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Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) remains one of the most influential superhero films ever made. The critically acclaimed Batman sequel grossed $1.009 billion worldwide.
The film has since been usurped by the likes of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and even its own sequel, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), as well as the standalone DC film Joker (2019).
Nevertheless, the gritty 2008 crime epic informed future films starring the Dark Knight, like Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022). It also has the most memorable portrayal of The Joker.
Heath Ledger’s Joker Legacy
Heath Ledger’s performance as the Clown Prince of Gotham, who at that point had only been played in film by Cesar Romero (1966’s Batman) and Jack Nicholson (Tim Burton’s Batman 1989), was both a show-stealer and a game-changer.
He instantly captured the attention of longtime fans and cinemagoers alike, becoming one of the most iconic iterations of the character, immortalized through cosplay, impressions, merchandise, memes, and parodies.
More notably, Ledger posthumously won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009.
The Mystery of His Origins (and Fate)
One of the most fascinating things about Ledger’s Joker besides the tantalizing performance itself is the mystique surrounding his character. The Joker’s origin story has always been flexible throughout DC Comics and beyond, however, the 2008 film leans into this by suggesting that he doesn’t necessarily have one.
But not only does he tease a handful of potential ways he “got his scars”, his fate beyond the film remains a mystery to this day.
Ledger tragically passed away six months before The Dark Knight hit theaters, which is the real reason we don’t find out what happens to his Joker in the 2012 trilogy-topper, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which sees Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman go up against a more physical villain in Tom Hardy’s musclebound Bane.
Why Joker Was Left Out of The Dark Knight Rises
“We’re not addressing The Joker at all,” director Christopher Nolan told Empire in an interview in 2012 while promoting The Dark Knight Rises.
He added: “That is something I felt very strongly about in terms of my relationship with Heath [Ledger] and the experience I went through with him on The Dark Knight. I didn’t want to in any way try and account for a real-life tragedy. That seemed inappropriate to me.”
While the fate of Ledger’s Joker remains shrouded in mystery, many fans believe that he ended up in Arkham Asylum following the events of the 2008 sequel, which ends with armed police apprehending the Rogues’ Gallery villain following his showdown with Batman.
Dark Knight Joker’s Fate Explained
But one of two long-canceled video games tied to The Dark Knight recently shed some light on what might have actually happened to Heath Ledger’s unpredictable agent of chaos.
The first film in Nolan’s trilogy, Batman Begins (2005), got a video game adaptation the year it was released in theaters, and while its 2008 follow-up was due to get the same treatment in 2008, that never happened. A project that was being developed by Pandemic Studios was set to be open world, however, as we know, it never saw the light of day.
Related: Robert Pattinson’s ‘The Batman’ Sequel Officially Canceled, James Gunn Confirms
Recently, storyboard artwork surfaced on Reddit (via Vice) that shows a number of scenes in the game involving Ledger’s Joker.
It also ties in with Greg Cox’s novelization of the third film, The Dark Knight Rises.
Other Dark Knight Media Explanations
This excerpt from the book explains how the inmates of the infamous Gotham City asylum were relocated to Blackgate Prison (which appears in the 2012 film) following the [Harvey] Dent Act, while, according to rumors, The Joker remained the only inmate at Arkham:
“Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible to cop an insanity plea, it had replaced Arkham Asylum as the preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure. Not even Selina.”
The third film also seemingly features a tribute to Ledger, during the scene where the Batman statue is presented to the public at the end of the film, with a bird’s-eye view of the unveiling appearing to resemble his Joker’s signature smile. Watch it below:
Heath Ledger’s Joker Returns Elsewhere
While the untitled game wasn’t necessarily going to be canon with Nolan’s films, it still offers some insight into what may have been planned for his character beyond the 2008 sequel.
Pandemic and EA’s scrapped project wasn’t the only open-world game linked to The Dark Knight. However, Monolith Productions’ Project Apollo was reportedly canceled as a result of Nolan not giving publisher Warner Bros. Games his approval for a game tied to his films.
Either way, the legacy of Heath Ledger’s Joker lives on, as he will appear in the upcoming third-person action-adventure video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
Developed by TT Games, the open-world game is heavily inspired by decades of Batman media and features a huge roster of various character iterations, including Ledger’s Joker.
In addition to The Joker, Legacy of the Dark Knight features Bane (voiced by Matt Berry), who is based on Tom Hardy’s version, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman from Batman Returns (1992). Bruce/Batman is voiced by Shai Matheson.
On the hero side, the cast includes Batman, Jim Gordon, Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl. Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Jim Gordon (from 2022’s The Batman) is also in the mix.
It’s scheduled for release on May 29, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a later Nintendo Switch 2 version.
Is Heath Ledger’s Joker one of your favorites? What do you think happened to the character after The Dark Knight? Share your thoughts with us below!