History WesternAnimation / BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker

** When Joker first publicly reappears, Terry notes he's pretty spry for a guy who should be in his mid-Eighties. He speculates if this could be due to Joker possibly being a clone, a robot, or having been placed in suspended animation. Bruce disregards and ignores Terry's brainstorming (since [[spoiler:he already knows firsthand it ''can't'' be any of these theories because he watched Tim Drake shoot the Joker decades ago.]] However, it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Terry ''was'' actually on the right track with the Cloning Theory. The new Joker ''is'' a clone (or at least after a fashion) thanks to the original Joker using Timm as a genetics experiment.]]

* EvilDetectingDog: When the Joker breaks into Wayne Manor, Ace immediately detects him from down in the Bat Cave and furiously rushes to attack him. Unfortunately, the hound is no match for the Clown Prince of Crime, although he redeems himself in the final battle.

* OutOfCharacterAlert: Tim at first has a FreakOut when Terry finds him in the climax, sweating and reliving the night [[spoiler:he killed the Joker]]. Batman says he's calling an ambulance, only for Tim to address him by his first name and say the memories are like "bad oysters." Terry points out he never revealed his secret identity to the man. [[spoiler:It's the Joker taking over Tim's body, who proceeds to incapacitate Terry and transform, before explaining he implanted a microchip on Tim]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:

** ArchEnemy is also deconstructed, as while Batman talked about most of his RoguesGallery, he specifically avoided mentioning Joker [[spoiler:because of what he did to Tim Drake.]] The Dark Knight points out that it "wasn't a popularity contest", claiming that Joker only sought to make him "laugh" and dismissed the FoeRomanceSubtext he had with the clown.

* CombatParkour: The Dee Dee Twins often tag-team Batman, using flips and high jumps to avoid his attacks and/or to gain a more advantageous position behind him from which to strike. He eventually gets around this by using the suit's cloaking device.

** Or rather "Backshadowing." Joker's "That's also how we did it in my day" and one half of Dee Dee [[spoiler:almost dying the way her grandma supposedly died.]]
** Another part of "backshadowing": The background music that plays [[spoiler:when Bruce demands that Terry return the Batsuit because it's dangerous for him to face the Joker (impostor or not), despite the fact that the Clown Prince of Crime died years ago]] is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPRE_eElzs Terry Relieved of Duty]]." [[spoiler:When played again as a DarkReprise near the end of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YraQ5MaR2EY Arkham Mayhem]]," we now understand the reason: because the Joker {{Mind Rape}}d Robin into divulging his secrets about Bruce Wayne as Batman, the Clown Prince of Crime tainted the Bat-Family with compromise and deception "in his last act of cruelty" that led to his demise at Robin's hands and to Barbara and Tim quitting the Bat-Family because of it.]]

* IShallTauntYou: Terry is probably one of the best examples out there, breaking the Joker in a manner the original Batman couldn't do. In fact, it is a brilliant callback to his own taunting of the original Batman after finding out his identity, mocking him for being "a little boy in a play suit crying for mommy and daddy," with the insult being thrown right back at his face.

* TheLastThingYouEverSee: After The Joker injures Batman in the flashback sequence, he says, "You've lost, Batman. Robin is mine. The last sound you'll hear will be our laughter," before attempting to do so.

* ArchEnemy: Subverted and deconstructed. Batman dismisses such a notion, pointing out that whatever heinous crimes Joker did were all for the express purpose of either making the Dark Knight laugh (i.e. turning him insane). That [[spoiler:Joker tortures and mentally breaks Tim]] also makes Batman very reluctant to speak about the clown. Later on, Joker dismisses Bruce as a WorthyOpponent. Terry also mocks his fixation with Batman.

