Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #13!

Batman and the Joker are opposite sides of the same coin and have been at each other’s throats for decades. But when a rogue citizen finally kills the Joker, Batman is forced to admit that the Joker truly helped him grow as a hero.

In the story “Perp Walk” by Jason Shawn Alexander and Rodney Barnes from Batman: The Brave and the Bold #13, the Joker is apprehended after another one of his rampages. But while Batman is taking the Joker into custody, a random civilian comes out and shoots the Joker in the head, killing him instantly — which leads to Batman admitting that the Joker actually made him a better hero.

It’s a shocking moment, and Batman immediately arrests the civilian, bringing him to Arkham Asylum where he will be held on trial for the murder of the Joker. While the civilian tries to explain why he did it, Batman doesn’t want to hear it and instead visits the morgue, where he has a surprisingly touching moment with the Joker’s corpse.

Batman Thanks the Joker for Making Him a Better Hero

The Joker Pushes Batman Beyond His Limits

Batman and the Joker have a complex relationship. The Joker clearly loves Batman in his own twisted way, and Batman seems to have some inability to let the Joker go. Batman doesn’t view the Joker as a friend by any means, but there is definitely a connection between the two iconic characters that can’t be denied. This black-and-white story posits the idea of Batman and the Joker fitting into the idea of “trauma bonding”: sharing a traumatic event that leads to people growing closer or, as it were, co-dependent. This explanation makes sense, but seeing Batman go so far as to thank the Joker is still a rather surprising moment.

While visiting the Joker in the morgue, after making sure the Joker is truly dead, Batman leaves after thanking the Joker for pushing him to be more. Batman originally set out to be a symbol of justice and terror, but the Joker’s ever-increasing threats to both Gotham and the world forced Batman to become a better hero to keep up with him. This growth eventually led Batman to join the Justice League, where he often saves the Multiverse. None of this would’ve been possible without the Joker forcing Batman to escalate his actions as a hero, and it seems Batman truly does appreciate the Joker for this strange rivalry.

Batman and the Joker Have Been Complicated Enemies for Years

Created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson, the Joker Debuted 1940’s Batman #1

Out of all of Batman’s villains, Bruce has always had the strangest and strongest connection to the Joker. While other villains like the Penguin, Scarecrow, and Two-Face all have their own goals for Gotham City, the Joker is really the only one who focuses on Batman specifically. It makes perfect sense that Batman would consider the Joker a kind of twisted ally, considering their so-called “trauma bond” and that, for all the suffering the Joker put Batman through, he really did make Batman a greater hero at the end of the day.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #13 is available now from DC Comics!