What is the Joker's motivation?

[Paul (ral)]

What was the Joker's movitation in B89?

Some say he had no plot and doesn't show an interest in Batman until later in the film, others say he doesn't need a plot - he just wants to kill people.

I think that everything the Joker did was to get at Batman. 

His first task as the Joker (after taking over the gangs) was to send Bob out to see what Knox knew about Batman. 

He then became sidetracked by Vicki Vale by used the opportunity to see what Vicki knew about Batman.  When Batman shows up at the museum however I am not sure whether the Joker assumes Batman has been following him or he has a connection to Vicki.

Joker showing up at Vicki's apartment may have been a double edged sword - to see Vicki and to provoke the Batman to appear (he does look around the apartment when he arrives - although that may have been to mirror Bruces arrival earlier).

The tv announcement and killing the crowds with smilex gas was another attempt to provoke Batman.

But the question really is?  Does the Joker ever want to kill Batman or just taunt him indefinitely creating chaos in Gotham - after all, he doesn't try to kick Batman off the ledge during the finale, just scare him. In that case, does the Joker feel he can't live without Batman?

[BurtonBatman]

Since B89 centered on Batman and the Joker mirroring each other, I would say that the Joker's main motivation is the same as Batman's...revenge.  So I think you are on the right track, but I do think the Joker wanted to kill Batman, and perhaps thought he did when he brought down the Batwing.  Again, I go with the mirror analogy, Batman tells the Joker in the cathedral he is going to kill him, I imply from that the Joker wanted to do the same to Batman.   

[DocLathropBrown]

Everything he does is to stroke his ego, until Batman interferes in his new plans, and he then decides to direct his efforts at stopping the "freak."

[Paul (ral)]

Everything he does is to stroke his ego, until Batman interferes in his new plans, and he then decides to direct his efforts at stopping the "freak."

I had always thought that too, but then i remembered that his first order to Bob was to find out about the Bat - suggesting it was his main obsession to get the Batman and confront him about dropping him into the vat of chemicals.

[Joker81]

When the Joker takes control of the city, his plans are to 'run this city into the ground'.

From what I understand because of his 'deformity' he wants to punish all of Gotham for his accident. He is also a sadist, so he's probably getting pleasure and a kick out of it. After all he is psychotic. Thats why he is poisoning Gothams beauty products. (If you were to analyise it a bit deeper, you could say he has a love/hate relationship with women. Look at what he done to Alicia, then the way he treated Vicki. Plus the majority of people killed by the smylex had to be women as they would have used the beauty products a lot more than men).

You could say he had revenge on his mind considering he did want to know about this Bat-Man. He kind of had a score to settle for dropping him in the acid. Then when Batman started foiling his plans, it did become, maybe not an obsession, a game to the Joker do deafeat Batman. I think secretly he actually admired Batman for cracking his 'poison code' and saving Vicki from the museum with those 'wonderful toys!' In the end he offers Batman to a showdown on the streets of Gotham. Ultimately this is a challenge to see who would control Gotham forever, whoever was the last man standing, and we all know who that was!

[Paul (ral)]

I dig what you are saying Joker81. Pretty accurate assumption.

Although i still think that at the very least Batman was on his "to-do" list from the start and not an afterthought.

[Joker81]

Oh yeah of course he was Raleagh, but I dont think the Joker really took him seriously until the foil planning started! lol But thanks by the way.

I love when the Joker says in the cathedral "You dropped me into that vat of chemicals, that wasnt easy to get over and dont think that i didnt try!"

I never understood what he meant by "and dont think that i didnt try" until now- i think.

Wat he means is , he looks like a clown so he became a clown lol, thats how he delt with his deformity, and its like hes looking for some sort of medal for it, or credit for it lol

[ZUPERZERO]

 i believe Burton portrayed Jack Napier as someone lost in his vanity, he believe he is the best on what he do (and maybe he is) on his first scene we can see that on his talking with Alicia. then when he realize that was betrayed, he looks for vengeance by killing Grissom and Gotham citizens with their own sicness: vanity and greed: by poisoning the beauty products and people dont care if he is a killer he is giving free money; i believe the joker is trying to punish "gotham's sinners"  in his own terms

[Joker81]

Yeah I agree with most of what your saying, although the Joker is self obsessed, so I think the vanity is more on his part. and since he is scarred/deformed he wants everyone else to be so hes prettier/normal looking lol

Look what he done to Alicia. Why did he do it? Because she was beautiful, so he wanted to turn her into a freak, like him. And because hes a maniac and sadist, probably enjoyed it too.

So the punishment on Gotham is because he lost his looks, you are quite right to point out about Jack Napier at the start of the movie. But if you watch Jack is a man very concerned about his looks. He is very vain. Stanting looking in the morror, checking his hair, his tie, and clothes.

Yeah the greed thing is interesting. Hes showing how fickle the people of Gotham actually are, they know he murdered god knows how many people, yet they still flock to him when hes throwing out wades of cash!

[Batfan]

I never thought of the whole revenge on Batman thing but that makes sense. Just look at the way he reacts to seeing the article in the newspaper.
I also think he wants attention. Why else would he be so theatrical about everything. If he wanted to he could have just place gas cannisters all over the city without anyone finding out until it was too late. But instead he decided to throw a big parade with floats and music and lots of money.
Finally, he's just crazy!