When two titans of comic book culture clash, their battles are guaranteed to be epic. This is especially true in the case of Batman vs. Joker. The feud between these two iconic characters has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for many years, and we keep coming back for more. With every incarnation of the caped crusader and his dastardly rival, the animosity between them has intensified and the war for control of Gotham City has escalated. And thanks to The Dark Knight trilogy, we’ve seen these two characters become darker and, in a sense, more real.
Revenge is Sweet
What is it about these two characters that have us all so invested in their relationship? Is it simply that we love the age-old idea of a superhero defeating a bad guy? We think not. In our humble opinion, the reason that we can’t get enough of these two heavy-hitters is because neither of them is a clear cut version of what they are meant to be.
In other words, Batman has a dark, somewhat sinister aspect to his persona that allows him to work outside the bonds of a strict moral code. He’s a vigilante, after all, with little respect for the law, and that makes him infinitely more interesting than, say, Superman. And the Joker is not an other-worldly villain, he’s a mentally disturbed man who has been pushed to the very limits of his tolerance for all the injustice he perceives and has been subjected to. Something deep within his psyche has snapped; he’s certifiably insane, but he’s smart and funny and he often makes a good point, and on some level we can’t help but root for him.
