guards, he says that he'll do "what they shoulda did ten minutes ago".[[spoiler:This makes it sound like he's gonna blow up the boat, but instead this turns out to be a WhatTheHellHero towards the guards and he chucks the detonator overboard]].
to:
* ExactWords: When he confronts the guards, he says that he'll do "what they you shoulda did ten minutes ago".[[spoiler:This makes it sound like he's gonna he'll blow up the boat, but instead this turns out to be a WhatTheHellHero towards the guards and he chucks the detonator overboard]].
Changed line(s) 346 (click to see context) from:
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: When he throws the detonator out the window, as far as he knows he was going to die within minutes with no chance to escape. As the others react with shock and despair, what does he do? Calmly walks back to his seat, folds his arms as if praying, and waits patiently.]]
to:
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: When he throws the detonator out the window, as far as he knows he was going fully expects to die within minutes with and have no chance to escape. As the others react with shock and despair, what does he do? Calmly walks back to his seat, folds his arms as if praying, and waits patiently.]]
Changed line(s) 349 (click to see context) from:
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Fully expected to be making one when he threw the detonator away.]]
to:
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Fully expected expects to be making one when he threw throws the detonator away.]]
Changed line(s) 357 (click to see context) from:
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: Considering he chucked the detonator after saying "Give it to me and I'll do what you should've did ten minutes ago," he was condemning the warden for even considering blowing up the other ferry. When he's done, he gives the warden an absolutely ''scathing'' look before he walks away.]]
to:
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: Considering he chucked the detonator after saying "Give it to me and I'll do what you should've shoulda did ten minutes ago," he was condemning the warden for even considering blowing up the other ferry. When he's done, he gives the warden an absolutely ''scathing'' look before he walks away.]]
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Changed line(s) 262 (click to see context) from:
A bank manager in charge of a mob bank in Gotham.
to:
Changed line(s) 265 (click to see context) from:
* BadassBoast: He certainly backed up his promise by taking down two of the other bank robbers before getting gunned down by the Joker. Even then, he still managed to survive ''multiple gunshot wounds to the chest'' and remained conscious long enough to spite his attacker.
to:
* BadassBoast: He certainly backed up his promise by taking down two killing one of the other bank robbers and lightly wounding another before getting gunned down by the Joker. Even then, he still managed to survive ''multiple gunshot wounds to the chest'' and remained conscious long enough to spite his attacker.
Changed line(s) 267 (click to see context) from:
* BeneathSuspicion: That middle-aged, bespectacled bank manager you passed without thinking twice? He's also a tough, shotgun wielding mobster.
to:
* BeneathSuspicion: That middle-aged, bespectacled bank manager you passed without thinking twice? He's also a tough, shotgun wielding shotgun-wielding mobster.
Changed line(s) 277,278 (click to see context) from:
* UncertainDoom: He is last seen holding a canister that the Joker put in his mouth, but it releases fumes of an unknown nature rather than exploding. Whether the fumes killed him or not, the Joker told him that "Whatever doesn't kill [you], makes [you] stranger".[[note]] Though this is the Joker he could have just given him a plain gas grenade as a sick way to troll him.[[/note]]
to:
* UncertainDoom: He is last seen holding a canister that lying on the Joker put floor of the bank lobby, with a grenade stuffed in his mouth, but mouth by the Joker. The pin pops out, the safety lever flies off, and it releases starts to emit green smoke or fumes instead of an unknown nature rather than exploding. Whether He moans weakly and passes out, and it's never revealed whether the fumes killed him or not, the grenade had any effect on him. (The Joker had told him that him, "Whatever doesn't kill [you], you simply makes [you] stranger".[[note]] Though this is you stranger.")[[note]] Being the Joker Joker, though, he could have just given him the manager a plain gas grenade as a sick way to troll him.[[/note]]
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* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:He wanted all the mob's money, and the Joker gave it to him -- as kindling to burn him alive.]]
