What If The Joker Was Cured And Became Gotham's Hero?

Have you ever wondered what the Joker would be like if he was cured of his insanity?  Apparently Sean Gordon Murphy, the writer/artist who is working on a new limited series for DC called Batman: White Knight.  Murphy originally wanted to call the comic Joker: White Knight of Gotham, but was overruled by the higher ups at DC.  This will be a stand alone comic that will not be part of cannon, but more of an alternate universe type story.  Murphy recently sat down with Wired to talk about the new comic.  He says that the motivations between Batman and Joker aren't necessarily as "black and white" as people believe.

“My main goal was to undo the comic tropes while changing Gotham from a comic book city into a real city—a city dealing with everything from Black Lives Matter to the growing wage gap… rather than write a comic about the wage gap, I gave those ideas to the Joker, who leads a kind of media war against Gotham’s elite by winning people over with his potent observations and rhetoric.”

While the comic will focus on Batman and Joker going head to head, albeit more through the law and courts than in a knock-down drag-out fight, it will also feature other Batman characters, like Nightwing and Batgirl.  He went on to explain where the comic will be heading:

“We know Joker’s a genius, we know he’s relentless, and we know he can play the crowd, so why not make him a politician? Why not strip away the psychosis (the thing that’s holding him back) and let him challenge Batman unimpeded? And to make it even scarier, what if he did it legally and without breaking any rules, so that Batman couldn’t stop him?"


“Seeing Gotham for the first time with clear eyes, his psychosis now cured, he starts to understand the absurdity of vigilantism and how Batman’s actions are only contributing to Gotham’s endless crime cycle. Joker sets out to beat Batman by becoming the White Knight that Gotham really needs.”


Murphy also went on to say that while there will be other "Heroes" from the Batman comics that will be making appearances, other Batman "Villains" will be showing up, as well.  Characters like Bane, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Roxy Rocket, and Killer Croc.  Harley Quinn will be showing up, too, and Murphy promises that she will “get the Joker she always wanted. No more abuse.” 


A Joker politician...who'd of thunk it?


Batman: White Knight will be released October 4, 2017.