The Internet Thinks It's Solved Batman: The Killing Joke's Biggest Mystery

Batman: The Killing Joke's infamous final punchline may have finally been solved by online fans with a great sense of humor.

Per Screen Rant, the long-studied and infinitely debated punchline from Batman: The Killing Joke may have been cracked after almost four decades by Reddit user Hardcorepro-cycloid. In a recent post, Hardcorepro-cycloid offers his explanation for why the punchline is so funny, explaining that "Joker is essentially saying: You can't help me because you're just as insane as I am. Batman is laughing because its absurd that the second most insane person in Gotham just offered to rehabilitate the most insane person in Gotham."

Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland with colors by John Higgins, Batman: The Killing Joke was released in 1988 and quickly became one of the most iconic and controversial pieces of franchise media in history. The story follows the Joker's transformation from failed stand-up comic and family man to a brazen killer and criminal mastermind. Along the way, the Joker carries out some truly horrific acts, including shooting and paralyzing Barabra Gordon in her own home, which he photographs to torment her father with later on.

When finally cornered by Batman, the Joker is offered a shot at rehabilitation, to which he responds with a joke that most readers still can't agree on. The joke involves two asylum inmates who attempt to escape, only for the plan to fall apart when the second inmate worries that the first will foil their own plan by turning the lights off on him halfway through, to which Batman can't help but burst into uproarious laughter along with his foe as he takes the Joker into custody.

Batman: The Killing Joke Is Still Relevant Today

Since its release, Batman: The Killing Joke has been the subject of endless debate and study, and has been referenced across numerous other DC Comics' titles. Among these are 1996's "Oracle: Year One: Born of Hope" by John Ostrander and Kim Yale which saw Barbara recount the events from her own perspective, as well as 2007's "No Joke" by Geoff Johns, which sees Booster Gold learn the hard way that some events simply cannot be erased from time or altered in any meaningful way.

Batman: The Killing Joke was also adapted as an animated feature film back in 2016, which proved to be a success at the box office during a special one-night only screening event. During its extremely limited theatrical run, Batman: The Killing Joke raked in more than $4.4 million, all against a surprisingly low production budget of only $3.5 million, making it the ninth-highest grossing R-rated animated film at the time (now 27th overall).

Audiences weren't nearly as kind to the animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke, however, with many lambasting its stilted tone and uneven pacing, as well as its treatment of sensitive story elements. As of the time of writing, Batman: The Killing Joke holds a mere 35% "Fresh" rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across 46 verified critical reviews of the film.

Batman: The Killing Joke can be bought wherever comic books are sold. The movie adaptation is available on HBO Max and Hulu.