This Batman Episode Created A Monster

[@CasuallyComics]

Who Tells The Best Jokes In The Bat Family?

[@valletas]

Alfred Though not now since dead man tell to tales

[@alejandropradillaamador6435]

I think Dick is the one that makes puns that are so awful you have to laugh

[@leithaziz2716]

Most likely to joke: Dick Best jokes/comebacks overall: Alfred

[@rodneylindsey849]

Alfred 🖖🏾

[@leithaziz2716]

Most likely to make jokes: Grayson. Best jokes and remarks: Alfred.

[@conormitchell309]

I liked The Batman's Joker because he seemed to lean more into the entertainment/circus element of the Joker.

[@Undrave]

He did have a solid 'Demonic Carnie' vibe to him.

[@intergalactic92]

There’s also the fact he incorporates a straight jacket into his outfit, conveying his clinical insanity

[@Leostar-Regalius]

there's also that he showed the more insane side rather the the mad refined genius we're used to

[@Notthebloodgod812]

I loved his more acrobatic skills in this, it actually felt he could throw hands with Batman without using any of his joke gadgets or weapons and still have a chance

[@Tysonardatd]

Carnevil vibes ifykuk

[@coolgreenbug7551]

The best part of this episode is the Joker's suit up montage. We have seen Bruce change as much as a magical girl so we know it by heart. Watching Joker sitting at his computer (in a Clark Kent getup no less) then changing into is poorly made Spirit Halloween getup and jump into the Bat-Dune-Buggy to """""""save"""""""" the day is amazing and hilarious

[@quinnviandsej]

I'm surprised at how much I liked seeing Batman get mocked. He gets called out for being a square every now and again, but this pointed ridiculous satire from Joker was actually really funny, especially in that dopey knockoff outfit. Probably one of my favorite Joker schemes period.

[@intergalactic92]

I just love how into the bit Joker is. The whole, Batman is an alter ego so that means I must have a civilian alter ego myself. Begs the question, did he ever go out in that civilian get up to play at being a normal guy 'tortured' by his duel identity.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

@@quinnviandsej SAME

[@The_Wosh]

The batman who laughs is a really interesting concept that dies as soon as you try to explore it, answering every question really took away from that nightmarish feel he had, which is sad because that's like the first thing they did with the character

[@adamfrey4920]

Maybe that's the meta point of all the Dark Metal Universes collapsing as soon as they're created. "What if Batman were an evil hybrid with Barry Allen?" "He'd obsessively try to solve crime and fail at it." "Okay. That's the extent of that idea." (Red skies)

[@leithaziz2716]

My gripe with the concept of "Batman Who Laughs" as a whole is how shallow it is. It also leans into doing something some writers like to do that I'm not really a fan of. They depict Batman as someone who's able to beat everyone if he ever decided to, which kinda defeats the whole appeal of him being "only human with no superpowers". A major trait that in my opinion makes Batman relatable to an extent and a lasting hero for many people.

[@shadowbyname2802]

The Batman Who Laughs just represents DC and Warner Bros. mentality to this brand for the past ten years perfectly to me. Take a character who is well known for his strong morals and inspiring those around him to do better, make him murderous because of insert reason here, and give him an edgy new design that sits itself perfectly in the middle of edgy and ridiculous. It’s wasn’t even uncommon to see a murderous Batman at the time Batman Who Laughs came out either, there were tons of other stories like it that suffered the same fate. But because all DC and Warner cared about was making any money after all their years of mismanagement, they put it out in the world anyways. Sure they might have reaped some profit as a result, but is it really worth it if you alienate the core audience you’ve built who recognize this crap for what it is? And what is it exactly? No different from those creepypastas from ten years ago that took a beloved childhood or animated IP and painted it black with a “lost episode that made you in alive yourself!!!1!1!1”

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

It's poorly written me thinks.

[@creature6715]

I'm not a fan of jokerfication in general because its basically clown lycanthropy but the writers seem completely unaware of just how silly that is, its one of those ideas that gets dumber the more seriously its treated.

[@ridjenite]

Batman has smirked several times without the toxin and even told jokes in the animated series. Hell, one joke he told was when Harley screamed "PUDDIN!" Batman says "by now he probably is." He even gave a smirk of approval of Static's disappearing act.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

I like when batman does this it shows he's human.

[@JakeMillerWirehair]

Yup. Also love it when Batman said about Static in that one episode. “The kid’s got style.” And he smiled. ^.^ That had me laughing when I first watched the episode.

[@cassiedevereaux-smith3890]

"The Harley Who Laughs"? ....isn't that just Harley? She's not known for stoicism.

[@Grim_Sister]

The… Catwoman who laughs? Maybe? 🤣

[@Commander_Appo]

The Harley that Broods

[@WordSarien]

7:05 I think this line from Joker also works because... well, it's the *Joker* claiming that Batman needs a Joker. It's just as much the Joker's own ego talking as some intrinsic truth about the Batman/Joker dynamic. I really love this episode. I think my favorite part is the fight between the Joker pretending to be Batman, the poisoned Batman who is telling bad jokes and laughing maniacally... and the Penguin, who has absolutely no idea what's going on, is kind of scared at what's going on, and is just trying to get away with his loot.

[@coolgreenbug7551]

I love how the penguin refuses to play along with joker and complains that joker is getting in his way when he never got in the joker's way as a "professional curtesy"

[@MarcyTheKindaCoolWizard]

Penguin had a habit of waddling (heh) into truble he had no involvement in on that show

[@intergalactic92]

@@coolgreenbug7551 "It is my job to take down the second biggest criminal in Gotham." "SECOND!!!"