* {{Clownification}}: A flashback reveals that the Joker turned [[spoiler:Tim Drake a.k.a. Robin]] into "Joker Jr.", a madly grinning, giggling, [[MiniMe miniature replica of the Joker]], via [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil physical and mental torture]]. By the "present day" of the film, the changes have apparently been undone, leaving [[spoiler:Tim]] traumatized but sane and normal-looking. [[spoiler:However, during his torture, the Joker implanted Tim with a microchip containing the Joker's DNA and consciousness, periodically hijacking Tim's mind and body to transform him into essentially a [[PostMortemComeback reborn Joker]].]]

** Terry throws the Joker's jokes right back at him. Once all the props are removed, the clown is nothing but a stupid manchild whose jokes are stale. Joker doesn't take Terry's disrespect [[VillainousBreakdown lightly]].

* PsychopathicManchild: Despite his snark and bravado, Joker's reaction to being laughed at by Terry is just a [[VillainousBreakdown childish temper tantrum]].

-->'''Joker:''' What are you doing?\\

* ContinuityCameo: Tim Drake's blonde wife is a nod to [[Characters/Batgirl Stephanie Brown]], Tim's long-time girlfriend in the comics. She's even wearing black and purple, the main colors of her superhero costume as The Spoiler. It was acknowledged in the DVD commentary of the movie.

--->'''The Joker:''' I must admit, it's sadly anti-climactic. Behind all the sturm and batarangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit, crying for mommy and daddy! It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

--->'''Tim:''' We gave our best, but in the end that wasn't good enough for the old man. When I was younger, part of me thought I would go on and on and someday...ah, capes, costumes, playing hero--it was kid's stuff! Bruce probably did me a favor. In the end, I was so sick of it I never wanted to see that stupid Robin suit again...![[note]]However, this may actually be [[spoiler:subtle interference from the Joker's mind control chip embedded in Tim's head, influencing the former Robin's mind. For all of Joker's FoeRomanceSubtext and playful attitude towards Batman, it's easy to forget: He fucking ''hates'' the man who always spoiled his fun.]] [[/note]]

--->'''Batgirl:''' How could you help Joker do it, Harley?\\

--->'''Batman ([=McGinnis=])''': (''after his interview with Drake'') Were all of you that bitter when you left?\\

--->'''Tim:''' Fun and games. Boy Wonder playing hero. Fighting the bad guys and no one ever gets...[[spoiler:oh God. '''(I killed him./I did it.)''' I didn't mean to. I tried so hard to forget. But I still hear '''(the shot/his scream)'''. Still see his '''(dead/frozen)''' smile. Every night, the dreams get stronger...he's there when I sleep. Whispering! Laughing! Telling me I'm just as bad as he is! We're both the same!]]

-->'''Terry:''' So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain. What, you couldn't get work as a rodeo clown?

-->"You killed him, didn't you? He was gonna do something so terrible that you had no other choice."

-->'''Joker to Batman (Bruce):''' It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic. ''(beat)'' Oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway.\\

-->'''Bruce''': Still got it.

-->'''Tim''': I'm no Boy Wonder anymore, but that old training never goes away, even at my age.

-->'''Bonk''': What did you say?\\

-->'''Joker:''' C'mon, [=McGinnis=]! Laugh it up now, you miserable little punk! LAUGH!\\

*** Joker also always wanted to make Batman laugh. During their final fight, Batman ''does'' laugh, but ''at'' how boring his jokes really are.

* LogicalWeakness: Terry mocks Joker's motives for villainy and obsession with making the original Batman laugh via an epic BoringInsult. Joker doesn't [[VillainousBreakdown take this insult lightly]]. [[spoiler:It was deliberately done so Terry can take him down for good]].

* NothingIsScarier: Discussed. Terry notes that, despite his infamy, the Joker was the only member of Bruce's rogues gallery that he never told him about, correctly deducing that it was because he was the worst of them all.

* ArchEnemy: You know who. Batman deconstructs such a notion, pointing out that whatever heinous crimes Joker did were all for the express purpose of either making the Dark Knight laugh, or turning him insane. That [[spoiler:Joker tortures and mentally breaks Tim]] also makes Batman very reluctant to speak about the clown. Later on, Joker dismisses Bruce as a WorthyOpponent. Terry also mocks his fixation with Batman.

