DC: 4 Times The Joker Saved Batman

Highlights

The Batman Who Laughs was a nightmare combo of Batman and Joker, prompting a fierce team-up from the two enemies.
The Joker saved Batman from killing, showing a surprising heroic side in dire situations for the Dark Knight.
Joker’s unexpected heroism shines when he helps Batman stop The Batman Who Laughs from wiping out all life.

There is arguably no comic book feud quite as heated or well-regarded as Batman’s never-ending beef with The Joker. Since 1939, writers and artists have applied all kinds of takes on the duo’s rivalry, giving comic-book readers decades of bitter action to discover.

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Over the course of their city-endangering tiff, The Joker has killed a Robin, paralyzed Barbara Gordon, widowed Jim Gordon, behanded Alfred, and driven Batman to despair more times than any other menace in his rogues gallery. Considered one of DC’s cruelest, most unapologetically evil figures, the sadistic Joker has rarely shown even a glimmer of decency. However, his curious respect for, and obsession with, Batman has prompted him to serve as the unlikeliest of allies to The Dark Knight on a few occasions.

4 Stopping Batman From Killing The Batman Who Laughs

The Batman Who Laughs Was The Worst Of Both Worlds For Batman And The Joker.

The Joker (left) and The Batman Who Laughs (right)

Story: The Batman Who Laughs
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock

The Batman Who Laughs stood as Batman’s worst nightmare come true: Bruce Wayne becoming The Joker. Exhibiting both the skills and strengths of Batman and the nihilistic cruelty of The Joker, The Batman Who Laughs proves to be a struggle to take down for The Caped Crusader.

At one point, in his desperation to understand how the laughing menace’s mind works, Batman exposes himself to Joker venom. In a delirious rage, an increasingly Jokerized Bruce Wayne lays a merciless beating down on The Batman Who Laughs. Seemingly succumbing to the sadistic madness of his longtime nemesis, Batman’s murderous trance is snapped by none other than The Joker himself. Shooting The Dark Knight in a non-fatal area, The Clown Prince of Crime buys Alfred the necessary time to administer the antidote and get Batman back on track. Had The Joker not opted to get involved, The Dark Knight was well on his way to becoming just like him.

3 Stopping Batman From Killing The Riddler

The Joker Saved Both Batman And The Riddler At The Expense Of His Own Well-Being.

The Joker (left), Batman (middle), and The Riddler (right)

Story: The War of Jokes and Riddles
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mikel Janin

Batman is among the many to find The Riddler’s brand of crime and hijinks utterly insufferable. This came to an almost fatal head early on in Batman’s crimefighting career, when The Riddler and The Joker locked horns in a deadly crime war.

Outmatched and overwhelmed by the insane levels of criminality ruining his city, Batman considers taking The Riddler’s side to speed up ending the conflict. However, Edward Nigma’s penchant for getting under The Dark Knight’s skin proves to be more effective than ever. Maddened by The Riddler’s mind games, Batman snaps, grabs a knife, and moves in to stab the green suits enthusiast in the face. Remarkably, it’s The Joker who has Batman’s best interests at heart, taking the stabbing in his hand to prevent The Caped Crusader from breaking his no-killing rule. Had The Joker not stepped in, this could’ve been the beginning of a very grim path for Bruce Wayne in his crime-fighting endeavors.

2 The Joker Took The Fight To The Black Glove Almost As Much As Batman Did

The Joker’s loathing of Dr. Hurt ended on a painful note.

Story: Batman RIP/Batman and Robin Must Die!
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Tony S. Daniel/Frazer Irving

Grant Morrison’s epic run on Batman during the noughties saw The Caped Crusader come under fire from The Black Glove Society. The creepy crew wage war on all areas of Batman’s life, temporarily driving him insane during Batman RIP.

After subtly warning Batman of his impending doom, The Joker later sticks up for his old nemesis, praising his wits and strength before killing several Black Glove members. Even more surprising is his decision to step in and take care of Simon Hurt for good. The satanic Dr Hurt spearheads many of Batman’s misfortunes during RIP and its accompanying stories. After terrorizing Batman and putting Dick Grayson through the wringer, Hurt flees into the night, only to be caught and utterly brutalized by The Joker. With a broken neck and a severe overdose of Joker Venom, the incapacitated Hurt is buried alive by The Clown Prince of Crime. Upon putting Hurt in the ground, The Joker amusingly laments that Hurt wasn’t worthy of being Batman’s nemesis, before sharing the good news with The Dark Knight that Hurt won’t be bothering him again.

1 Stopping The Batman Who Laughs From Ending All Life

The Batman Who Laughs lit a surprisingly heroic fire under The Joker more than once.

Story: Dark Nights: Metal
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo

The Batman Who Laughs had enough of both Batman and The Joker in him to prompt both men to hate his guts. This initially comes to a head in the Batcave, where Joker steps in to help Batman stop the crazed menace from wiping out all life.

While The Batman Who Laughs is in the midst of his diabolical plan, the longtime archenemies swoop in to teach him a lesson. After shooting the fiend and mocking his lengthy rants, The Joker aggressively takes the fight to The Batman Who Laughs, even staying behind to keep him restrained when the cave begins to collapse. Subsequently, Batman emerges relatively unscathed, with the multi-verse saved from potential doom. Overall, this is one of The Joker’s most unexpectedly heroic moments, as he not only aided Batman, but essentially saved every life in the multiverse in the process.