[@Sayrden]

It also alludes nicely to the "Emperor Joker" storyline, where the Joker gains reality warping powers. Despite easily overpowering and killing Batman, the Joker finds himself constantly resurrecting the Dark Knight. Superman deduces that the Joker won't/can't completely destroy Batman because opposing Batman is what gives the Joker his "purpose". Or, as the B:TAS Joker put it: "Without Batman, crime has no punchline."

[@GarkKahn]

As the animated series showed us If someone manages to kill batman the joker will be the first one to jump and save the city, not because he cares about people, just cause he wants the bat back

[@benwasserman8223]

I appreciate all the love you're giving The Batman. Coming out between the DCAU and Batman: The Brave and the Bold always left this show in a massive underdog position, but I really enjoyed it.

[@GamerSlyRatchet1]

I feel like that opinion's been shifting in the last few years, between the gen that grew up with it speaking out more and new viewers without the bias. I hope Beware the Batman gets that revaluation some day.

[@Odinfrost]

@@GamerSlyRatchet1 Yeeees! Beware the Bat is legit my favorite of the batman series I've seen. Good mix of everything that makes Batman enjoyable. And the villain line-up is quite strong as well. (Aside my dislike for Magpie. I really didn't like her.)

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

@@GamerSlyRatchet1 2000s nostalgia is absolutely in right now

[@jackieec]

Yes its my childhood loved it! Btas is my second fav since i just recently finished it for the first time. Currently watching brave and the bold now.

[@QTRemnant]

Besides preferring Mark Hamill and the design, I wonder what else people dislike about this take on Joker? Personally, this Joker's design, voice, and fighting style are all reasons for why he's my favorite Joker. Also this Joker seems to have the "healthiest" relationship with Harley in my opinion. To be fair, she was introduced in the more kid-friendly seasons, so they didn't (or couldn't) go too deep into that dynamic.

[@WordSarien]

The complaint I used to hear was that people didn't like that Joker could fight hand-to-hand at all, let alone be anything resembling a challenge to Batman. BtAS Joker usually resorted to tricks/his gadgets and henchmen to take on Batman. (For the record, this was a complaint they had for the show overall, since Penguin and other villains ended up being the same way.) Bear in mind, this is from back when the show was coming out and I was never one of those people, so I'm repeating what I remember them saying.

[@manjackson2772]

I love it. They identified that doing a normal Joker again would be redundant with TAS so recent, and set out to get extreme with it. And they absolutely nailed it.

[@leithaziz2716]

I grew to really like this Joker. I do remember the controversy when the show premiered was that they weren't used to the idea that Joker could match Batman in hand-to-hand combat. However it has become a unique trait that I do enjoy about this iteration specifically, that being how everyone can throws hands in this show. Since it's not the "norm" depiction for how the characters are portrayed usually, I see it as a cool difference that sets it apart.

[@brucebanana4486]

I just didn't like him in the show. It was the least exciting villain compared to The Penguin.

[@bluehero-96]

Joker and Penguin being competent enough to throw hands in general was pretty cool.

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

Whole episode on Hugo Strange from The Batman would be amazing, because people sleep on the best depiction of him in any media. And if we gonna compare, the DAVE vs Failsafe would be interesting.

[@Future_Vantas]

Was really excited for Strange in Arkham City because of how The Batman used him. Still a good game, but wish Strange had a better role in it.

[@Undrave]

I second those two ideas!

[@randallflagg3700]

I prefer Hugo Strange's depiction in the show *Gotham* played by BD Wong, but "Arkham City" is indeed a close second. *The Batman* is also good, but....

​@@randallflagg3700Arkham City has a really lame Strange. He isn't smart or manipulating at all.

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

@ for real, I honestly in retrospect realised how Rocksteady really used evergreen mindset too much making the actual narratives and characterisation of most not that interesting compared to Origins which is really great at showing nuances of characterisation in Joker, Bane and Batman. Even some side character like Anarky and Shyva feel more well realised.

[@comicfan1324]

I like how this version of Joker venom doesn’t literally turn you into the joker. I think the idea of a toxin giving you the exact personality of joker, is quite frankly kind of dumb. it works for some stories like Arkham Knight, but in the case of the Batman who laughs, the idea of the thing finally driving Batman insane not being some traumatic event but instead just being that, he inhaled a couple bad chemicals is so unsatisfying. In this story, it’s clear that it’s more of a nerve agent that’s gonna kill Bruce and Joker just happened to modify it to increase his dopamine levels so he’d be literally dying of laughter. And if it doesn’t manage to kill Bruce, he’ll cause so much trauma on the brain that he may actually fall into madness due to the brain damage It doesn’t cross that line into unbelievably, while still still having the horror that comes with the idea of Joker toxin

[@katnguyen9746]

"couple bad chemicals" is literally Joker's origin story. There's no depth, there's no mental breaking (aside from Harley). It's always drugs. Simply drugs because he can't actually break anyone. He's a two bit drug pusher with a planet sized ego

[@GloriousSquizoKing.]

​@@katnguyen9746 And as Superman put it, Joker is so shallow that anyone can write what they want with him, which is not always good.

