Batman: The Killing Joke

The madness begins.

RELEASED 24 Jul 20161h 17m★ 6.6 TMDB

As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.

Why it matters in DC

The Joker's attack on the Gordon family makes his conflict with Batman intensely personal. The adaptation is relevant to viewers exploring how far the character's attempts to justify his actions can reach into the lives of people around his opponent.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before Batman: The Killing Joke — 6h 20m in total.

Justice League: Gods and MonstersOptional background1h 16m★ 7.1
A separate adaptation of Batman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman: The Killing Joke’s story continuity.
Batman: Bad BloodOptional background1h 14m★ 7.0
A separate adaptation of Batman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman: The Killing Joke’s story continuity.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeOptional background2h 32m★ 6.0+1 before this
A separate adaptation of Batman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman: The Killing Joke’s story continuity.
Justice League vs. Teen TitansOptional background1h 18m★ 7.3
A separate adaptation of Batman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman: The Killing Joke’s story continuity.

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Batman: The Killing Joke is title 20 of 40 in our Animated Elseworlds viewing sequence. The Killing Joke is a separate animated adaptation of a Batman and Joker conflict involving the Gordon family. It is not a chapter in the Damian-led connected film universe. Other Joker origins and Batman series offer different interpretations, rather than a required sequence leading into this film's events.

Explore this viewing sequence