86 Years Later, DC Unveils The Joker’s Scariest Form of All Time, and Batman isn’t Prepared

Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez’s ongoing Batman run has teased a fascinating exploration of super-villain psyches, and it wouldn’t be possible without the addition of an endearing new character, Dr. Annika Zeller, and her Crown of Storms device. More than that, though, is her empathy, and it’s this level of empathy that the book is proposing some of Batman’s rogues’ gallery characters need most.

The Joker recently made his first appearance in this mainline run since its numbered relaunch, and he’s quite a bit different from what readers may have anticipated. It may have been easier to comprehend characters empathizing with the likes of Killer Croc or Riddler as they did earlier in the run, but seeing a version of Joker whose emotions have been supposedly regulated and is on the path to rehabilitation is worthy of skepticism, let alone fear as to what kind of monster he could become.

Batman #7 Reveals a Saner Side of Joker

Batman #7 is phenomenal. It is gorgeous, for instance, with vivid color and an astonishing foldout, but it’s also basically one intimate, beautifully written conversation between Batman and Joker (with Dr. Annika Zeller listening in on most of it).

This issue convincingly suggests that Joker is miraculously sane—a testament to how profoundly paramount Dr. Annika Zeller’s treatment is, perhaps. The question is, will this Joker—if he truly is sane now—be an unfathomably more sinister villain with a greater clarity of mind, as even he wishes to stay “contained”? It’s been an intriguing and unprecedented exploration of the Clown Prince of Crime, anyhow.

Either It’s a Ruse, or Joker is Rehabilitated

Batman doesn’t seem to buy it, and why would he? It’s hard enough for readers to be persuaded, and it will probably take much more than the words of a character suspended in a fluid tank to demonstrate that he’s actually sane, even if him recollecting Batman’s true identity as Bruce Wayne and reconciling with it (not to mention every heinous act of villainy he’s committed) in Batman #7’s last page is fairly compelling.

Either way, Dr. Annika Zeller’s research and care for Arkham Towers patients have undoubtedly paved the way for some tremendously thrilling story beats. It’s frightening to imagine a Joker who could be sane and still find the motivation to be a murderous psychopath, but it will be exciting to see what Batman does with this character reinvention regardless, especially as Gotham City Police Commissioner Vandal Savage and the Minotaur are seemingly still the run’s main antagonists.