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

@@katnguyen9746 I always assumed it was a combination of the chemicals with everything else

[@candlestone5397]

To be fair, Batman is mad without the joker anyway. Just because he can do it successfully, doesn't make the fact that he goes out at night dressed as a bat and beats up people and monsters any less insane. From what I understand, the "Last-Laugh" Venom that turns him into the batman who laughs, just fucks with his morality, and maybe his impulse control.

[@DealsFS]

I feel like another kinda similar concept was The Batman Beyond version of the Joker. He has the whole aspect of being the Joker but with all of Batman and Robin's skills while still having a regular Batman in the story for him to fight. He's also able to have his big destructive plan while not having it get ridiculous, instead of becoming god he just takes control of a military satellite since he has the increased intellect of adult Tim Drake.

[@Future_Vantas]

Good catch, think that may be the OG Jokerized BatFam, before this one or BWL. You're right about the scale, the bigger thing is not the satellite threat, its the personal toll it takes on Bruce, dealing with his biggest defeat and the death of the BatFam.

[@sarahanley7142]

And (in that ep.) the toll it takes on Tim in a very… dark backstory

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Best part is when Terry Realities "Hold up, he's used to fighting BRUCE, what If I put my shenanigans into this fight?" and that fucks with the Joker super hard.

[@thesuperiorhobgoblin9048]

​@@ShadowWolfRisingI loved that moment because it was probably the closest thing we'd get to what it would be like for an on screen fight with joker and spider-man.

[@RoRoudoudou]

​@@thesuperiorhobgoblin9048 The Green Goblin from Spectacular Spider-Man gets that feeling for me too, but the other way around, so there's more of a back-and-forth.. Nothing beats the Joker's reaction to being laughed at though..

[@volpe7436]

Rino Romano absolutely kills it throughout the whole series but he especially killed it in this episode he nails the maniacal laugh in the right way thst is just disturbing like it genuinely hurts him to laugh but he can't stop himself from doing it

[@DetroitAlan01]

There’s also the episode where Joker dosed himself with venom, making him super strong and big as a house. There’s no way this wasn’t the basis for Joker’s appearance at the end of Arkham Asylum.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Brawn. Not a bad episode, but it took a lot of (unnecessary, in my opinion) heat from the Timm-ies.

[@andrewramlall3560]

​@@nicholasfarrell5981 I really enjoyed that episode, but it also annoyed me that it utilized Bane's tech when he hadn't been given a second appearance in a really long time. Really, the low variation and high frequency of the villains that appeared always nagged me

[@KallMeKomi]

God I love this channel. It's so nice to finally see somebody speak super positively about this iteration of Batman.

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

00s nostalgia is in right now so I’m seeing more people talk about it

[@raymondtillotson6985]

A similar episode I always remembered involved the Joker on Venom, clearly inspiring the ending of Arkham Asylum.

[@Undrave]

Fun outing for Batgirl if I recall.

[@intergalactic92]

Brawn. Really good episode. I’m fuzzy over which actually came first between it and Arkham Asylum, but it featuring in the show almost certainly is a reason I am more forgiving of its inclusion in the game. (That and it is thematically appropriate given all the venom based shenanigans that happen leading up to it.)

[@raymondtillotson6985]

@@intergalactic92 The cartoon ran from 2004 to 2008, while the game released in 2009. Pretty darn close, close enough to be a clear inspiration.

[@theturquoisedream9244]

I'm loving the attention you're giving this series. 😍😍😍 I loved the line from the Penguin after watching Bats and the Joker interacting, "You two are starting to creep me out!"

[@FireIsTheCIeanser]

I get that this Joker isn't everyone's cup of tea. I get that Mark Hamill's Joker set the bar so high, but I'll always remember this Joker fondly. Unhinged vibes with the way he always jumped around. Loved the scene where he's helping defend Gotham against the aliens because its his town too. Do a video about the crossovers in The Batman!!

[@The_Phantasm]

Rino Romano's maniacal laugh was so on point.

[@CasuallyComics]

It's so good!

[@benwasserman8223]

What happened to Romano? He hasn't done that much voicework in years.

[@khalidahmed8402]

@@benwasserman8223He voiced Uncle Tony in the Super Mario Bros. Movie

[@AudreyII970]

I can't unhear PS1 Spider-Man from his lines but it somehow works so good for Batman here

[@Undrave]

Maybe he should get a shot as playing Joker himself!

[@kap1618]

I honestly liked this version of the Joker. It's cool that he hold is own in a fight against Batman with a fighting style thats unique and in character. Not to mention bis own tools to counter Batman's gadgets.

[@beautifulmind0711]

Sometimes the writers can't tell when a lot is too much. I liked "The Batman Who Laughs" as he was originally written not as Zac Snyder's retcon.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

Hate to be the “ummm actually” guy, but you’re mixing up Scott Snyder (the DC comic writer) with Zack Snyder (the DC film director). I understand that it can get a bit confusing, though, with two separate DC creators who made unnecessarily edgy contributions to the Batman mythos and all.