Changed line(s) 234,235 (click to see context) from:
* TheChessmaster: He brags about being this. While he is a massive SmugSnake, he is able to find a way to make sure his capture will be able to benefit him monetarily.
-->"I'm very good at calculations."
-->"I'm very good at calculations."
to:
* TheChessmaster: He brags about being this. While he is a massive SmugSnake, he is able knows enough about the mob's operations to find a way to make sure his capture will be able to benefit put them all in prison and leave their money free for him monetarily.
to grab.
-->"I'mvery good at calculations.with calculation."
-->"I'm
Changed line(s) 237 (click to see context) from:
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Account with a [=PHD=] in money laundering.
to:
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Account with a [=PHD=] in money laundering. He's the CEO of an investment firm that's one huge money-laundering operation.
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Added DiffLines:
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Creator/PhilippeCatoire (European French)
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Minor spelling correction
Changed line(s) 468,469 (click to see context) from:
He drives a bus into tbe bank lobby and helps Joker load the bags of money.
to:
He drives a bus into tbe the bank lobby and helps Joker load the bags of money.
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Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
-->''"Yeah, Doctor Crane, I can't take it anymore. It's all too much. "The walls are closing in." Blah, blah, blah. Couple more days of this food, it'll be true!"''
to:
-->''"Yeah, Doctor Crane, I "I can't take it anymore. It's all too much. "The The walls are closing in." Blah, blah, blah. Couple more days of this food, it'll be true!"''
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Even he, [[IOwnThisTown who believes himself the tip-top of Gotham's underworld]], is absolutely intimidated by the men he's doing business with in the Narrows, involving stuffed rabbits, and he implies as much to Flass.
to:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Even he, [[IOwnThisTown who believes himself the tip-top of Gotham's underworld]], is absolutely intimidated by the men he's doing business with in the Narrows, involving stuffed rabbits, and he implies as much to Flass.
** Even he, [[IOwnThisTown who believes himself the tip-top of Gotham's underworld]], is absolutely intimidated by the men he's doing business with in the Narrows, involving stuffed rabbits, and he implies as much to Flass.
Added DiffLines:
** He is also unnerved by Crane's "presentation" of his Scarecrow mask (and that's ''before'' the nut who took over the nuthouse gives him a "demonstration").
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Changed line(s) 101 (click to see context) from:
* DiscOneFinalBoss: In-Universe. For the first third of the film, it seems like Sal, as new head of the Falcone Family and de facto head of Gotham's organized crime, is gonna be the BigBad trying to end Batman's influence on the city. Then the Chechen hires the Joker, who takes over and plunges the city into utter chaos.
to:
* DiscOneFinalBoss: In-Universe. For While the Joker is set up at the very beginning, the first third of the film, it seems like film is about Sal, as new head of the Falcone Family and de facto head of Gotham's organized crime, is gonna be the BigBad trying to end Batman's influence on the city. Then the Chechen hires the Joker, who takes over and plunges the city into utter chaos.
Changed line(s) 170 (click to see context) from:
* TheMafiya: The Russian branch.
to:
* TheMafiya: The Heads the Russian branch.branch of the mob.
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Changed line(s) 38,40 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Falcone:''' Ignorance is bliss, my friend. Don't burden yourself with the secrets of scary people.
-->'''Flass:''' Scarier than you?
-->'''Falcone:''' ''Considerably'' scarier than me.
-->'''Flass:''' Scarier than you?
-->'''Falcone:''' ''Considerably'' scarier than me.
to:
-->'''Falcone:''' Ignorance is bliss, my friend. Don't burden yourself with the secrets of scary people.
-->'''Flass:'''people.\\
'''Flass:''' Scarier thanyou?
-->'''Falcone:'''you?\\
'''Falcone:''' ''Considerably'' scarier than me.
-->'''Flass:'''
'''Flass:''' Scarier than
-->'''Falcone:'''
'''Falcone:''' ''Considerably'' scarier than me.
