Essay Questions

What does the Joker say before killing someone, and why is it relevant to Bruce Wayne?

The Joker says, "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?" It's a question that he asks Bruce Wayne before shooting him while in Vicki Vale's apartment. But the real relevance of his statement to Wayne is that he asked Bruce this same question when Bruce was a young boy just after he shot and killed both of his parents right in front of the kid. It brings back the traumatic experience for him and strikes up his heart of vengeance against Napier.

What is the relevance of Burton using purple smoke in the museum scene?

Tim Burton crafted a comic book style set that resembles a steampunk Gotham City. It is fully animated by the steam that billows from the city and we see the steam consistently throughout the beginning of the film before Jack Napier is turned into The Joker. Thus when Napier becomes the Joker and the purple smoke comes from the vents it represents that The Joker is taking over the city and inflicting it with fear and his terror.

Why is it ironic that The Joker was created by Batman?

In the beginning of the film we see Jack Napier slip through the grip of Batman before falling into a vat of chemicals which turn him into the Joker. Thus Napier tells Batman that he was created by him. It is ironic because Batman was created by Napier as when Wayne was a young boy Jack shot and killed his parents in front of him and turned him into a revenge seeking crime-stopper.