WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for From the DC Vault: Death within the Family – Robin Lives #1!Among the numerous fan theories concerning the Clown Prince of Crime, one rises above the others: Joker is in love with Batman. While it is clear the clown is obsessive about the Dark Knight, debates usually middle on whether or not these emotions are romantic. This article presents new proof that helps the notion that Joker sees the Dark Knight by means of a romantic lens.

From the DC Vault: Death within the Family – Robin Lives #1 by J. M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, and Rico Renzi is a new miniseries that delves into an alternate state of affairs of what would have occurred if followers had voted for Batman’s second Robin, Jason Todd, to outlive the occasions of the A Death within the Family (1988) storyline.

As a part of this exploration, Batman pursues Joker following his brutal assault on Jason. This pursuit unfolds in a dramatic boat chase at sea. During this intense confrontation, Joker says one thing romantically coded, including weight to the speculation that he harbors romantic emotions for Bruce.

Joker Confirms He’s in Love With Batman in From the DC Vault: Death within the Family – Robin Lives #1

Joker begins cursing Batman’s identify because the Dark Knight positive aspects floor, complaining bitterly about how the Bat simply gained’t let him be. Yet, nearly in the identical breath, he backpedals, blurting out, “Oh, who am I kidding? My heart–such as it is—would break if he didn’t keep trying!” With such sentiment and speak of heartbreak, it’s troublesome to interpret his phrases in a purely platonic method. While most of Batman’s villains would have fun if the Dark Knight ceased pursuing them, Joker is, as all the time, the exception.

It’s strains like these which have stirred the fandom’s debate over whether or not the Joker perceives Batman romantically. The impression of such dialogues extends into fan creations, inspiring quite a few BatJokes works—BatJokes is the favored ship identify for Batman and Joker. For occasion, a fast search on Pinterest utilizing key phrases like “BatJokes,”“Bruce Wayne/Joker,” or “Batman/Joker” yields tons of of high-quality fanart items showcasing the connection. Similarly, searches on platforms like Archive of Our Own (Ao3) reveal over 3,200 works devoted to this pairing. These statistics underscore what number of followers interpret interactions between Joker and Batman by means of a romantic lens.

Related

The Joker Is In Love With Batman And [SPOILER] Knows It

There’s no query that the Joker is obsessive about Batman, however a member of the Bat-Family is aware of that the Clown Prince of Crime actually loves him.

Three Jokers Puts the Clown Prince of Crime’s Obsession/Love For Batman on Full Display

From the DC Vault: Death within the Family – Robin Lives #1 is not the one comedian to function a romantically charged line from Joker that helps the speculation of his love for Batman. In Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh, Joker delivers a pivotal line with the fervor of a madman: “I want you to know why I’m making a new Joker, Batman. Because I want to mean more to you. More to you than anyone.“ This line serves as one other chilling testomony to <em>Joker’s </em>deep obsession with <em>Batman</em>, one that may be interpreted as romantic.

From the DC Vault: Death within the Family – Robin Lives #1 is accessible now from DC Comics!

FROM THE DC VAULT: DEATH IN THE FAMILY – ROBIN LIVES #1 (2024)
	Writer: J. M. DeMattei Artist: Rick Leonardi Colorist: Rico Renzi Letterer: Taylor Esposito Cover Artist: Rick Leonardi & Dave Stewart