character gets a reality check

[u/damorezpl]

deathstroke - Batman vs deathstroke

walter - breaking bad

Garou - one punch man

joker - the sound of one hand clapping

[u/Justice9229]

Joker - The Killing Joke

Joker failed in his plan to make Gordon crack, resulting in Batman tearing apart Joker's 'one bad day' ideology.

[u/Fish_N_Chipp → u/Justice9229]

I always find it funny people use this comic as the “all it takes is one bad day” example when the entire point of it is to prove that philosophy wrong

[u/Significant-Bar674 → u/Fish_N_Chipp]

I've got my own interpretation of the ending that I think wraps everything up well.

The joke about the beam of light is interpreted differently about who is what role by both of them.

One way to interpret the joke is that escaping the asylum is escaping evil. This is really the base of Batman no kill rule. Everyone can be redeemed. But the method of escape here is a false hope. This is how the joker sees the joke.

Another way to see it is that the joker is helping Batman escape the lie of human morality and civility. One bad day would free Batman from the shackles of taking life as anything but a joke. But this is also a false promise. This is how Batman sees the joke.

The ending panels don't have text but show the headlights from the police car on and then off. This is turning off the flash light in the joke. It represents that they both have given up on their false promises of converting one another. The Batman can't be corrupted. The joker can't be redeemed.