Twenty-six years later, and it still stings. Honestly, if you grew up watching the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), you probably remember the exact moment your stomach dropped while watching Return of the Joker. It wasn’t just another superhero flick. It felt dangerous. It felt like something we weren't supposed to be seeing on a Saturday morning.
The movie serves as the definitive bridge between the classic Batman: The Animated Series and the futuristic Batman Beyond. It answers the one question fans had been screaming for years: what actually happened to the original Joker? Because in the future of Neo-Gotham, Bruce Wayne is a crotchety old man with a cane and a high-tech protege named Terry McGinnis. The Clown Prince of Crime was supposed to be dead. Buried. A dark memory rotting under the floorboards of the old Batcave.
Then he shows up at a press conference. He looks exactly the same. He's laughing. People are dying. And Bruce Wayne looks like he’s seen a ghost.
The Censorship Battle That Almost Killed the Movie
You can't talk about Return of the Joker without talking about the "uncut" version. It’s a legendary piece of animation history. Originally, the film was supposed to be the crown jewel of the Kids' WB lineup, but then the Columbine High School massacre happened. The cultural climate shifted overnight. Suddenly, a cartoon where a child is kidnapped and brainwashed into a mini-murderer didn't seem like great PR for a toy-selling network.
Warner Bros. freaked out.
They hacked the movie apart. They changed the colors. They edited the violence. In the original "clean" version, the Joker dies because he trips and falls onto some electrical equipment. It was lame. It lacked weight. It took years of fan petitions and internal lobbying from producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to finally get the "Original Uncut" PG-13 version released on DVD.
That uncut version is the only one that matters. Why? Because of the flashback.
The flashback is roughly 12 minutes of the most harrowing storytelling in superhero history. We see the final confrontation between the original Batman and the Joker. We see Tim Drake—the second Robin—captured and tortured for three weeks. The Joker didn't just beat him; he broke him. He turned him into "Joker Junior."
💡 You might also like: Black Bear by Andrew Belle: Why This Song Still Hits So Hard
Why the Tim Drake Twist Still Works
Most modern "gritty" reboots try to be edgy by adding swear words or blood. Return of the Joker didn't need that. It used psychological horror. The image of a pale, giggling Tim Drake wearing a miniature Joker suit is etched into the brain of every millennial who saw it. It’s deeply uncomfortable.
It also highlights the fundamental flaw in Bruce Wayne’s crusade.
By bringing children into his war, Bruce paved the way for this tragedy. The movie doesn't let him off the hook. Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) even says it out loud—they were just kids playing a dangerous game. When the Joker reveals his "son" to Batman, it isn't just a taunt. It's a total victory. He proved that even Batman’s brightest hope could be corrupted into a nightmare.
The way Joker dies in the uncut version is also much more poetic. Tim Drake, forced to choose between killing his mentor or his captor, shoots the Joker with a "BANG" flag gun that turns out to be a real projectile. "Puddin'..." the Joker gasps. Those were his last words. It was final. Or at least, it was supposed to be.
How the Joker Actually Returned
The "science" of the return is actually pretty clever for a cartoon from 2000. It wasn't magic. It wasn't a Lazarus Pit. It was microchip technology.
Basically, while Tim Drake was being tortured, the Joker used Project Cadmus technology to encode his entire personality, DNA, and memories onto a tiny chip. He implanted it at the base of Tim's brain. For decades, the Joker lived as a dormant sub-personality inside a middle-aged, suburban Tim Drake who had no idea he was carrying his worst nightmare around.
It’s a body-horror concept that fits perfectly with the cyberpunk aesthetic of Batman Beyond. It also makes the final fight between Terry McGinnis and the "New" Joker so satisfying.
📖 Related: Billie Eilish Therefore I Am Explained: The Philosophy Behind the Mall Raid
Terry vs. The Legacy
One of the best things about Return of the Joker is that it proves why Terry McGinnis is a worthy successor. Bruce Wayne could never beat the Joker without getting his hands dirty or losing his mind. Terry is different. He’s a street kid. He’s got a sense of humor that isn't as dry as Bruce's.
