What if Batman and Joker decided to end their co-dependent relationship all for once? That’s exactly what happened in the merely 14-page fanfic, titled Batman: The Deal. The short story explores Batman and his archnemesis Joker’s final duel and the ending shocked many DC fans. Many fans found it abysmal despite becoming one of Batman’s most-read fanfics.
The comic was written by Gerardo Preciado and illustrated by Daniel Bayliss. It first appeared on the author’s personal blog. It quickly attracted DC fans for its deep yet controversial take on the Batman-Joker relationship. However, fans couldn’t help but appreciate the graphic depiction and fantastic use of the infinite scroll.
The Batman-Joker Fanfic, The Deal, Explored A Relationship Between Them Like Never Before
Batman: The Deal begins with Batman receiving a package. When he opens it up, he finds Alfred Pennyworth, his butler and father figure, chopped up in a box. The Joker is shown to be traveling in a zeppelin over Gotham City with containers of poisonous gas in it. He dances around with Alfred’s hand.
Fans realize that Batman is chained inside with the Joker in the zeppelin. He gets enraged by Alfred’s death and breaks the chain. He mauls over the villain and starts beating him up badly. He repeatedly asks the villain “Why?”, as he continues to brutally attack him. In between the beatings, the Joker managed to answer, “That was the deal.”
The Joker goes on to mock Batman and says that the Dark Knight loved him, which causes him to further lose his cool. He angrily throws the Clown Prince of Chaos across the room and he lands on a lever, that causes the zeppelin to malfunction. During the ensuing chaos, the Joker slips and falls out through a window.
Batman catches him in time while holding on to the edge of the zeppelin window. The Joker went on to share that they were always meant to have a co-dependent relationship. He even claims that they were soulmates who loved each other and that he was Batman’s wife in another lifetime. He shares that the Joker always pushed him to become the best superhero.
The villain then shares that they had switched roles in previous lives and it was time that he gets rid of this body. He shares that he wanted to be “light again.” When he finally says that this life is an illusion, Batman says, “I know”, before letting go and committing suicide alongside the Joker.
Modern Fans Could Not Appreciate This Batman-Joker Storyline
The fanfic was released over a decade ago and received some recognition from fans at the time. However, there were fans who hated it at that time. An example would be this Reddit user, who found the entire Bill Hicks monologue in the ending to be cringeworthy. However, modern fans were more critical of the fanfic.
When the Instagram page, @ton_comics_blog, did a reel on the storyline, fans expressed their dislike for the storyline. The comments ranged from calling it a terrible interpretation of the character to comparing it with Sherlock‘s plot. One fan pointed out that Batman and Joker being counterparts was a theme used by Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight. Some of the fan reactions read:
Absolutley terrible interpretation of the characters
98chicoblanco
Idk what is worse the writing or the art style
zwy8706
DC needs to 💀 Joker and keep him 💀 for like a decade so we stop getting terrible cringey stories like this
arhumahmad
This is just bad all around
tonyw_nerdout
This conceptual about their relationship is not New, it one of the reasons the Nolans bat move made such a success, with Bale and Ledger. The ending is New, I give you that.
guims85
Sounds like somebody lifted the plot of Sherlock.
mrthepinkyoda
However, fans should give it to Gerardo Preciado and Daniel Bayliss for coming up with a fanfic that got noticed among the sea of fanworks online. The polarizing nature of the theme was a crucial factor in its popularity as the writer once shared with ComicBook.com. Fans who might want to try Batman: The Deal can now read it on the writer’s blog.