Changed line(s) 47,50 (click to see context) from:
* HorrifyingTheHorror: Despite being a ruthless and murderous mob boss, Falcone is shaken when Crane subtly threatens him with [[spoiler: Ra's al Ghul's]] retribution when the latter reaches Gotham.
-->'''Jonathan Crane''': I am aware you are not intimidated by me, Mr. Falcone, but you know who I work for, and when he gets here-
-->'''Falcone''': ''[shocked]'' Wait, he's coming to Gotham?
-->'''Crane''': Yes he is, and when he gets here, he is not going to want to hear that you have endangered our operation just to get your thugs out of a little jail time.
-->'''Jonathan Crane''': I am aware you are not intimidated by me, Mr. Falcone, but you know who I work for, and when he gets here-
-->'''Falcone''': ''[shocked]'' Wait, he's coming to Gotham?
-->'''Crane''': Yes he is, and when he gets here, he is not going to want to hear that you have endangered our operation just to get your thugs out of a little jail time.
to:
* HorrifyingTheHorror: Despite being a ruthless and murderous mob boss, Falcone is shaken when Crane subtly threatens him with [[spoiler: Ra's [[spoiler:Ra's al Ghul's]] retribution when the latter reaches Gotham.
-->'''JonathanCrane''': Crane:''' I am aware you are not intimidated by me, Mr. Falcone, but you know who I work for, and when he gets here-
-->'''Falcone''':here-\\
'''Falcone:''' ''[shocked]'' Wait, he's coming toGotham?
-->'''Crane''':Gotham?\\
'''Crane:''' Yes he is, and when he gets here, he is not going to want to hear that you have endangered our operation just to get your thugs out of a little jail time.
-->'''Jonathan
-->'''Falcone''':
'''Falcone:''' ''[shocked]'' Wait, he's coming to
-->'''Crane''':
'''Crane:''' Yes he is, and when he gets here, he is not going to want to hear that you have endangered our operation just to get your thugs out of a little jail time.
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* LaserGuidedKarma: He is first taken out by the young man he taunted and taught "the power of fear". To stay out of jail, he feigns insanity. [[spoiler: He is driven completely insane by the same poison he funneled into Gotham]].
to:
* LaserGuidedKarma: He is first taken out by the young man he taunted and taught "the power of fear". To stay out of jail, he feigns insanity. [[spoiler: He [[spoiler:He is driven completely insane by the same poison he funneled into Gotham]].
Changed line(s) 60,61 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Falcone''': [[WhatTheHellAreYou What the hell are you?!]] ''[gets dragged from his car]''
-->'''Batman''': I'm Batman.
-->'''Batman''': I'm Batman.
to:
-->'''Batman''':
'''Batman:''' I'm Batman.
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
* WrongGenreSavvy: Falcone seems to think he's the BigBad of a mafia movie. This leads to him overestimating his own authority and looking down on "nutjobs" like Crane [[spoiler: and Ra's]]. Unfortunately, this is a superhero film so he finds himself outmatched by said crazies and used as a disposable pawn.
to:
* WrongGenreSavvy: Falcone seems to think he's the BigBad of a mafia movie. This leads to him overestimating his own authority and looking down on "nutjobs" like Crane [[spoiler: and [[spoiler:and Ra's]]. Unfortunately, this is a superhero film so he finds himself outmatched by said crazies and used as a disposable pawn.
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Being partially responsible for the death of Rachel and Dent's disfigurement, and thought he had gotten away with it]].
to:
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Being [[spoiler:Being partially responsible for the death of Rachel and Dent's disfigurement, and thought he had gotten away with it]].
