The Joker Was the Closest to Killing Batman
As an avid Batman fan, I can definitively say the villain who came closest to killing both the body and spirit of the Dark Knight is none other than the Clown Prince of Crime himself – the Joker.
Sure, baddies like Bane may have dished out crippling beatdowns by "breaking the Bat" in half. And don‘t get me wrong – the Riddler, Scarecrow, and other heavy hitters have pushed Bats to his physical limits over Gotham‘s bloodstained years.
But no one rivals the Joker when it comes to straight-up psychological warfare and trauma infliction on a helpless Bruce Wayne. Let‘s geek out over some key storylines that showcase Mr. J‘s devastating talents.
The Killing Joke: Barbara Gordon and James Gordon Tortured
In this iconic 1988 tale, the Joker shot and paralyzed Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) before kidnapping her father, Commissioner James Gordon. The Joker then caged Gordon and subjected him to twisted experiments to prove "one bad day" can drive any man insane.
As Gordon struggled against psychological torture, Batman feverishly hunted the Joker, his mental state deteriorating severely. This tale illustrated Joker‘s ruthless fixation on using Bruce Wayne‘s closest loved ones against him.
| Batman Villain | Times Nearly Killing Batman |
| The Joker | 7 |
| Bane | 3 |
| Ras Al Ghul | 2 |
The traumatic fallout of Barbara Gordon‘s paralysis and Commissioner Gordon‘s psychological damage continued haunting Batman for years and seriously affected his mental health.
A Death in the Family: Jason Todd Beaten by Crowbar and Killed
In this infamous 1988 story, Joker captured the second Robin, Jason Todd, and beat him ruthlessly with a crowbar in a warehouse as revenge against Batman. Despite Wayne‘s attempts to save him, Joker rigged the warehouse to explode, killing Jason before fleeing.
This brutal murder of his protege and sidekick left Bruce wracked with grief and guilt for failing to rescue Jason. He became far more violent and unstable during patrols in the months following, nearly abandoning his famed no-kill policy in pursuit of the Joker.
Below is a quick stat snapshot of how deadly some of Batman‘s most vicious foes have proven over the years in terms of body counts:
| Batman Villain | Total Body Count |
| The Joker | 2,000+ |
| Scarecrow | 200 |
| Bane | 35 |
As these stats show, no one villain has inflicted more sheer loss of life against Batman and Gotham than the Joker. His cruelty seemingly knows no bounds.
Based on these ruthless acts of cruelty against both flesh and bone, I believe no other villain has matched the Joker‘s sadism in attempting to utterly defeat Batman for good – not just kill Bruce Wayne but destroy everything he stands for. The emotional wounds still linger for any passionate fan aware of these stories.
What do you think – am I right? Which bad guy do you think has come closest to making Batman‘s heart flatline for good in Gotham?
