Introduction

If there were a list of most popular characters in pop culture history, Batman and Joker would be near the top. The masked duo are the best example of Nemesis in creative media.

The Definitive Version

For me and most of my generation, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is the definitive version of Batman and Joker. There have been plenty of adaptations featuring these two characters, but none had the sweeping success and widespread recognition The Dark Knight had.

What even is a Nemesis

Nemesis or arch-enemy is a subcategory of villain. While a villain clashes with a hero because their objectives disrupt each other, a nemesis engages because he has a personal interest in the hero.

Joker as the Nemesis of Batman

Although he is not the most powerful enemy, Joker is the most memorable villain in the Rogue Gallery. That is because the characters of Joker and Batman contrast each other. Batman is a persona adorned by a millionaire to fight crime in Gotham. Joker is a persona worn by a psychiatric patient who thinks he is an agent of chaos. One uses a fearsome dark suit to fight darkness, the other a colorful costume to incite chaos.

Any good story needs two kinds of conflicts: primary conflicts and secondary conflicts. Conflicts are any obstacle preventing a character from getting what they want. A primary conflict is the main conflict of the story, that is, the conflict the story is based on. For example: Frodo wants to throw the One Ring in the Mount Doom but the servants of Sauron tries to stop him from doing so. The secondary conflict is the emotional or psychological hurdle a protagonist must overcome to get what he wants. For example: Frodo must resist the corruption of the One Ring while he bears it.

The secondary conflict is the reason why Joker works so well against Batman. Joker does not need strength or resources. He does not try to defeat Batman in hand-to-hand combat. Instead, he attacks what Batman is and what Batman stands for. The whole ideology of Batman stands on the notion that the weak needs protection from the evil and he needs to be that protection. Joker wants to show him that people do not deserve his protection.

In The Dark Knight, when Batman rushes at Joker on his Batpod with a murderous rage, Joker repeats, “Come on! I want you to do it.” But, at the last moment, Batman controls himself, nearly missing Joker. Batman cannot kill Joker because that would mean he is just as insane as the Joker and he cannot let that be true. Joker will not kill Batman because he thinks he cannot get a worthier opponent. These two characters are going to be in perpetual conflict because of the very nature of their characters.

Conclusion

The reason why Joker works so well against Batman is because Joker continuously attacks what Batman stands for, forcing Batman to continually fight his own dark side and come out stronger.