Changed line(s) 100 (click to see context) from:
* DecompositeCharacter: A nameless henchman replaces him as the one who tries to attack Harvey Dent in court. His role in Dent's scarring [[spoiler: is also done in a roundabout way; he allows the Chechen to hire the Joker when he realizes things are about to go to hell, who sends his men to kidnap Dent and imprison him in a warehouse with a bomb, which explodes just as Batman saves Dent, who has his face accidentally burned in gasoline.]]
to:
* DecompositeCharacter: A nameless henchman replaces him as the one who tries to attack Harvey Dent in court. His role in Dent's scarring [[spoiler: is [[spoiler:is also done in a roundabout way; he allows the Chechen to hire the Joker when he realizes things are about to go to hell, who sends his men to kidnap Dent and imprison him in a warehouse with a bomb, which explodes just as Batman saves Dent, who has his face accidentally burned in gasoline.]]
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Maroni:''' This craziness... It's too much...
to:
Changed line(s) 123,124 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Maroni''': From this height, the fall wouldn't kill me.
-->'''Batman''': I'm counting on it.
-->'''Batman''': I'm counting on it.
to:
-->'''Batman''':
'''Batman:''' I'm counting on it.
Changed line(s) 160 (click to see context) from:
* EatenAlive: [[spoiler: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]].]] [[OntologicalInertia There's no reason to suggest otherwise after the Joker simply tosses one of his mooks a simple switchblade]]. See CruelAndUnusualDeath above for specifics.
to:
* EatenAlive: [[spoiler: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]].[[spoiler:{{Implied|Trope}}.]] [[OntologicalInertia There's no reason to suggest otherwise after the Joker simply tosses one of his mooks a simple switchblade]]. See CruelAndUnusualDeath above for specifics.
Changed line(s) 166,167 (click to see context) from:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:[[spoiler: {{Implied}} to have been fed to his own dogs.]]
* KilledOffscreen: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] considering Batman's history as a comic, and thus the targeted demographic, being [[spoiler: eaten alive]] isn't a pleasant sight, ever.
* KilledOffscreen: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] considering Batman's history as a comic, and thus the targeted demographic, being [[spoiler: eaten alive]] isn't a pleasant sight, ever.
to:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:[[spoiler: {{Implied}} HoistByHisOwnPetard:[[spoiler:{{Implied|Trope}} to have been fed to his own dogs.]]
* KilledOffscreen:[[JustifiedTrope Justified]] {{Justified|Trope}} considering Batman's history as a comic, and thus the targeted demographic, being [[spoiler: eaten [[spoiler:eaten alive]] isn't a pleasant sight, ever.
* KilledOffscreen:
Changed line(s) 192 (click to see context) from:
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He puts out a bounty to have the Joker delivered to him dead or alive. [[spoiler: The Joker's own thugs oblige.]]
to:
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He puts out a bounty to have the Joker delivered to him dead or alive. [[spoiler: The [[spoiler:The Joker's own thugs oblige.]]
Changed line(s) 195 (click to see context) from:
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: Funnily enough an example among murderers instead of civilians as he gets to be the first of the three mob bosses to be killed off in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.]]
to:
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: Funnily [[spoiler:Funnily enough an example among murderers instead of civilians as he gets to be the first of the three mob bosses to be killed off in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.]]
Changed line(s) 205 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Gambol:''' So, for dead, that's five hundred...\\
to:
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Changed line(s) 210 (click to see context) from:
* OnlySaneMan: Played with. He is the ''only'' mobster seen to consistently oppose allying with the Joker. As the latter's actions would prove, he was absolutely right. Of course he is RightForTheWrongReasons as he despises the Joker primarily because of his defiant and cheeky behaviour and doesn't turn out to be ready to directly go to war with him.
to:
* OnlySaneMan: Played with. He is the ''only'' mobster seen to consistently oppose allying with the Joker. As the latter's actions would prove, he was absolutely right. Of course he is RightForTheWrongReasons as he despises the Joker primarily because of his defiant and cheeky behaviour behavior (and because one of his henchmen was killed by his "magic trick") and doesn't turn out to be ready to directly go to war with him.
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* AssholeVictim: As a corrupt accountant and DirtyCoward, his death from being burned alive by the Joker along with the rest of the money, is considered this.