[@legoben98productions]

@@halfmettlealchemist8076Zack didn’t really do anything edgy tbh, nothing compared to some of Scott’s recent work Like Zack had Bruce started to drift into a more brutal and reckless to bring fear back into Gotham criminals while becoming more paranoid about Superman till he realized how far he was off, and later tries to make it up (like in ZSJL he actually acts how Bruce is while trying to unite the league and actually communicate with people) Scott made a lot of good stories but I think he tried to make it edgy and dial it up for some lighthearted reason for a comic book story (like they had a lot of metal music elements in there for a visual pun on a story called Dark Knights Death Metal)

[@Mysmarttelevision1989]

It’s not always the writer’s fault. Sometimes their boss makes them shove them in. Like how the Batman who Laughs wasn’t supposed to be the big bad of Death Metal but he was told to do it.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Just like how the Sinestro Corps was mostly cool (aside from shoehorning in -Geoff Johns precious widdle ego-saving steaming turd of a rewritten character because he couldn't accept that readers didn't like everything he did- "Super"boy Prime), but vomiting out every other ring color under the sun got old _really_ quickly.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Reminds me of George Lucas and Dave Filoni, this. They sure went overboard without outside supervision come the Star Wars Prequels (barring the excellent side materials) and The Clone Wars 2008 onwards.

[@Shamazya]

I really enjoy how The Joker still has a humorous edge to his antics as Batman, like in that scene you showed with the children and Joker calling them garbage for 'graffiti'. It is disturbing on one level for sure but it being played so seriously from The Joker wraps it back around to being funny.

[@SinShadowed]

"I am silly. I am the goof. I AM JOKERMAN"

[@coledavidson5630]

I love that Owlman always gets brought up in these discussions as an example of "evil Batman done correctly". Because Owlman is freaking awesome

[@GenerationWest]

Classic Joker (Or maybe Roger from American Dad) behavior: "I'm gonna be Batman for a time." I haven't seen the episode in full since it aired, but I still remember the joke that broke Joker out of Batman mood, and said to myself "I gotta remember that one." I love the episode "Seconds" with Francis Grey (Dave Foley) is some average guy (Who dresses like he's from the mid 70's) who has time rewind powers. He's like Clock King with a time gimmick, but with actual powers, and more or less, succeeds with his goals, without being totally enraptured by a time motif.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Hence why Bat-Mite got his due in his very first The Brave and the Bold episode appearance. "A man walks into a bar, and says: 'Ow.'" That joke sure was something. Gotta have a soft spot for timelooper tales like Groundhog Day, Steins;Gate, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Edge of Tomorrow.

[@Corey.Coolidge]

This conversation reminds me of White Knight, where Joker becomes a Batman-like character, trying to clean up crime in Gotham and taking down Batman to do that. Another interesting role-reversal that doesn't go so hard it breaks believability but does so with nuance and flair.

[@EnerKaizer]

The Batman who laughs worked at first because, intended or not, he felt like a part of Batmans villains - who are all basically extensions of different aspects of Batman himself turned up to 11, or clear opposites. In his case he was an extreme version of the image Bruce wanted to send to criminals while wearing the cowl. An almost mythological feeling being hellbent on chasing whoever he is after until justice is served. While Bruces uses this to incapicates potential evildoers to minimize damage (both for him and said criminals) his dark universe counterpart went above and beyond with the concept until he came across like an eldritch being. That was also part of what broke it all. Instead of letting him stay a warped part of the hero they let the Batman who laughs become a literal eldritch god, which just went overboard.

[@bensneb360]

You should talk about “A Fistful of Felt”, it’s a Ventriloquist episode, and real tragic but character insightful look at his fractured psyche

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

That was his Season 3 appearance, right? Where he got cured?

[@GunmadMadman]

The Batman who laughs, smart enough to enslave the multiverse. Not smart enough to think “huh, Joker just sprayed gas in my face, I should investigate right away rather than wait until it’s too late”

[@Defender7591]

I liked the idea of The Batman Who Laughs as a sentient Bad Idea from the Dark Multiverse of Bad Ideas who suddenly became aware and decided to reject his discarded existence, but the concept got played out real quick. I tend to like my superhero comics like my karaoke: no bummers, and the Dark Multiverse and TBWL are just Bummer Junction in my opinion.

[@spiritretro3571]

this is NOT batman the animated series, this is "the batman" which is A animated series but "Batman the animated series" is the old 90s cartoon with the hardest and best batman openign theme ever

[@GTGTRIK]

> He's the batman but without a moral compass So... An edgy Owlman, then?

[@Calintz3]

😂

[@jerfuhrer2581]

When I was watching this series for the first time last year, I was super pleasantly surprised by how many times I'd seen something done there first that was later done in the comics. And every time I saw it, I would scream "you mean it was here FIRST?" my favorites being this episode with "the Batman who laughs" and another with "the war of jokes & riddles"

[@leithaziz2716]

The Batman show might have also been an inspiration for the Batman Arkham games, allthough it could be a coincidence. Mainly Joker using Bane's venom in one episode to get beefed up, which eerily resembles Titan Joker in Arkham Asylum. You also see Bruce use freeze grenades against Clayface, which might have been the inspiration for them being a gadget in Arkham City, as well as being the weakness against City's iteration of Clayface as the final boss.

[@Mister_Nutt]

I found your channel a few days ago and I’m really liking that you take a very neutral standpoint! You’re not a hype man who loves everything, and yet you don’t completely defecate on certain things. You take a logical and reasonable view when discussing comics and ideas, which makes your channel feel like a breath of fresh air! Thank you for making content. I hope your channel grows in the future and I’m excited to enjoy more of your analyses as they come 😁

[@Hanmerhack]

I remember there was an Elsworlds where in a future Gotham a tyrannical Batman would have a yearly Death Race 2000 event where he would race and fight his old villains which would be altered political dissidents and one was made to be the Joker but this one some how found the Batcave and learned about the original batman and decided to take on the mantle of the bat to fight the tyrant Bat

[@alejandroreyes8878]

... Wait, what?

