Batman has always had the best, most psychologically violent and disturbed villains. And there is the obvious question of his own sanity. How different is Batman from those he fights? He is a man marked by tragedy, taking his vengeance against the world in a brutal fashion all while wearing a suit designed to induce absolute terror. You say there are no horror elements in Batman? How about a scientist who created a gas that makes you experience your greatest fear? Or a schizophrenic killer horribly scarred over half of his face? And let’s not forget a certain murderous sociopath with a permanent clown face? I grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series, and I still regard it as one of the best Batman interpretations ever. I remember Mark Hamill’s Joker. I remember, despite the restrictions placed on the writers and producers (it was, technically, a kid’s show after all), a Joker who was evil incarnate. He was a madman who delighted in the suffering of others. He didn’t just want to take over Gotham or kill the Caped Crusader. He wanted to inflict pain. He wanted to watch us bleed. Here was a man whose death would make the world a better place, and Batman knew it. This was the Joker from my childhood. To me, he was more terrifying than Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees put together. At least with them, my death would come in a few seconds. The Joker would make it last for hours, if not days...
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