Summary
- Mark Hamill’s Joker quotes in Batman: TAS captured the villain’s twisted humor & entered popular culture.
- Joker’s chaotic moments reveal his deep understanding of Batman’s moral code in Batman: TAS.
- Joker’s quotes in Batman: TAS show his obsession with humor, highlighting his complex dynamic with Batman.
Mark Hamill delivered a lot of incredible dialogue as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series that perfectly captured the iconic DC villain. Mark Hamill’s performance as the Joker in Batman: TAS was so perfect that he played the villain for decades, in numerous animated Batman movies, television series, and video games. Hamill’s best Joker quotes often offer a revealing glimpse into the character’s twisted perspective and sick sense of humor, some of which have since lingered in popular culture.
Batman: The Animated Series starred Kevin Conroy as the famed Caped Crusader, navigating Gotham’s criminal underbelly in a gothic, art deco style. Both Conroy and Hamill have been celebrated and many consider them to be the definitive performances, leaving an indelible mark on subsequent Batman media for years to come. It all started with Batman: TAS, which was brimming with iconic quotations from the Clown Prince of Crime.
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10 “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin Laid An Egg. The Batmobile Lost A Wheel And The Joker Got Away!”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 2 “Christmas With The Joker”
In one of the most memorable early great episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum in a particularly festive and bombastic manner. Riding a rocket-powered Christmas tree, he belts out the now-iconic holiday parody song: “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin Laid An Egg. The Batmobile Lost A Wheel And The Joker Got Away!”
This silly, chaotic moment serves as the perfect introduction to the Joker’s playful and deadly brand of madness in Batman: TAS. This irreverent twist on the classic Christmas carol has since entered popular culture and is often recited by children in favor of the original. As such, this quotation has transcended the bounds of the show, further cementing Hamill’s Joker as a pop culture icon. The sheer absurdity of the Joker launching into song while executing an escape plan sets the tone for his unpredictable nature throughout the series.
9 “Batman! You Wouldn’t Let Me Fry, Would You?”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 4 “The Last Laugh”
In Batman: The Animated Series “The Last Laugh,” the Joker’s plan leads him to a confrontation with Batman inside a waste processing plant. As their battle escalates, Joker trips and falls off a walkway, leaving him dangling perilously above a vat of molten metal. With his life hanging by a thread, he calls out, “Batman! You wouldn’t let me fry, would you?”
This quote speaks to Joker’s deep understanding of Batman’s moral code. He knows that no matter how monstrous his actions are, Batman will always save him. This twisted relationship of co-dependency runs throughout their dynamic in Batman: The Animated Series and beyond. Joker feels comfortable operating with impunity, trusting that Batman will rescue him, adding to the complexity of their endless conflict. Indeed, Batman does, of course, rescue him, though gives Joker a taste of his own medicine by jokingly pretending to leave him dangling.
8 “Oh, That’s A Joke Right? Batman Finally Told A Joke!”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 4 “The Last Laugh”
In the same timeless Batman: The Animated Series episode, just moments before Joker trips over the handrail in the waste processing plant, Batman confronts him with a rare quip. Confronting Joker, Batman says “Clean up your act, Joker!” Joker, delighted by Batman’s rare sense of humor, laughs and retorts, “Oh, that’s a joke, right? Batman finally told a joke!”
This Batman: The Animated Series line works on multiple levels. First, it’s a hilarious reversal of roles, with Batman delivering the joke and Joker appreciating it. The line also highlights Joker’s obsession with humor and how it defines his worldview. Batman’s seriousness and refusal to engage in Joker’s game of lunacy has always been a point of contention for the Clown Prince. Here, even the Joker can’t help but appreciate Batman playing along, however briefly.
7 “I Hate It When You Make Sense!”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 41 “Joker’s Wild”
In Batman: The Animated Series “Joker’s Wild,” Joker finds himself in the middle of a scheme to destroy a casino. However, before he enacts his plan, he captures Batman and threatens him with a giant and lethal roulette machine. Batman promptly reveals to Joker that he is being manipulated into doing someone else’s dirty work. Joker, upon realizing that Batman is right, exclaims, “I hate it when you make sense!”
This Batman: TAS moment reflects Joker’s begrudging respect for Batman’s intelligence. It also demonstrates the strange dynamic between the two adversaries, where Joker is simultaneously repelled by and drawn to Batman’s rationality and sense of justice. Batman’s ability to outwit him often leaves Joker infuriated, not because he loses, but because it forces him to face the logic he so often rejects in favor of chaos.
6 “Sunshine. Clean Air. *Coughs* I Hate It.”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 37 “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne”
After being freed from Arkham Asylum by Hugo Strange in Batman: The Animated Series “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne,” Joker takes a moment to revel in his temporary freedom. He steps outside with his fellow Gotham villains, stretches his arms, breathes in the fresh air, and remarks, “Sunshine. Clean Air.” He then coughs violently before concluding, “I Hate It.”
This line is a perfect encapsulation of Joker’s character in Batman: The Animated Series. Where most people cherish freedom and fresh air, Joker finds the ordinary pleasures of life distasteful. He thrives in chaos and corruption, and this quote is a humorous way of expressing his rejection of normal societal values. The absurdity of him disliking something so universally appreciated conveys how different he is from everyone else in a way that can be easily interpreted by younger viewers.