** The flashback sequence is one of the very few times in the ''DCAU'' that Batman looks as if he is willing to kill; in particular, when he first sees what The Joker has turned Tim into, he throws a knife at the Joker's head.

** Zigzagged with the Joker to Terry. By this point in the show, Terry has encountered and fought several of Bruce's surviving original foes (and racked up his own rogues gallery as well). But none of them matched the Joker's depravity. However, Terry also ''doesn't'' have the personal connection or trauma Bruce and the others did to the Clown, so once Terry figures out how to deal with the Joker he holds his own.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Terry is one of only a mere handful of people in the DCAU to drive the Joker nuts.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Bruce firing Terry and pushing him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce is terrified of Terry ending up like Tim Drake and is trying to protect him. The thing is, Joker's dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack ''heavily'' implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker later storms the Batcave). So if Joker knows who used to be under the cowl, then it won't be hard for him to deduce Bruce's Personal Assistant ''must'' be the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet and is at the risk of being targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz come after him and Dana). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and guilt (not to mention his long-established problems with basic communication and interpersonal relationships) overriding his objectivity and common sense. With the later revelations of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue "Epilogue"]] it can also retroactively be seen as Bruce being terrified of his biological son suffering the same fate as his second adopted son.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce firing Terry and pushing him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured and this is to protect him. The thing is, Joker's dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack ''heavily''' implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker later storms the Batcave). So, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's young Personal Assistant ''must'' be the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and longstanding guilt overriding his objectivity and common sense. With the later revelations of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue "Epilogue"]] it can also retroactively be seen as Bruce being terrified of his biological son suffering the same fate as his second adopted son.]]

* DrivingQuestion: Why are Bruce and Barbara adamant the Joker is dead? What really happened decades ago during the last time the Bat Family and the Joker fought one another? And if the Joker truly is dead, then how can he back (let alone how can he know the Bat Family's secrets)?

* {{Leitmotif}}: Terry's theme is carried over from the series. Shirley Walker's BTAS theme likewise briefly returns at the beginning of the flashback sequence (albeit in a more somber rendition to underscore the tragedey Barbara's about to recount to Terry).

*** Similarly, and speaking of [[spoiler:Harley, she's curiously absent from the "Our Family Memories" footage during the flashback (or alternately, she's off-screen managing the camera). However, her absence turns out to be somewhat important, because Joker reveals that while he ''does'' now know Bruce's true identity, Bruce's secrets are ''his'' alone to know. This means Joker witheld the revelations from Tim's interrogation from Harley, which makes sense given Joker's long-established selfishness; of ''course'' he'd covet such a prize and hoard it for himself. But this also means that even if Harley ''did'' somehow survive her plunge into the pit and is still alive in the Present Day (which is eventuially confirmed), being locked out of the loop ironically eliminates her as a potential suspect. After all, if Harley didn't know Bruce Wayne was Batman, then logically the new Joker likewise shouldn't know the secret either. Yet he does, meaning Harley ''can't'' be involved or behind the new Joker.]]

*** Similarly, and speaking of [[spoiler:Harley, she's curiously absent from the "Our Family Memories" footage during the flashback (or alternately, she's off-screen managing the camera). However, her absence is important because Joker reveals that while he ''does'' now know Bruce's true identity, Bruce's secrets are ''his'' alone to know. This means Joker locked Harley out of the loop while he was torturing Tim and extracting his secrets (which makes sense given Joker's long-established selfishness). But this also means that even if Harley ''did'' somehow survive her plunge into the pit (which the ending of the film confirms), she ''can't'' be behind, or involved with the ''Beyond''-era Joker. The new Clown Prince of Crime ''knows'' Bruce was Batman -- and since the original Joker withheld this knowledge from Harley, it eliminates her from the list of potential suspects.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce trying to fire Terry and push him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's motive is that he wants to protect Terry; he's too terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured decades earlier. The thing is, the new Joker's cryptic dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack ''heavily''' implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker later storms the Batcave). So, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's young Personal Assistant must be the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits to neutralize the Jokerz during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and longstanding guilt overriding his objectivity and common sense. With the later revelations of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue "Epilogue"]] it can also retroactively be seen as Bruce being terrified of his biological son suffering the same fate as his second adopted son.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce trying to fire Terry and push him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's motive is that he wants to protect Terry; he's too terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured decades earlier. The thing is, the new Joker's cryptic dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack heavily implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker later storms the Batcave). So, knowing Bruce's secret, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's young Personal Assistant must be the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits to neutralize the Jokerz during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and longstanding guilt overriding his objectivity and common sense. with the later revelations of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E13Epilogue "Epilogue"]] it can also retroactively be seen as Bruce being terrified of his biological son suffering the same fate as his second surrogate son.]]

