Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy is one of the greatest superhero franchises of all time. Nolan’s vision of the Dark Knight’s home Gotham is dark and crime infested with mastermind criminals and gangs. The villains of the franchise always gave Batman a hard time in his attempt to clean the city.
Heath Ledger as Joker
Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne aka Batman or the Dark Knight is more grounded, realistic, and insanely charismatic. But his villains are not far behind rather they possess the ability to test the true nature and power of Gotham’s hero Batman. From Ra’s al Ghul, also known as Henri Ducard in the Batman Begins to Bane who is potent in both strategy and physical combat in The Dark Knight Rises, the antagonists of the franchise are remarkable. However, the clown prince of Gotham, the Joker has stood out as special and made the franchise even more compelling.
Joker is One Sadistic and Insanely Dangerous Criminal
Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). Source: Warner Bros.
The Joker appears in The Dark Knight, the second installment of the trilogy. Played Heath Ledger, the Joker is an unpredictable and ruthless psychopathic criminal mastermind. Like all superhero movies, the character of Joker is also reviewed under fan theories. One claimed that he had superpowers all along.
In The Dark Knight, Batman teamed up with James Gordon and Harvey Dent to wipe out organized crime in Gotham City. But adding to the flavor of the film, the real antagonist, Joker appears. Joker’s intentions are not clear other than creating chaos throughout the city. His sadistic sense of humor and philosophy brought some terrifying moments to the screen.
Further, Joker’s unpredictability was the reason for the twist in the plot. He killed Rachel Dawes’ played by Maggie Gyllenhaal which later led to Harvey’s transformation into Two-Face.
Did Christopher Nolan Give the Joker This Insane Superpower?
Heath Ledger as Joker. Source: Warner Bros.
Although it does not appear right on the surface, Joker might have an insanely powerful superpower, at least a fan theory claimed on Reddit.
“No one could pull off half the random crap Joker does unassisted. All the near deaths, convoluted plots and inevitable escape attempts… impossible without some other force at work. But really, it’s his name that gives it away. He’s got a power any comedian, class clown or joker would kill for,” the author stated.
Further, the author added, “He has a supernaturally good sense of timing.” Fair enough, the theory does explain his perfect timing to act in any situation including killing the fellow clown in the opening sequence. The Joke acted right on time to kill the other clown when he attempted Joker’s life. The sense of perfect timing is evident in almost every action he’s involved in which he intended to go his way.
“That’s why all his schemes can work and why the only times he gets caught are when he can safely get away later. Because even if he’s unaware that he’s doing it, he’s always in the right place at the right time,” the author explained further.
However, Joker is not aware of his superpower which makes him even more dangerous and unpredictable.
“Joker probably isn’t aware he even has this power, but it’s part of the reason he never gets over his insanity. Because everything always works out for him, he’s never confronted with facing reality aside from the chaos he creates. Except… for… the Batman,” the Redditor added.
According to the theory, only Batman is immune to his subtle power. But, the Joker did enjoy his conflict with the City’s protector. They challenged each other and played mind games to assert superiority. However, there is no hint of Christopher Nolan’s justification of the character in the light of the theory. In Nolan’s vision, the Joker is just a smart psychopathic mastermind without any materialistic goal.