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5 “Compare Me To Batman?! I’ve Got More Style. More Brain. I’m Certainly A Better Dresser.”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 11 “Be A Clown”
In Batman: The Animated Series “Be A Clown,” the Mayor of Gotham makes a public statement where he compares Batman and the Joker, suggesting that they are “cut from the same cloth.” Joker, watching the speech on television, is visibly offended and exclaims, “Compare me to Batman?! I’ve got more style. More brain.” Moving to admire himself in a mirror, Joker finally concludes, “I’m certainly a better dresser.”
This Batman: TAS line is both hilarious and telling. Joker’s inflated sense of superiority is on full display, as he genuinely believes that he surpasses Batman in every possible way, even in fashion. It’s a witty commentary on Joker’s arrogance and delusions of grandeur. He sees himself not as a villain, but as Gotham’s true star, misunderstood and underappreciated. It also subverts the expectation that Batman would be offended by being compared to the villain. Instead, Joker is repulsed to be compared to the hero.
4 “There’s A Certain Rhythm To These Things. I Cause Trouble, He Shows Up, We Have Some Laughs, And The Game Starts All Over Again.”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 50 “The Man Who Killed Batman”
In the Batman: The Animated Series episode “The Man Who Killed Batman,” Joker hears rumors that his arch-nemesis has been killed. In disbelief, he enacts a bank robbery, fully expecting Batman to stop him. When Batman doesn’t show, Joker laments, “There’s a certain rhythm to these things. I cause trouble, he shows up, we have some laughs, and the game starts all over again.”
This quote speaks to the cyclical nature of Joker’s relationship with Batman throughout Batman: The Animated Series and, indeed, the comics. Joker understands their dynamic as a perpetual game, with each side needing the other to exist. Without Batman, Joker feels lost, lacking the thrill and purpose that their battles provide. It shows that, in many ways, Joker needs Batman just as much as Batman needs him, creating a balance between the dark and the light in Gotham City.
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3 “You Never Could Take A Joke”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 34 “The Laughing Fish”
In Batman: The Animated Series “The Laughing Fish,” Joker’s plan involves using mutated fish that bear his likeness to take over the fish industry in Gotham. When Batman inevitably tries to thwart his scheme, Joker captures him and prepares to throw him into a tank full of sharks. As Batman refuses to react to Joker’s twisted humor, Joker, disappointed, mutters, “You never could take a joke,” and promptly kicks Batman into the tank.
This Batman: TAS line encapsulates Joker’s frustration with Batman’s stoic nature. From Joker’s perspective, everything, including murder, is part of one big joke, and Batman’s refusal to see the humor in it only intensifies Joker’s obsession with him. It’s a playful pun that also speaks to Joker’s deeper pathology – his inability to understand why Batman won’t play along with his antics.
2 “Remember, It’s Not The Fall. It’s The Sudden Stop.”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 37 “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne”
In “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne,” the Joker, along with other Batman: The Animated Series villains, is preparing to throw Hugo Strange out of an airplane. Scoffing at Strange’s assertion that Bruce Wayne is Batman, the villains bundle Strange towards the airplane door. As Joker prepares to shove Strange from the plane, he delivers the chillingly poetic line, “Remember, it’s not the fall. It’s the sudden stop.”
This Batman: The Animated Series quote is both darkly humorous and terrifyingly cold, demonstrating Joker’s morbid sense of humor. It also hints at Joker’s deeper understanding of fear and death, and how he finds amusement in the darkest moments. It captures how Joker’s warped insight into humanity is often more enlightened than it first appeared. The quote also has a macabre charm to it, reminiscent of other Joker philosophies from other media, including The Dark Knight.
1 “Without Batman, Crime Has No Punchline.”
Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 50 “The Man Who Killed Batman”
When Joker finally accepts that Batman may actually be dead in “The Man Who Killed Batman,” he delivers what is arguably the most poignant line in Batman: The Animated Series. Accepting that the Caped Crusader isn’t about to foil his bank heist, Joker laments: “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” This quote not only sums up Joker’s feelings about Batman but also serves as a beautiful encapsulation of their relationship.
For Joker, crime isn’t just about power or money; it’s about the thrill of the game, the laughs, and the dance with Batman. Without his opposite number, Joker’s world loses all meaning. This line is such a perfect reflection of the pair’s relationship that it was also used by Mark Hamill to announce his retirement from the role after the passing of Kevin Conroy. This makes it an even more poignant and emotional reflection on Mark Hammil’s iconic performance as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an award-winning adaptation of the Batman mythos. Remembered for its groundbreaking art style and orchestrated soundtrack, Batman: The Animated Series features the Caped Crusader and countless characters from his rogues’ gallery. Kevin Conroy lent his now-iconic voice to the Dark Knight, with the show also featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill (as the Joker) Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn), John Glover (the Riddler), Ron Perlman (Clayface), and David Warner (Ra’s al Ghul).
- Release Date
- September 5, 1992
