The Killing Joke: Ending Explained

The Killing Joke is one of the most famous comic books in existence. It centers around a fierce battle between Batman and the Joker that has both the hero and the villain pull out all of the stops.

However, one factor that has troubled fans over the years is The Killing Joke‘s conclusion. The book ends on a slightly strange and ambiguous note that often leaves readers puzzled. Today, we’re looking at this conclusion and trying to answer the question: “What happened at the end of The Killing Joke?” To answer this, we’ll be quickly viewing the comic’s main points and exploring some theories.

If you don’t know exactly what happened before the book’s conclusion, make sure to check our exploration into what happened in The Killing Joke first.

The Killing Joke’s Conclusion

So, what actually happened at the end of The Killing Joke? We explored the entirety of the comic in a previous article so, here, we’ll just focus on the conclusion.

The essential feature of the book is that Joker tried to convince Batman that the world is meaningless chaos and that anyone can be driven to insanity by “one bad day”. However, Joker is proven wrong. Despite everything he did to Commissioner Gordon, the Commissioner was not driven mad.

At the end of this comic, Batman catches Joker. He tries to convince him to reform and even offers to help him. However, Joker claims it is too late for that and responds with a joke. They both laugh at the joke and Batman begins to strangle Joker as the police show up.

This is where the comic ends. There is no clear or definitive indication of what exactly happened.

What is the meaning behind Joker’s Joke?

“See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum… and one night, one night they decide they don’t like living in an asylum any more. They decide they’re going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight… stretching away to freedom. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend daren’t make the leap. Y’see… y’see, he’s afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea… He says ‘Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I’ll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk along the beam and join me!’ B-but the second guy just shakes his head. He suh-says… he says ‘What do you think I am? Crazy? You’d turn it off when I was half way across!'”

This joke can be interpreted in several different ways that rely on two different scenarios. Either Batman is the man holding the flashlight and Joker is on the roof or the opposite is true.

If Batman is holding the flashlight, it could represent his doomed attempt to reform Joker. Moments earlier, Joker’s belief that anyone is just “one bad day” away from being driven crazy was proven false. This implies that Joker is broken on a fundamental level, which he now believes cannot be fixed. In this way, he sees that Batman has escaped the asylum by moving past his trauma while Joker is simply incapable of doing so. Thus, he views Batman’s offer for help as genuine but believes that it will not do any good, like telling someone to walk on a beam of light.

If Joker is holding the flashlight, it could represent his failed quest to convince Batman that the world is crazy. Joker believes he knows the truth about the world and, thus, he has escaped the asylum. However, Batman is stuck inside. Though the offer for help may seem ridiculous and illogical, it is no more ridiculous than the rest of the world. Yet Batman does not trust the Joker enough to believe him and, thus, will not escape the asylum.

Both interpretations suggest that Joker believes they are both still crazy but in different ways. Both interpretations also suggest that they are closer to one another than they believe yet are incapable of trusting each other and, by doing so, fully accepting the other’s worldview.

Does Batman Kill the Joker?

There is evidence Batman kills the Joker in this story. Many readers believe this to be the case, to the point where it is one of the most common theories regarding the work.

The book starts with dialogue from Batman. While speaking to someone who he believes is Joker, he explains that he just wants to talk for once. He suggests that one day one of them will kill the other. The way he explains it, it almost sounds like he believes this conclusion is inevitable.

Then, he goes on to state that he wants to make a genuine attempt to “Talk things out and avert that outcome. Just once.” He even states he doesn’t want Joker’s murder on his hands.

This dialogue can be viewed as Batman giving Joker one last chance. He has accepted that one of them will kill the other but wants to ease his guilty conscience by trying one last tactic.

At the book’s conclusion, he offers Joker this chance. Joker rejects it. Depending on your interpretation of Joker’s joke, this rejection can be for different reasons. However, most interpretations indicate that Joker and Batman will never see eye to eye. Accepting this, Batman has one option left: kill Joker.

The fact that the laughing stops early gives credence to this theory. Joker’s death could have put an end to the laughing.

The beam of light in the last few panels could also be viewed as the flashlight from Joker’s joke. If this is the case, its absence from the final panel could indicate that the man with the flashlight shut it off and let the other man die, just like the other man claimed he would.

Does Batman let the Joker live?

Despite the fact the many believe Batman kills the Joker in this book, there is also evidence that he lets him live.

After Batman takes the Joker down, Joker says “What are you waiting for… Why don’t you kick the hell out of me and get a standing ovation from the public gallery?” Batman responds by stating that he is trying something different and proceeds to try to get Joker to accept his help.

However, Joker rejects this help and tells his joke. With the essence of the joke being that he and Batman will never see eye to eye, Batman realizes he is right. So, he lashes out like he always does. He beats Joker with violence but leaves him alive, accepting that they are doomed to simply keep repeating the same awful cycle.

The beam of light below them can then represent the last hope for their redemption. When it goes out, it finalizes the fact that there can be no common cause between the two.

Do they both die?

Another option here is the death of both characters. This can be taken in two ways: their literal deaths at the story’s conclusion or their eventual deaths at each other’s hands.

It is possible that both characters die at the book’s conclusion. This repeats many of the points from the theory that Batman kills Joker. However, it adds in Batman’s death as well. The thought here is that Batman laughs himself to death while killing the Joker. This would fulfill his prophecy about them heading down a “suicide course” that will end with both of them dead. In some ways, this could be viewed as Batman sacrificing his own life in order to remove Joker from the world.

It is also possible that the end represents both of their deaths, though not necessarily at the book’s conclusion. This repeats many of the points from the theory that Batman lets Joker live. However, it speculates further into the future. It hold Batman’s prediction that they will kill each other to be true. So, it doesn’t matter whether they kill each other right then and there or at some point far in the future. The divide between them has been finalized and they both will die.

What happened at the end of The Killing Joke?

The ambiguity at the conclusion of The Killing Joke is intentional. It allows readers to imagine what happened on their own. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to make this decision.

So, what happened at the end of The Killing Joke? You can make the call. Take the evidence you’ve seen and develop your own theory. Even more than most comics, The Killing Joke gives the reader agency to formulate their own conclusions.

Make sure to go back to the original comic (preferably the Deluxe edition) and explore. Also, leave your own theories in the comments below!

For more about The Killing Joke, check our exploration into the whole comic here. For more articles like these, make sure to follow ComicBookWire on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and subscribe to our newsletter.