[@camerondodge2070]

I, Joker. It was more gladiatorial combat than Death Race, but other than that, spot on.

[@sarahanley7142]

“I, Joker”, I was thinking of that too!

[@Hanmerhack]

@@sarahanley7142thanks, was beginning to think it was a fever dream

[@Hanmerhack]

@@camerondodge2070 It's just that they send the "villains" out into the city in happy meal cars 😆

[@petersimpson4648]

I thought that Bruce's smirk at the end of the episode was more about him being relieved that things were back to "normal" than about any hints of remaining darkness. Also, "Harley Who Laughs" is kind of redundant if you ask me.

[@danelisslow3269]

Yeah she's always laughing. Shouldn't it be Robin who laughs, or Batgirl who laughs?

[@MegaChickenfish]

This really showcases how a popular concept can get oversaturated, for sure. Reminds me of that Spongebob quote: "You're squidward, he's squidward, I'M SQUIDWARD!!! Are there any other squidwards I should know about?" "Meow."

[@gwinnondavis9284]

The Batman is a series that just doesn't get enough attention to me. So I'm happy to see it starting to get it now.

[@CrusadiaIX]

Warbringer and The Drowned were the best evil Batmen but neither of them were Joker so DC didn’t care about them very much.

[@MegaJetty1]

FUN FACT: the episode "The Laughing Bat" is actually based on an old 1966 Batman comic. My stepdad told me about it. The solution in the comic was also in the show. He had to think of something HE finds funny in order to suppress his laughter, because Joker's Toxin made him laugh at things he DIDN'T find funny.

[@MegaJetty1]

I believe it may have been a "The Brave And The Bold" issue.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

​@@MegaJetty1cool

[@tomjames9681]

Bruce’s real worst nightmare is bombing at his standup comedy set; The Batman who (no one) laughs (at). I’d recommend the pair of videos by BatSpecter. He discusses anti-batman characters like Owlman as well as TBWL. Great stuff!

[@XanderPGK]

I'm happy to see so many people appreciate this episode. This was one of my favs as a kid. It was so memorable from it's creepy imagery, to the moments of Bruce losing himself, to Joker hilariously failing to be like Batman. I love it so much!

[@Mr.Maguro]

Not the only time me and my partner noticed something like that while watching the show. Season 4 had Joker getting buff from stealing Bane's venom like the Arkham Asylum final boss fight, and we were like "wait, that's where it came from?! 🤯"

[@michaelandreipalon359]

"Brawn" is S3E7, mind you, not a Season 4 ep.

[@petermarvy3218]

There is something about seeing normal looking Batman with this big joker-ish grin that is much more unsettling than Batman's Who Laughs whole design. You see Batman smile like that and you know something is really wrong. Less is more in this case

[@DesMuttYS]

"What happened to your arm?" "Cut myself shaving." Tangentially related: some years ago, I was in a bookstore and came across a DC Elseworld book called "Batman I, Joker." It ties to this in that, at the final act, the "Joker" dresses up as Batman. The main story is about a future where people are taken and made to look like various villains, so that "Batman" can hunt them down and kill them.

[@ProfessorHurt]

Batman Who Laughs ran out his welcome when he got an ongoing and slowly took over the Apex Lex stuff. That's when I was, "I'm out." Also, Snyder was just spinning his wheels with Last Man on Earth with getting yet another evil Batman story with a clone fighting him (and everyone but Dick/Babs/Duke dying shortly before the clone showing up. Save poor Damian).

[@austinpopdan4190]

As a 2000s kid, I really appreciate you making videos on this show and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, especially the latter since it was 1 of my favorite shows growing up.

[@vision4860]

This was definitely one of my favorite episodes of *The Batman.* Another one I'd recommend is Season 4 Episode 9, "Seconds". I think it's a nice example of a solid episode that *doesn't* use a traditional Batman villain. It always stood out to me for that reason.

[@sixtytwo.]

The idea of Joker juice that turns people evil never sat right with me. It kinda defeats the whole interesting idea behind the Joker - that he was made by 'one bad day.' Joker being full of bad gas is especially silly.

[@Vinylmelody1517]

The peak of the batman who laughs story for me was batman and joker teaming up to kick his butt. That was so fun

[@JakeMillerWirehair]

And when Batman said “Let’s not speak of this.” I died 😆

[@_ChoccooMilkk_]

5:47 he’s another character that just kinda disappears in later seasons except Yin gets mentioned later on and Mayor Grange just is never mentioned ever again.

[@sonicmeerkat]

honestly this episode is just infinitely better than the batman who laughs. not only is the whole joker pushing things too far just such a trope for his kill off stories at this point but it's also just out of character for him to want to kill batman post mortem. he lives to fuck with batman and to be the one to make him snap or kill him himself. what would be the point in joker venoming batman if he's already broken to the point of murder? no other itteration of the joker does this, nor is joker really known for his contingency plans upon death, the dude flat out doesn't care if he dies. meanwhile this joker plot is explictely to fuck with batman himself, out doing batman at his own game while destroying the mans sense of self in a scary mirror. it seems like one of those scrapped schemes which he couldn't think of a punchline to like the whole piranah tank idea harley used on batman, but this time he actually had that eurika moment. so while this is unusual for the character it doesn't seem out of character nor does he become hyper competant, another thing i hate about the batman who laughs, bruce is supposed to be a regular human being with a lot of money, unless he's blackmailing the planet with nukes he hacked into then nomatter how many super hero protocols he has, a nations military is still going to overwhelm him. this one joker is merely pretending to be batman, easily fucking with civilians to draw out the real batmans attention for his plot while sucking at actually stopping villains cause well, why would he be good at it? he's more of a schemer than a think on your feet tactician.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

Absolutely agreed

[@Draybolt4]

I rewatched this show recently and when I saw that episode I was like "This is it. This is the Batman who laughs."

