WARNING: Potential Spoilers for Batman / Dylan Dog #1!Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) will forever be loved by fans. Although Ledger’s time as the Joker has ended, fans will consistently notice echoes of his performance in all subsequent portrayals of the character, whether intentional or not. This includes moments in comics, such as a recent development in Joker lore that is incredibly reminiscent of one of Ledger’s famous Joker lines.
One of Ledger’s most memorable lines is his chilling “Let’s put a smile on that face,” often delivered while menacingly holding a knife against his victim’s face, threatening to carve a smile into their flesh. While this line has primarily remained associated with the movie, a new comic has cleverly incorporated its essence, evoking nostalgia for Ledger’s Joker.
The comic in question is Roberto Recchioni, Gigi Cavenago, Werther Dell’Edera, and Giovanna Niro’s Batman / Dylan Dog #1. This comic opens with a gruesome Joker scene, offering a unique twist on why Joker seeks to put a smile on people’s faces.
Heath Ledger’s “Let’s Put a Smile on That Face” Gets a Whole New Meaning
In Batman / Dylan Dog #1, Joker experiences a flashback revealing his visit to Dylan Dog villain, Doctor Xabaras, following his fateful encounter with Batman at ACE Chemicals. This encounter resulted in Joker’s fall into a vat of chemicals, which disfigured his face, giving it its now-iconic paleness and unnaturally permanent smile. Seeking treatment for his altered appearance, Joker turns to Xabaras, hoping to restore his face to its original state. However, Xabaras persuades Joker that his disfigurement is a marvel, imbuing him with an extraordinary destiny. Convinced by Xabaras’s words, Joker embraces his new monstrous appearance and acts the part.
The rationale behind Joker’s penchant for carving smiles can also be traced back to Xabaras’s words of describing Joker’s disfigurement as “extraordinary.” Inspired by this belief, Joker endeavors to bestow the same “extraordinary” quality upon others by disfiguring their faces. In the comic, Joker kidnaps a girl and declares, “I have a gift for you, my dear, that will make you extraordinary.” He then proceeds to carve a smile onto her face, mirroring his own. While this motive differs slightly from Ledger’s portrayal, it still reflects an altruistic yet twisted sentiment.
Joker Mutilates People’s Faces For Surprisingly Altruistic Reasons
This comic Joker moment evokes memories of Ledger’s portrayal, as both characters have threatened to carve smiles onto other people’s faces for reasons that are altruistically twisted. In Batman / Dylan Dog, Joker aims to make people extraordinary, while Ledger’s Joker sought to make people “smile.” Despite the ostensibly “good intentions” behind their actions, the outcome is the permanent mutilation of individuals. Therefore, while it’s improbable that this comic was directly paying homage to Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, it nonetheless captures the same subtly malevolent essence featured in the film.
Batman / Dylan Dog #1 is available now from DC Comics!
BATMAN / DYLAN DOG #1 (2024) | |
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