* RiddleForTheAges: Downplayed, but the reveal in the final scenes that [[spoiler:the now-elderly Harley Quinn is the grandmother of the Dee-Dees. Was it sheer coincidence that the Joker recruited them as his Jokerz? Or was Joker aware of their heritage all along and intentionally "enlisted" them to mock Harley's attempts to reform following his original death?]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce trying to fire Terry and push him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's motive is that he wants to protect Terry; he's too terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured decades earlier. The thing is, the new Joker's cryptic dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack heavily implies he ''knows'' Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker later storms the Batcave). So, knowing Bruce's secret, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's young Personal Assistant must be the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits to neutralize the Jokerz during the club fight). This can all be justified by Bruce's Joker-related PTSD and longstanding guilt overriding his objectivity and common sense.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce trying to fire Terry and push him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's motive is that he wants to protect Terry; he's too terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured decades earlier. The thing is, the Joker's cryptic dialogue during the Wayne Enterprises attack ''heavily'' all but states he knows Bruce's secret (which is then explicitly confirmed when Joker storms the Batcave). So, knowing Bruce's secret, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's Personal Assistant is the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits to neutralize the Jokerz during the club fight).]]

* KissTheCookApron: The Joker shows Batman recordings of him torturing and brainwashing Robin. He frames the recordings like home movies, even donning a "Kiss the Cook" apron and pulling his torture equipment out of a faux grill to complete the sadistic scene.

*** Similarly, and speaking of [[spoiler:Harley, she's curiously absent from the "Our Family Memories" footage during the flashback (or alternately, she's off-screen managing the camera). However, her absence is important because Joker reveals that while he ''does'' now know Bruce's true identity, Bruce's secrets are ''his'' alone to know. This means Joker locked Harley out of the loop while he was torturing Tim and extracting his secrets (which makes sense given Joker's long-established selfishness). But this also means that even if Harley ''did'' somehow survive her plunge into the pit (which the ending of the film confirms), she ''can't'' be behind, or involved with the ''Beyond''-era Joker. The new Clown Prince of Crime ''knows'' Bruce was Batman -- and since the original Joker withheld this knowlege from Harley, it eliminates her from the list of potential suspects.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: The central flaw of Bruce trying to fire Terry and push him away after Joker seemingly returns. [[spoiler:Bruce's motive is that he wants to protect Terry; he's too terrified of Terry suffering the same pain and trauma that Tim Drake endured decades earlier. The thing is, the attack at Wayne Enterprises and Joker's cryptic comments to Bruce ''heavily'' imply he knows Bruce's secret (which is then confirmed when Joker storms the Batcave). So, knowing Bruce was the original Batman, it won't be hard for the new Joker to deduce Bruce's Personal Assistant is the new Batman (if he doesn't already know). That means Terry ''isn't'' out of danger yet, as he can be targeted in his civilian identity (which is indeed what happens when the Jokerz attack him and Dana at their dance club). If anything, forcing Terry to give back the Batsuit leaves him even ''more'' defenseless (and without it, Terry has to rely on his wits to neutralize the Jokerz during the club fight).]]