[@CalvinNoire]

He really is the laugh who is bat.

[@JamyBot]

My favourite part of this episode was always, and still is- Joker in a slightly-too-big batman costume, taking himself way too seriously and really leaning into the dark knight persona. It was always funny to me, seeing a character that was so deranged and always smiling/ laughing suddenly flip and be all broody.

[@dianablack3363]

I lost it on “…the DC neck-snap club…" 😄

[@dangerousdays2052]

It was lit when Bruce laughed at that guy with cancer. 😂🤣

[@jonathonclary1681]

This show went to some messed up places. There was another episode where Hugo Strange unleashed a virus in Gotham that turned the entire city into Zombies. Batman and Robin were fighting to protect the city and develop an antidote. One by one all of Batman's allies succumbed to the virus. It was Finally down to Batman and he was just about to release the antidote when zombie Robin and Batgirl helped him to realize that the only one infected was Batman himself. Strange almost tricked him into unleashing the virus himself.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Messed up, but really smart. Replacing a Bat-Embargo mandate-forbidden Scarecrow with Hugo Strange there not only is resourceful, but also appeals to him being the original fear gas user in the comics.

[@avace917]

This episode is one of the best of the series The Batman. Hysterical. The last joke the joker tells Batman at the end of it is absolutely hilarious

[@AtomicF0x]

11:39 Damn, Bruce got so bad, he was laughing at Gandhi.

[@X_Blake]

I feel like this episode along with Arkham series did a better job with this concept than the future comic arc.

[@personofpowera.b.c990]

I really liked that episode of “The Batman” it was so jarring because Bruce was the only one who was smiling and having emotion, but Batman had nothing, so to see him smile and laughing made you happy, but also not because it was a toxin that was going to kill him. Made for an interesting experience ❤

[@WarmLillie]

I see the Batman who laugh chuckling in dark because this nightmare combo came to light

[@arlibrarian]

I suspect someone else mentioned this but in the 70s there was a comic where the Joker poisoned Batman with a laughing serum that would eventually kill him like in “the Batman” cartoon, with the twist being that it specifically caused him to laugh at things that were unfunny, creating a dark scene where Bruce can’t stop himself from guffawing at a funeral . The Joker then went about killing every scientist that could cure him, until he held the one person who could save him under a guillotine, while telling the worst jokes imaginable, leaving him in stitches. Batman’s solution? Think about scenes from the Marx bros movies on the logic that actual funny things would be unfunny to him now. A weird silver age style story with surprisingly dark tones to it.

[@Jamesalec63]

The Dark Knight With Teeth the Jaws of Justice is a variation on the theme of what if Batman became the Joker instead of The Red Hood but instead of losing his mind Batman became a monster-faced Bat with reddish lips and fangs and dark green body hair and and looking like a winged fox bat still retaining his memories and some humanity and now calling himself Batling: Hood

[@simplycifer]

I'm glad you've started talking about The Batman show. It made me finally give the show a try, and I've been pleasantly surprised by it. Its visual style is unique, and I like how the portray Batman a lot of the times. This episode also reminds me of the mid-2000s novel Batman: Inferno, where Joker steals Batman's gear and terrorizes Gotham. I'm still into the idea of the Batman Who Laughs and think he can be an interesting character, though at this point I think they'd need to rework him somehow. Then again, I feel like him being an alternate universe Batman leans him to being tied into more world threatening events. I do think he was a good leader of the evil fusion Batman league.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Oh man, I didn't think anyone else remembered Inferno! Always wanted to see _someone_ from that book, Enfer or Bud & Lou, turn up in the comics.

[@intergalactic92]

10:57 I never interpreted it that way. I saw it as Batman curing Joker of his 'batman' disease. Joker is not his jokey self in this episode, he is playing everything completely straight, which is the real eerie part of the episode. Whilst Batman is becoming the Joker, laughing at everything, Joker is becoming more and more like Batman, foiling crimes with deadpan seriousness. At the end Batman has cured himself, but he still needs to 'cure' joker. I guess the smile is an acknowledgment that he needs a Joker, and everything is back as it should be. Apart from the fact that Penguin is now infected with the venom, but I’m sure he'll fix that too.

[@rouenrobinson]

Kevin Michael Richardson is really one of the unsung Jokers imho.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

the only reason it inspired the character is that it’s a multiverse character, one in which Batman was unable to develop the level of immunity to the toxin to not be overcome by it…the show wasn’t actually the inspiration, it was an old idea that only got put out there to give a different continuity and villain

[@DarkKnightJRK]

I liked the Batman Who Laughs as a foil, but I do agree that he got overused and powercreeped real quick. I wouldn't be mad if he showed up at some point in the near future after he's rested a bit. And while he hasn't shown up since time of recording, the funny thing is that the last thing he showed up in was, of all things, a Batman/Fortnite crossover comic. It and the miniseries that came before it were actually a lot better than I thought it would, a very pleasant surprise.

[@ricardomiles2957]

If TBwL wasn't overused to death he could've become something cool and stay positevely in people's heads. It has the alure of multiverse characters, it shows something usually are curious to see and had a cool design.