During the final battle, Terry does the one thing Bruce never could: he laughs at the Joker.
- He mocks the Joker’s routine.
- He calls his jokes "stale."
- He points out that for all the chaos, the Joker is just an obsessed fanboy of the original Batman.
This absolutely breaks the Joker. He can't handle not being taken seriously. It’s a brilliant bit of writing that validates Terry’s identity as Batman. He isn't just a Bruce Wayne clone; he’s his own man with his own tactics. He uses the Joker’s ego against him, leading to the destruction of the chip and the final, permanent end of the Joker’s consciousness.
The Production Quality was Peak DCAU
The animation in this film was handled by TMS Entertainment (the same studio that did high-end episodes of Batman: TAS and Akira). You can tell. The lighting is moodier. The character designs by Glen Murakami are sharper.
Mark Hamill’s performance? Unreal. This might be his best work as the Joker. He manages to sound older, more bitter, yet somehow more energetic. When he screams at Terry, "You're not Batman!" you can feel the genuine rage of a villain who feels his legacy is being insulted by a "pretender."
And then there’s Kevin Conroy. The late, great voice of Batman. In the flashback scenes, he plays a younger, more agile Bruce. In the "present" day scenes, he’s the grumpy mentor. The range Conroy shows—especially when he’s reacting to the sight of a broken Tim Drake—is why he remains the definitive Batman for many.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a common misconception that Tim Drake "became" the Joker. He didn't. He was a host. Once the chip was destroyed, Tim was back to being himself, though obviously carrying a lifetime of trauma. The movie ends on a surprisingly hopeful note for Tim, showing him in a hospital bed being visited by Bruce and Barbara.
👉 See also: Bad For Me Lyrics Kevin Gates: The Messy Truth Behind the Song
It’s an apology from Bruce. A silent acknowledgement that he failed his partner.
Another detail people miss: the "Dee Dee" twins (the Joker’s hench-girls) are actually the granddaughters of Harley Quinn. In the uncut ending, an elderly Harley shows up to bail them out of jail. It’s a quick cameo, but it confirms that Harley survived the events of the flashback and lived a somewhat "normal" (if frustrated) life. It adds a layer of continuity that makes the DCAU feel like a living, breathing world.
Why You Should Rewatch It in 2026
If you haven't seen it in a while, it holds up better than almost any other superhero movie from that era. It’s tight. 76 minutes of pure, unfiltered storytelling. No fluff.
The themes of legacy, trauma, and the ethics of vigilantism are more relevant now than they were in 2000. We live in an era of "legacy sequels," but Return of the Joker did it first—and did it better—by actually being willing to hurt its main characters. It didn't reset the status quo at the end. Tim Drake is still scarred. Bruce is still alone.
It’s a reminder that even in a world of flying cars and laser guns, the most dangerous thing is still a man with a grudge and a vial of laughing gas.
What to do next if you're a fan:
- Watch the Uncut Version: Make sure you are watching the PG-13 "Original Uncut" version. The edited version removes the impact of the flashback entirely. Look for the blue-ish cover art or check the runtime (approx. 76 mins).
- Read Batman Beyond 2.0: If you want to see what happens after the movie, the Batman Beyond 2.0 comic series by Kyle Higgins dives deep into the fallout between Bruce and Dick Grayson (Nightwing), which is briefly mentioned in the film.
- Check out Justice League Unlimited: Specifically the episode titled "Epilogue." It serves as a series finale for the entire DCAU and provides a final, beautiful bit of closure for Terry McGinnis and the Wayne legacy.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Kristopher Carter’s score is a mix of heavy metal and orchestral dread. It’s available on most streaming platforms and perfectly captures the "Neo-Gotham" vibe.
The movie isn't just a cartoon. It's a tragedy disguised as a superhero flick. It’s the moment the DCAU grew up, and it remains a high-water mark for what's possible in adult-oriented animation.