In the newest preview of the DC’s Batman #116, the Dark Knights’ new ally Ghost-Maker might have proved the possibility that a part of Bruce Wayne actually loves the Joker!!!
While Ghost-Maker is a fellow vigilante trained by many same mentors and teachers who taught Batman, he is also a diagnosed psychopath who has an inability to feel for others with no sense of empathy or fear. As such, Ghost-Maker’s doings are not really motivated by a deeper calling like Batman, and additionally, there are many things that he has similar to Joker.
But despite all this, Batman regards Ghost-Maker with open fondness!
In the aftermath of the Joker War, it was revealed that Ghost-Maker and Batman were once friends when they were both young men and learned the skills needed to become the vigilantes they are today. However, Batman desired to fight crimes out of a need to avenge the deaths of his parents while Ghost-Maker wanted to be one for the art of vigilantism itself and was seeing it as a game while seeking greater challenges.
This opposition of motive led to a falling out where Batman and Ghost-Maker were estranged for years. It was only recently in DC Comics that two decided to work together to save Gotham.
In the preview, Ghost-Maker is fighting the Magistrate’s forces during DC’s Fear State event in which Gotham is tearing itself apart in feat thanks to the efforts of the Scarecrow. In all this danger, Ghost-Maker sees all this as a game and makes jokes.
As the synopsis reveals, there’s a lot of danger and high-stakes conflict going on. Many stories such as The Killing Joke have explored Batman’s relationship with Joker and DC’s New 52 era even saw Joker claiming that Batman likes facing him because Joker “makes him feel better” and codifies the relationship as Pseudo-romantic.
In Injustice, Superman accuses Batman of being angry he killed Joker and not because it broke a moral rule. Batman obviously doesn’t feel affection for him but Joker has professed to love him many times.
And it is possible that Batman likes Ghost-Maker in the same way and that a part of him maybe appreciate the Joker. And Ghost-Maker is proof that Batman does enjoy a company of a psychopath who spends his days inflicting violence!
