Joker mentioned in Batman Returns?

[Slash Man]

I heard that the Joker's reign in Gotham was mentioned at one point during the movie, but I can't find where. Anyone else pick it up?

[Smalley]

Penguin's line in the speech about Eagle Scouts turning into "crazed clowns"?

[Slash Man]

Maybe. Could be referencing the circus gang as well, though.

[Smalley]

Maybe. Could be referencing the circus gang as well, though.

Yeah; since the Red Triangle was a contemporary issue at the time, and The Joker had been dead for a while, I put my money on it being about the Red Triangle-rs...

[Slash Man]

That's probably where people are getting it from, but the Joker's rise and fall occured during Mayor Borg's term, and Hamilton Hill is the current mayor (I think; either way, they're different people).

[The Dark Knight]

Napier was a gangster with reputation. Grissom's number one guy and a man's man within that society. You could label him as an "eagle scout" in that regard. Concerning the Circus Gang, the fact he says "clowns" means more than one. He could very well be referencing current issues. I don't think many of the members would've been "eagle scouts", they seem like freaks since day dot. But The Penguin is spinning the narrative he wants people to hear. The City is losing it's way, and it's the current Mayor's fault. Or if it's a Joker reference, the City has been losing it's way for quite some time, and it's ongoing. It is ambiguous. You can have it any way you want.

[Slash Man]

Gotham City was always marred by crime in its current state, but the Joker was who gave the first widespread scare to the city. Like you said, he was a very intelligent person who made the wrong choices. The circus gang have been with Penguin for a long, which means they were just as troubled as him. But there's always the possibility that he's just making up stuff to incriminate the mayor.

[The Dark Knight]

Gotham City was always marred by crime in its current state, but the Joker was who gave the first widespread scare to the city.

Indeed. Low level hoodlums aren't nearly as dramatic. Like in TDK, The Joker was the pioneer and signalled a change. The first to put a face to it, to stand out in a world of generic crime. But what is interesting is that in the Burtonverse, that change already existed. It just waited to emerge at some point. Ala the Penguin. He was born that way. And Catwoman felt comfortable enough to behave in such a manner because it became the norm.

[ShadowSculptor]

Wait, Wasnt there a newspaper article shown about Jokers crime? A Blink and you miss it kind of thing. I personally have never found it, but i rmember people talking about that somewhere. Maybe Im looking in the wrong places.

[The Dark Knight]

Wait, Wasnt there a newspaper article shown about Jokers crime? A Blink and you miss it kind of thing. I personally have never found it, but i rmember people talking about that somewhere. Maybe Im looking in the wrong places.

No. They thought about it, but it never happened. It was regarding The Joker's body going missing.