If the Joker died, would Batman actually miss him?

Batman has had a very twisted relationship with the Joker over the years. If the Joker were to finally perish, would Batman actually miss the Clown Prince of Crime, or would Bruce simply think, "good riddance?"

[color=red]Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)[/color]

There will be some sort of emptiness in the sense that things are not the same anymore, but no, because he'll be too focused on taking care of everything and everyone else.

That is after he's 100% that he's not coming back from the dead, because, after all this time, all the near-death, presumed to be dead and body disappearing, his first assumption would be he will come back.

Well he [spoil]died[/spoil] in the Arkham games, but appeared in all 4 games anyway, so the writers sure can't let go.

[QUOTE=Bat-Meal;4630530]Well he [spoil]died[/spoil] in the Arkham games, but appeared in all 4 games anyway, so the writers sure can't let go.[/QUOTE]

Well, he was instrumental with Gotham Knight, so yeah.

Morrison had Bats dump Joker in the trash after he got shot in the head which is a perfect answer to that question. No he wouldn’t miss Joker because 1. He ******* hates Joker and 2. There’s still going to be plenty of crime in a Jokerless Gotham so Bruce will still have plenty to do.

speaking of the arkham games, he definitely seemed more sad about Joker than Talia... I mean he cradled his body, and carried him out to the authorities while Talia rotted back at the theater. I remember him being called out on that in the Harley Quinn dlc, though I'm forgetting the details. That being said, I don't care for the idea of Batman secretly caring about the Joker one bit. And much prefer the idea that he hates Joker and wants him dead, even if he can't bring himself to cross that line.

[QUOTE=OpaqueGiraffe17;4630639]speaking of the arkham games, he definitely seemed more sad about Joker than Talia... I mean he cradled his body, and carried him out to the authorities while Talia rotted back at the theater. I remember him being called out on that in the Harley Quinn dlc, though I'm forgetting the details. That being said, I don't care for the idea of Batman secretly caring about the Joker one bit. [B]And much prefer the idea that he hates Joker and wants him dead, even if he can't bring himself to cross that line.[/B][/QUOTE]

Should just look the other way and let Jason put one between the clown's eyes.

[QUOTE=OpaqueGiraffe17;4630639]speaking of the arkham games, he definitely seemed more sad about Joker than Talia... I mean he cradled his body, and carried him out to the authorities while Talia rotted back at the theater. I remember him being called out on that in the Harley Quinn dlc, though I'm forgetting the details. That being said, I don't care for the idea of Batman secretly caring about the Joker one bit. And much prefer the idea that he hates Joker and wants him dead, even if he can't bring himself to cross that line.[/QUOTE]

I laughed when that happened. "but wait, Talia's still inside in the mix of rubble, clayface and lazarus juice"
Another reason why I don't like the series after the first game.

[QUOTE=Vordan;4630637]Morrison had Bats dump Joker in the trash after he got shot in the head which is a perfect answer to that question. No he wouldn’t miss Joker because 1. He ******* hates Joker and 2. There’s still going to be plenty of crime in a Jokerless Gotham so Bruce will still have plenty to do.[/QUOTE]

Bruce does/should not have some twisted fondness for the Joker - I dislike it when he is written that way. The Joker is often portrayed as one he perceives as his most dangerous foe, but there are others. Some versions of Batman (not nearly all), might have some guilt issues over not having saved the Joker and wondering if he let him die because he hated him (if it happened when he was anywhere nearby). But I think it's often sort of like the early Lego movie stuff - Batman is more important to the Joker than the Joker is to Batman. Of course, Batman isn't always that important to the Joker, either. These things vary by story/writer, rather than being consistent.

But Bruce already too emotionally screwed up for my taste, and I don't need this added to the pile.

Don't really like him throwing him in the trash, either, even though it's certainly consistent with portrayal sometimes. More inclined to treating him like any other dead criminal and toss in a big dose of relief that he can't hurt Bruce's family anymore. Maybe some happiness that he thinks he shouldn't feel.

Batman is going to feel guilty for not preventing his fall in the vat and brood over it for a while then go apeshit crazy paranoid ensuring he remains dead to the point of beating the crap out of anyone who even mentions the J word or wear a clown mask. :p

[QUOTE=Restingvoice;4630671]I laughed when that happened. "but wait, Talia's still inside in the mix of rubble, clayface and lazarus juice"
Another reason why I don't like the series after the first game.[/QUOTE]
Arkham City’s plot completely falls apart if you think about it too hard. For all my problems with Arkham Knight it’s plot still held up better than City. But Asylum and Origins were both better in that regard.

Short answer: no.

Bruce would have more time to spend with Selina. She could probably find ways to take Bruce's mind off of Joker.

