Share:
Released in 2008, The Dark Knight is one of the most critically acclaimed Batman films, featuring one of the greatest portrayals of the Joker by Heath Ledger.
The movie stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, and follows a straightforward premise. Bruce Wayne teams up with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Police Lieutenant Jim Gordon to combat organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are thwarted by the Joker, who aims to undermine Batman and spread fear throughout the city.
Like any great film, fans continue to discover just how clever and full of secrets The Dark Knight really is, even years after its release. A Reddit user named gdan95 shared an interesting theory that could change our understanding of the movie.
The theory suggests that the Joker knew Bruce Wayne was Batman but decided not to reveal it. Instead of exposing Batman, the Joker manipulates him by threatening to kill innocent people unless Batman gives up his identity.
This implies that the Joker wants to keep their fight going because he enjoys the chaos Batman brings. The user argues that the Joker knows that revealing Batman’s secret would force him to stop being Batman to keep his loved ones safe, making it harder for Batman to protect Gotham and highlighting the Joker’s views on morality and chaos in society.
The Joker is essentially playing with Batman, which makes Batman’s job all the more difficult since he spends the entire movie wondering when he can stop being Batman and let someone else worry about protecting the city.
Like any fan theory, this one makes sense if you choose to overlook certain details. Many comments have highlighted that the Joker does not know Bruce Wayne is Batman for several important reasons.
First of all, when Dent “admits” to being the Batman, Joker believes him. During the Tumblr chase scene when Joker is firing rockets, the Tumblr makes its entrance by doing a rocket-powered jump to take the impact of one of the rockets. Joker makes an audible, “Hmm…” sound, showing that he genuinely wasn’t expecting that. Why? Because he thought Dent was the Batman.
We simply don’t know enough about his background to know what he does or doesn’t know. For all we know he could be a cop scarred in the riots in the first movie. And thus very invested in the “Who is the Batman?” There’s simply not enough to go on.
I think the Joker and Harvey Dent both knew his identity by the end of the movie I think the directors of the movie just left that part of the plot out. Joker doesn’t care very much about revealing his identity, he just loves the mayhem he causes with getting Gotham to turn on Batman. I think Dent knew at the press conference it was Bruce but believed that it wasn’t a good idea for him to let go of Batman so he turned himself in.
So, what do you think about this theory? Let us know in the comments below!