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

I like how both The Batman and Arkham Knight handle this concept. I also really like how Telltale Games handled a concept that's kinda the opposite of this. Taking a Joker that hasn't developed yet, and seeing how he turns out when he admires Batman and wants to be like him, leading to a story path where Joker turns out as a vigilante who can't control his murderous impulses and thus finds himself at odds with the man he sees as his best friend and possibly even mentor/idol. Basically, imagine a Joker who struggles to hold himself to Batmans dicipline and morals, but often fails, making him more like a clown themed Punisher than a standard Joker.

[@XZFirefly]

I've only recently found this channel but I've become an instant fan, and I grew up with The Batman so it's great seeing it getting some appreciation after so long :D

[@Future_Vantas]

Good video for a good episode. It straddles the line between funny and creepy. That sequence of Joker suiting up is a funny parody of the Batman suiting up sequence that the show used, he even had a jank version the sonar thing that the show had for toys. But seeing Bruce get more and more giggly was quite disturbing, and he cut it very close with the cure. The ending was rather unsettling, great connection to Killing Joke.

[@Ksawarrior]

Here’s the thing that justifies giving the Batman who Laughs origin a pass for any weirdness: it’s explicitly stated that he, along with the other evil Batmen from that initial event story, are from Bruce’s nightmares. Which means they follow dream logic and don’t make sense beyond how they convey Bruce’s fears. And that was the initial appeal to the character, that he’s a physical manifestation of an impossible fear. Then they beat the idea like a dead horse and now I never want to see the Batman who laughs ever again.

[@Astroz87]

Excellent analysis! This and the last video give me new appreciation for The Batman. I have to admit that I wasn't really into The Batman when it aired (it was quite different from BTAS), but I think I'll give it a rewatch. Side note: The joker-ized version of this channel could be called "Seriously Stories", and would feature dramatically presented and edited shallow opinions.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Also, _really_ glad to hear you (or anyone, honestly) talk about _The Batman_ after the rocky road it had. Maybe you could do a discussion on some of the series-original villains from the show? The ones from BtAS (Baby Doll, Condiment King, Lock-Up et al) tend to get a lot of focus, but the ones from this show aside from Bennett-Clayface (Temblor, Everywhere Man, D.A.V.E., and Rumor) kinda don't and it would be nice if someone changed that. Or you could do a video about why Maxie Zeus flopped in the comics while his inspiration, King Tut from the Adam West series, was and still is quite popular. Weird that topic hasn't really been discussed, come to think of it.

[@TheGreatVoicemancer]

Honestly tbwl could have a foil in a joker who gained batmans morality and empathy, a light union if you will

[@LowellLucasJr.]

This was easily one of the most creative Batman stories stories ever spawned! This being animated surely levitated the hilariousness of how Joker took his Batman persona so seriously; even having a Bruce/Sherlock-esque alter-ego before wearing the cape and cowl!😂❤

[@kemmdog4444]

You missed the Maestro snapping his younger self’s neck in Future Imperfect.😊

[@sworddomo1951]

I like how this episide takes liberties from the joker fish story where he charges the city.

[@hustle_simmons]

Dark Nights Metal was so disappointing how it ramped up to The Batman Who Laughs literally beating up a cosmic entity with planets. I forced myself to finish that story arc and by the end of it I wanted Scott Snyder banned from writing batman comics.

[@nedbigby9694]

Owl Man is the coolest evil alt Batman. "Nothing Matters".

[@p.a.r.c1694]

I have said this before hand i will keep saying it to my last breath. The dark knights all failed and died but barbatos revived them for his plans. I specifically think the batman who laughs got shot right in the back of his head by Jason the moment he entered the bat cave.

[@Kaden10]

They have to have Judge Death team up with the Batman who laughs.

[@AustinOnSugar]

The Laughing Bat is the quintissential episode of The Batman for me. It's got a unique interpretation of the Joker, and one that lands best here. Also, conceptually, Bruce having a laughing fit in a hospital, or the way Jokebat describes his "justice" concerning Mayor West's wife... _dark_ moments for a kids' show to tackle and they don't pull their punches.

[@MysteryFoxx3506]

Uhmm… I (clears throat)… I really like Apex Lex. I was a fan and thought he should stick around. In a universe with Amazo, Mr. Terrific and Shazam the name is not that bad.

[@ShinKyuubi]

I was a fan of The Batman...also...the fact they specifically designed their version of Riddler to look like Marilyn Manson and wanted him to voice the character was pretty cool.

[@adamfrey4920]

Is there a reverse version where the Joker gets his sanity back and becomes an obsessive crimefighter who keeps taking in orphans?

[@CMWaters]

Not EXACTLY the same, but for a brief time in the Harley Quinn TV series Joker was made sane and memory wiped. He became a bartender IIRC. Didn't last as Harley needed info Joker had so she tossed him back into the chemicals that made him and restored him.

[@adamfrey4920]

@@CMWaters Oh, nuts, I just remembered "Going Sane" in LOTDK. JM DeMatteis, I think?

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

Please keep covering this show. It doesn't get enough recognition. I remember watching this episode one late Sunday night last bedtime and it stuck with me for a long time. It felt like a special episode

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Ugh, Batman Who Laughs. Interesting concept, if only it hadn't been run into the ground during the Bat-gasm. And don't get me started on the minions, it's like Garth Ennis decided "what if all the superheroes were evil, but they were Batman?" to the point that the Berlanti-verse did a better job of Evil Bat-Flash.

