What Happened To The Joker After The Dark Knight (He Didn't Die)

Heath Ledger’s Joker was the most memorable villain from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, but what happened to him after his introduction in The Dark Knight? Nolan’s take on Batman was darker and with a more realistic approach than previous versions, and this formula proved to be very successful, starting in 2005 with Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader.

The second installment of the trilogy, The Dark Knight, was released three years later and brought back a fan-favorite villain: the Joker, played by Heath Ledger. By the end of the film, the Joker was arrested and Batman shifted his focus to other problems, namely Harvey Dent’s killing spree. However, the Joker wasn’t even mentioned in the third film, The Dark Knight Rises, leaving fans wondering what happened to him after his arrest.

Related: Heath Ledger Hated Comic Book Movies - Then He Met Christopher Nolan

After Heath Ledger’s death in 2008, months after filming wrapped, Nolan stated he wouldn’t recast nor include the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, as there were rumors that they were planning to bring him back through unused footage from The Dark Knight. That way, the Joker’s status wasn’t addressed in the film – but it was in the novelization. Written by Greg Cox and published a couple of days after the release of the film, The Dark Knight Rises novelization points out that, as most inmates were moved to Blackgate Prison due to the Dent Act, the Joker wasn’t found there, so he could have been one of the few left in Arkham Asylum (if not the only one). As such, there’s also the possibility that he escaped during Bane’s revolution.

Of course, there are fan theories about the Joker’s whereabouts during the events in The Dark Knight Rises, some saying that he was killed due to the Dent Act. If the Joker escaped, he probably would have taken part in Bane’s chaos, but he played no role in it, leading some fans to believe he was death by then. A theory posted on Reddit took a deep look into the Dent Act, its implications, the Joker’s crimes, and the timing of some of the events in the film to support the idea of the Joker’s execution.

The Joker’s fate after The Dark Knight and during the events in The Dark Knight Rises will remain a mystery unless Nolan decides to share some details at some point. For now, fans can rest assured knowing that he most likely stayed in Arkham Asylum after the rest of the inmates were moved to Blackgate Prison, and that he might have escaped later on – after that, whatever he did and wherever he went is a mystery.

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