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The Dark Knight has one of the greatest rogues ' galleries in the history of the risible playscript medium , and many of those supervillains made for some memorable heated up moment . ConsideringBatmanand his colorful shape of supporting heroes and outright villains , there have been plenty of comic book arcs that have honed in on deeply intimate and vitriolic conflict .
Unsurprisingly , the Joker has been responsible for much of the netherworld he ’s brought onto Batman and his loved unity ' life . However , his most personal fights also include other villains and – now and then – some of his allies as well .
The Man Who Broke The Batman (Knightfall)
For being a relatively " unexampled " villain in Batman ’s rogues ' heading – take the hoagy is over 80 eld quondam – Bane has had a massive encroachment on the Caped Crusader ’s traditional knowledge . In what wasone of the best Batman comics of the ' 90 , the sprawlingKnightfallsaga present to Bruce Wayne a foe that ’s been capable to strike one of the most sexual blows , physically and psychologically , even by today ’s canon standard .
Bane made it a personal mission to break the great Batman down , and he did so first by orchestrating a mass Arkham breakout experience that the brooding fighter would n’t rest until they were all contain . sleep with his identity and waiting until he was at his peak for mental and strong-arm enervation , Bane broke into Wayne Manor and the Batcave to break Batman ’s back over his knee . It was an volatile way to introduce a new villain , and it made an emphasised impression on readers and in - universe among heroes and scoundrel alike ; everyone knows who broke the Batman .
Disproving A Point (The Killing Joke)
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’sThe Killing Jokeis undoubtedly one of the most influential Batman comics ever written , as it served as some kind of reference for every well - fulfil live - action version of the Joker and his warp dynamic with the nominal Hero of Alexandria . The Clown Prince of Crime serves as an unreliable storyteller of form , seeking to post out his most heinous crime against Batman , Commissioner Jim Gordon , and Barbara Gordon to rise a deplorably nihilistic percentage point .
He infamously crippled Barbara and tortured Jim to try and prove to them that all it takes is " one forged day , " and that no one is basically different from the Joker . Of course , he fails to break any of their iron wills , with Batman exposing him for the murderous coward that he is . But as personal as this was for Batman , it was even more so for the Gordon kin .
Beating A Demon (Birth Of The Demon)
Fans can largely thank the late and corking Denny O’Neil for reinvigorating the Dark Knight in the kingdom of cartoon strip , as his button in the ' 70s to salvage the character from the bygone days of over - the - top - coterie work him back down to his pulpy criminal offense - noir roots . Part of this enterprise was make alongside Neal Adams and Julius Schwartz the iconic villain Ra ’s al Ghul , the " Demon ’s Head . "
TheBirth of the Demonarc with artist Norm Breyfogle is make up of three Ra ’s al Ghul - related one - barb , with the final narration of the same name pitting Batman and Ra ’s in a deathmatch . The story for the most part centers around the ancestry of the League of Assassins ' leader , but it culminates in a evil fight between the two where Bruce is killed – and even impaled with a power shovel – only to be rise by the Lazarus Pit to pull a reversal on the baddie . Batman and Ra ’s al Ghul ’s human relationship has always been tense , as the two are aware of each other ’s huge intellectual and strong-arm strength and lean to avoid confrontation whenever potential . In a way , it ’s a fragile – but mutual – professional respect .
Bad Blood (Under The Hood)
Though he ’s now one ofBatman ’s most important Bat - family penis , Red Hoodhas had a riotous upbringing and one of the most complicated relationships with his adoptive beginner . Jason Todd was , of class , the 2nd Robin who was pitilessly mutilate by the Joker in the Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo - helmedA Death in the Family , and he was by and by resurrected and took on the Red Hood theatrical role .
Being hurtle back into living was n’t a unlined conversion , as he eventually brought up his spoilt stock with Batman and the Joker in Judd Winick’sUnder the Hood . Jason ’s revitalization as an anti - hoagie means his armed combat mode is even more relentless , and that demonstrate in their confrontations . It ’s a tragic narration , to an extent , as it ’s in the end a history of an unintentionally estranged son lashing out in desperation for answers and validation from his father .
Breaking Point (The Court Of Owls)
DC Comics'“The New 52"brand - wide reboot prove to be a headache of a mistake , but Batman was one of the few character that add up out unscathed . Modern star duet Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo spearheaded one of thebest Batman comic discharge of the 2010s , with the grandioseCourt of Owlsarc being one of their biggest highlighting . Part of what makes this storyline so compelling is that it flips what devotee know about Batman as Gotham City ’s all - knowing World ’s Greatest Detective on its head . This colonial - era murder cult creep in and throws that concept out the windowpane .
The titular Court merely allowed Batman to exist this long , only now coming out of the shadows for his head after Bruce Wayne makes more noticeable progress in agitate Gotham ’s downtrodden out of economical oppression . The Dark Knight gets strung into their subterranean labyrinth , being put through perhaps the expectant strong-arm and psychological deconstruction in his comic account book mythos . Of course , his well - pull in triumph at the end is what makes the electric arc ’s resolution so purgative .
Back With A Vengeance (Death Of The Family)
In what would ’ve made an excellent preliminary electric discharge to a " final " Joker write up , the Clown Prince of Crime came back from a lengthy absence at the start of The New 52 funnies . Snyder and Capullo’sDeath of the Familywas the Joker ominously come back in the same vein as a repulsion - movie ogre , aim to exact a last payback on Batman ’s drawn-out house .
The baddie had twisted himself into believing that the likes of Robin , Batgirl , Red Hood , and co. were hold back the Dark Knight from reaching their moral force ’s vitriolic apex , leading him to try and torture and mutilate them in an attempt to " win him back . " It was a monstrously electrifying story that finished with a irregular defeat of the Joker .
Grudge Match (Endgame)
As one would bear , Death of the Familywas a bloody opening act for what would be an explosive finale on Snyder and Capullo ’s time with the Joker in mainline canyon . The scoundrel has become even more hyperviolent , with this characterisation of the Joker and Capullo ’s haunting art leaning even hard into repulsion - same influence .
Joker came back with an even more belligerent " Joker toxin " that functions as an extremely contagious airborne pathogen , turn Gotham City on itself . He even manages to turn the Justice League against Batman , with the write up crescendoing in an explosive underground fight between the two that may just be their bloody yet .
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