The infamous ferry scene in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight may have had a secret twist involving Joker’s plan. Nolan’s gritty realistic take on Batman contains a nail-biting sequence in which the Joker has rigged two ferries with explosives, one carrying dangerous criminals, and the other innocent civilians. He also gives each ship a detonator and tells the passengers they have the power to trigger the explosives on the other boat. If neither boat uses its detonator, both will explode at midnight.
Naturally, the people aboard the ships begin to panic and deliberate among themselves about whether they should use the device on the other ship. In the end, both ships decide not to use it, despite the fact that it puts their lives in danger. Luckily, Batman is able to stop the Joker from following through on his promise of a midnight explosion of both ships, putting an end to one of the most nerve-racking scenes in the Christopher Nolan sequel.
However, some have theorized that there may have been more to the Joker’s plan that night. A fan theory (via Reddit) proposes that if someone had utilized the detonator, it would not have activated the explosives on the other ship, but killed the people on their own ferry instead. The Joker is known for chaotic behavior and messing with his victims, so it is entirely possible that he may have switched the devices and lied.
How This Joker Twist Would Have Changed The Movie
If this theory had been true and a ship had chosen to use the device in the movie, no one would have known that the other ship hadn’t done it, and the blame still would have been placed on the other ferry. So, if the civilians had tried to sacrifice the criminals and died, the criminals would have been blamed for their death, furthering the hatred Gotham City already has for them in the film. This theory fits well with the Joker’s penchant for tricks and misdirection, as seen when he lies about the location of Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes before her death.
While the switched detonators theory is a popular one, other theories about the ferry moment in The Dark Knight have arisen as well. A twist on the theory is that both detonators would have activated explosives on the criminals’ ferry. This way, the Joker could villainize the citizens of Gotham City that Batman protects either way. Another theory is that if either boat had chosen to use the device, both boats would have exploded regardless, further showcasing the Joker’s inclination for deception and cruel tricks.
Audiences will likely never know whether this theory is true because Nolan is not making a fourth Batman movie. However, the fact that viewers are still theorizing about The Dark Knight 14 years after its release is a testament to its lasting legacy for DC fans. Luckily, although The Dark Knight trilogy has ended, DC audiences can look forward to more chaotic Joker content in the upcoming Joker 2 directed by Todd Phillips, and another Joker iteration was teased at the end of Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
