Summary
- The “Gotham War” crossover has caused chaos in the city, leading Batman’s villains to team up and survive.
- The Joker’s advantage over Batman is that he fears nothing, giving him an edge in their rivalry.
- Batman’s tactics rely on instilling fear in his opponents, but the Joker’s lack of fear renders much of it useless.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #2!With just three words, the Joker has revealed why he has managed to keep up with Batman’s tactics throughout their rivalry. “Gotham War” is causing the Dark Knight’s city to go up in flames. Taking advantage of all the chaos is the Clown Prince of Crime, who sheds light on what sets him apart from Batman’s rogues.
The “Gotham War” crossover hasn’t just put Batman and Catwoman at odds, it’s caused the criminals of Gotham to desperate lengths to not wind up imprisoned. With no henchman around and Batman becoming more and more unhinged, Gotham’s villains have teamed up to survive the rough times they’re in.
Meanwhile, the Joker has had his own problems in Gotham. He’s been at war with a copycat he believes has stolen his identity. The two Jokers have been tearing the city apart looking for each other, ready to kill the other and resume their life as the DCU’s sole Joker.
Joker’s Biggest Advantage is That He Fears Absolutely Nothing
In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #2 by Matthew Rosenberg and Nikola Čižmešija, the Joker takes a break from hunting down his doppelganger to search for Jason Todd. Batman has just re-conditioned Red Hood to feel intense fear when his adrenaline levels start to rise. Jason tries to overcome his fear by saving a girl from a burning building but collapses just as the Scarecrow moves in to kill Red Hood. However, the Joker arrives to lend a hand to Jason. When Scarecrow threatens to show Joker true terror, the clown just smiles, boasting that nothing scares him.
Joker isn’t wrong as he frequently puts his own life at risk with his over-the-top antics and crimes. While Joker is not the only villain in Gotham, other members of the Dark Knight’s rogues’ gallery have ambitions, goals, and desires, not to mention correlating fears. When Batman began his crusade, he desired to instill fear in the hearts of criminals. While that might work on petty thieves and the occasional costumed baddie, it has never and will never work on the Joker. The reason Batman has never been able to truly defeat the Joker is because the Harlequin of Hate is literally incapable of feeling fear.
Joker’s Lack of Fear Will Always Help Him Beat Batman
Joker might not be as good a fighter or as brilliant a tactician as Batman is, but he has one advantage that Batman doesn’t: Joker truly doesn’t care about what happens to him. Batman’s tactics generally rely on terrifying his opponents to throw them off their game. But Joker isn’t scared of anything, rendering much of Batman’s methods useless. It doesn’t mean that Batman can’t beat his nemesis or stop his plans, but the Joker’s lack of fear is always going to give him an advantage when it comes to the Dark Knight’s preferred crime-fighting style. Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #2 is on sale now.