[@talk2myself315]

This reminds me of a similar story from 1975, in Batman #260. It's called "This One Will Kill You Batman" and also revolves around a Batman who is slowly succumbing to Joker venom, causing him to lose his sense of seriousness and laugh at inopportune moments (including during a funeral he's attending with Dick, Clark and Oliver Queen). It's a very memorable Bronze Age story by Denny O'Neil. I wonder if it had an influence on The Batman episode, and if it was the first to explore that concept...

[@Crow_Rising]

I think "The Batman who Laughs" could be a really interesting villain if the scope and stakes was reeled way back down to earth. The whole idea of Batman in general being able to beat literally anyone including godlike beings given enough prep time has always been a bit silly, and TBwL takes that idea and cranks it up way past 11. I can imagine a story about him being a threat to Gotham being compelling, but when it gets to the point where he's a universal or multiversal threat it kills the immersion and just turns into this goofy, blown out of proportion story that makes him out to be way more than he has any right to be. An idea I do like is keeping it self-contained. No multiverse plotlines or anything, just a single dark timeline in which Batman becomes TBwL, starts manipulating those close to him against each other, eventually gets cleverly defeated, and then the mantle of Gotham's protectors is passed on to individuals such as Nightwing and Oracle. I really like the idea of the Bat Family managing to find a way to overcome such a dark and bleak situation and managing to survive against all odds, clashing against each other because of TBwL only to reforge their broken bonds back even stronger in the aftermath. It might even be interesting to have these events play out at a time when Jason Todd is first making his comeback as Red Hood, having that play into the whole drama of the situation.

[@MenxiGoblinQueen]

the Batman who Laughs was a fun idea... but it should have stayed in that event. They had a good soup, but they just kept adding water every time it got low, and now it's just a rank broth with something growing around the edges...

[@ladeladel3376]

Not The Batman 2004, but you looked at microwave man and Ethan Bennet clayface as forgotten villains recently, and I think another adaptation-based villain who could carry on that theme would be Calender Girl from the new Batman adventures! She had such a good episode but I can't remember her ever really making the jump over to comics. Shame since she was so interesting, psychologically. I'd low-key love to see her go up against nightwing for some reason? She's obsessed with looks, he's a certified hottie, but whereas she covets appearance for survival, Dick kind of takes his for granted/seems uncomfortable with the attention. Not to mention her character is about a fear of aging, and he's famous for being the robin who really got to grow up. Sorry to ramble- but yeah! Calendar Girl could be cool :]

[@chugiakjrtheplaywwright6461]

Calendar Girl is an alternative interpretation of Calendar Man, an early Silver Age Villain who was intended as a lighthearted gimmick villain who would dress up and commit crimes on specific obscure holidays. I think in the bronze age he was reinvented as a serial killer who would kill people in graphics ways on the holidays instead. I think part of the reason she never made the jump to mainstream comics was that she was already a pretty radically different take on an already very minor villain.

[@GabrielReighert]

Fun fact theirs an episode where it's entirely reference to adam west batman show and the first person to be kidnapped is the mayor.also it induces one of my favorite characters

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Ah, S2E3 - "JTV", you mean.

[@alfredgood6978]

Wasnt the batman who became the bwl already sorta going insane? Could of sworn he was seeing other multiverse versions of people around him...

[@LordMoldoma]

Darkest night was basically just a shitty version of Anti-Spiral.

[@xavierzabie8184]

A better Batman Who Laughs moment would be if Bruce wasn't infected with magical "make someone act exactly like the joker" toxic cloud and instead, just like the Joker becomes sane without Batman, Batman becomes insane without the Joker. It would show that version of Bruce doesn't really even care about what happened with his parents, that instead he fights crime for the reason the Joker always hints at - He's just as psychopathic and nutty as his villains. But that would mean deconstructing the character and realizing that being a billionaire is not a realistically achievable goal for 95% of people at least (making him a metahuman of wealth) and is also not good. Showing the privileges that he does have and wasting it... like irl billionaires do. This will allow for more direction with the character. He can even still be "The Batman Who Laughs" but in a way that's more reminiscent of the Joker's and the name's inspiration with "The Man Who Laughs" (a 1920s movie). Which is all about someone who is incapable of expressing any other facial expression except extreme elation in their smile regardless of the pain (like with the Joker Venom).

[@xavierzabie8184]

also I didn't read The Batman Who Laughs comics so I don't know the extent of cringe, but being a universe destroying threat is not uncommon with Batman's foils (Owlman for instance), this is because what they are trying to do is explain chaos as the ultimate destroyer and Batman's foils as the prophet of destruction. So having an ordered worship to chaos will create destruction (as opposed to the Joker's view which is raw chaos). This isn't an uncommon trope in media either, it's an ancient Greek thing about entropy. With Owlman it was a bomb that destroys the causal link of Earth, with The Batman Who Laughs it looks like they were going with cosmic eldritch horror manifestation.

[@davekisman2763]

Rino Romano is the best Batman Who Laughs.🤣

[@Woodclaw]

The first time I watched "The Laughing Bat" I was reminded of a Danny O'Neill story titled "This One'll Kill You, Batman!" from Batman v1 #260. The plot was that Batman ingested a massive dose of Joker's venom, which caused him to laugh uncontrollably when facing death and suffering, the more gruesome or pathetic the situation, the harder it was to keep it under control. I believe The TV episode took a number of cues from that story, in particular the interactions between Bruce and Alfred.