Mostly, no, I think Bruce would just be relieved and equally concerned about a return from the dead. I mean, almost everyone Bruce knows has died and come back and if anyone was going to get out of hell, it'd be the modern "so crazy it's a superpower" Joker. I'm actually surprised no one has done "demon Joker" yet, honestly.

I don't think Bruce has any kind of secret crush or respect for Joker. I don't even think Bruce looks at Joker as a "worthy challenge" or anything; he's just a rabid dog that someone should put down but Bruce can't bring himself to do it. Ra's, I think Bruce might miss, in a way. That's the "Holmes-Moriarty" dynamic I think, where there's respect as well as hate.

Any version of Batman where its even remotely implied that Batman "needs" Joker would not be a valid take on the character, IMO.

Personally I've always liked the idea that Batman needs the Joker around as a constant reminder of what would happen if he loses control. As Batman told Jason, he doesn't kill not because it would be too hard but rather too easy. If he started wiping out his enemies Batman fears he wouldn't be able to stop, would lose what control/sanity he has and would become a much worse monster than the Joker. Seeing a loner psycho clown who believes in nothing and kills without pause reinforces Bruce's belief that he needs his Bat-family around him and cannot break his oath not to kill for fear of what he could become.

Not even a little bit. If he could ascertain with 100% clarity that Joker isn't pulling a scam and isn't going to return dramatically...he'd be elated.

The Joker is a serial killer, Batman wants him to be defeated- he just won't pull the trigger himself.

No. Considering how much pain and suffering the Joker has brought, Batman would never miss him.

[QUOTE=KC;4637533]No. Considering how much pain and suffering the Joker has brought, Batman would never miss him.[/QUOTE]

At most Bruce would have nightmares about Joker and perhaps some PTSD.

No. Some parts of Batman wants him dead. Batman just can't do it himself.

Definitely not. If a writer wants to present such a take, do it in an elseworld.

Modern Bruce can be really annoying and unlikeable as it is, he really doesn't need this tacked on either.

I think it really depends what interpretation of Batman we're going with to a certain extent.

I mean, obviously there's always that subtext to how Joker feels about Batman, but while I don't think Batman really "cares for" or "loves" Joker in a serious sense I think there's a sense of history and camaraderie from being one's reliable opposite number and antithesis for decades upon decades that creates a kind of closeness even if it doesn't prevent Joker from trying to kill Batman or Batman from beating the snot out of The Joker.

It probably also probably doesn't help that Batman and Joker might relate to each other in terms of being such absolutes within their respective moralities.

Batman missing joker doesn't make much sense. It would also absolutely destroy Bruce's relationship with characters like Barbara, Jason and Duke. How can he miss the monster who hurt members of his family so badly.

He would, for the same reason the Joker won't ever die —because the Joker is a popular character, and so he will always remain a presence in Batman's world or mind if that's the next best thing.

[QUOTE=Katana500;4640168]Batman missing joker doesn't make much sense. It would also absolutely destroy Bruce's relationship with characters like Barbara, Jason and Duke. How can he miss the monster who hurt members of his family so badly.[/QUOTE]

The whole thread premise is as senseless and as crazily messed up as the whole Batman/Joker dynamic has been. It's like asking if Barry will miss Thawne as he has had the same profound presence in Barry's life as the joker has had in Bruce's. I mean can you imagine Bruce asking Barry whether he will miss Thawne after he supposedly died in the button instead of offering his tacit support by acknowledging it would be a understandable reaction if Barry was feeling relieved as the scum who is looking to murder everybody in his life and knows his ID is dead.

[QUOTE=Desmark;4640577]The whole thread premise is as senseless and as crazily messed up as the whole Batman/Joker dynamic has been. It's like asking if Barry will miss Thawne as he has had the same profound presence in Barry's life as the joker has had in Bruce's. I mean can you imagine Bruce asking Barry whether he will miss Thawne after he supposedly died in the button instead of offering his tacit support by acknowledging it would be a understandable reaction if Barry was feeling relieved as the scum who is looking to murder everybody in his life and knows his ID is dead.[/QUOTE]

Or if Superman would miss Lex Luthor.

Wouldn't be the other way round?

Oh hell no. It's like asking if any of the people who work on the John Wayne Gacy murder case missed him when he was dead. Bruce would be glad that he was gone, and would feel that a part of Gotham was safe, but he may be concerned about a power vacuum.

[QUOTE=williamtheday;4640850]Wouldn't be the other way round?[/QUOTE]

Probably. Batman is the only one that consistently thwarts Joker's plans. Without Batman where is the challenge? Joker is basically the child that seeks attention from his father by being disruptive.
Even the current Joker movie it is all about him getting noticed. So later on in life when Batman comes along Joker gets all the attention he craves.