There’s plenty to love about 1989’s Batman starring Michael Keaton as the titular Dark Knight, especially its major Joker twist, which will never be beaten. Played by Jack Nicholson, who provided the first truly dark on-screen portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, the script features compelling deviations from Joker’s origins in DC Comics. Likewise, one change in particular was so good, no future Batman movie will likely ever attempt to mirror it.
In 1989’s Batman by director Tim Burton, the Joker’s original identity is confirmed to be Jack Napier, a Gotham gangster who inadvertently falls into a vat of chemicals following his first altercation with Keaton’s Batman. While the identity reveal was a major change from the comics’ Joker whose past is largely a mystery, it allowed for an even bigger twist for the Burtonverse. As revealed via flashbacks, it was revealed in a major twist that Napier was the one who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, rather than the classic small-time criminal Joe Chill in the original comics.
Why Michael Keaton’s Batman Was Recast After Batman Returns
Michael Keaton was recast as Batman after two movies as the Dark Knight, all due to one important reason that was rooted in the source material.
Even Batman’s Creator Wished He’d Had Joker Kill Bruce Wayne’s Parents
Batman (1989)
- Release Date
- June 23, 1989
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Cast
- Michael Keaton , Jack Nicholson , Kim Basinger , Billy Dee Williams , Robert Wuhl , Pat Hingle , Michael Gough
The idea that Joker was the one who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents and unknowingly created his own arch-nemesis is incredibly dynamic. The changes to Joker (and Batman’s) origins were reportedly so good that one of Batman’s original creators, Bob Kane, claimed he wished he and Bill Finger had thought of the twist themselves for Batman’s official origins on the page. As such, the bar was set rather high for future Batman projects seeking to have similar twists to Batman’s history, especially given Kane’s high praise and approval of the significant Joker changes.
Batman 89’s Wayne Murders Made Joker’s Co-Creator Reconsider His Origins
Batman 1989’s Wayne murders and Joker change proved controversial, but it also made co-creator Bob Kane reconsider the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin.
Joker Killing The Waynes Cannot Happen In Another Batman Movie
To that end, it’s very unlikely that future Batman movies will ever attempt to have Joker or anyone else as the Wayne Killer other than Joe Chill. It would simply feel too derivative of 1989’s Batman. It’s the kind of shocking twist that’s so perfect it really only works once, much like Darth Vader’s reveal that he’s Luke’s father in The Empire Strikes Back.
Subsequent Batman movies either kept the focus on Joe Chill or chose to leave the killer’s identity a mystery. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy had its own version of Joe Chill, and it’s presumed the killer in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is also Chill. However, the killer in Matt Reeves’ The Batman is currently unknown at the start of this new trilogy, though there are heavy implications either Carmine Falcone or Salvatore Maroni were involved. Clearly, the Joker twist in 1989’s Batman was so good it’s only been done once (and will likely stay that way).
