Some of the greatest Joker scenes from appearances in DC movies were brought to life years earlier in Batman: The Animated Series. From Batman (1989) to Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime delivered some unforgettable movie moments. What many may not realize is that some of these were done first, and sometimes better, in Batman: The Animated Series.

Launched in 1992, Batman: The Animated Series set a gold standard for Batman storytelling. The series wasn’t just ahead of its time in storytelling; it pioneered versions of scenes that would later appear in live-action Batman films. Whether it was Joker’s twisted schemes or his complex relationship with Harley Quinn, the animated series laid the groundwork for many memorable moments.

9

Joker Unleashes Laughing Gas On Gotham

Batman (1989) & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 4 “The Last Laugh”

One of the most unforgettable Joker tactics is his use of laughing gas. In Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), the Joker releases Smilex gas on Gotham, causing victims to die with a frozen grin. Batman: The Animated Series also showcased this chilling move, and more frequently.

In “The Last Laugh,” he drags a giant garbage scow that spreads toxic gas across the city, incapacitating citizens with laughter and prompting them into a crime spree. The animated version cleverly emphasized the psychological horror, with victims laughing uncontrollably as they collapse.

It’s a haunting image made even more intense by the stylized animation. It wasn’t just visual either; Mark Hamill’s maniacal laughter as Joker sold the madness perfectly. The movies may have popularized the gas attack, but the animated series truly cemented it as a Joker hallmark.

8

Joker Takes Over Gotham’s Airwaves

Batman (1989) & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 2 “Christmas With The Joker”

In Batman, Joker hijacks Gotham’s television broadcasts to reveal his dastardly plan to taint Gotham’s products with Smilex. This is a classic Joker technique, often seen in DC Comics. As such, it appeared in an early episode of Batman: The Animated Series.

In “Christmas with the Joker,” the Clown Prince of Crime seizes Gotham’s media, interrupting It’s a Wonderful Life to broadcast a twisted live Christmas special. Joker threatens to kill hostages live on air if Batman cannot track him down by midnight.

In both media, it wasn’t just a visual gimmick. It served as a narrative device to show Joker’s love of theatrics and need for attention. The animated series used this trick not only to escalate tension but to reflect Joker’s unique brand of psychological warfare, with just as much flair and menace.

7

Joker Poisons Gotham’s Products

Batman (1989) & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 34 “The Laughing Fish”

In Batman (1989), Jack Nicholson’s Joker laces Gotham’s beauty products with ᴅᴇᴀᴅly toxins, causing victims to die laughing after using everyday items like deodorant or lipstick. The horror of weaponized vanity made the film instantly memorable. Batman: The Animated Series introduced a similar plot in the episode “The Laughing Fish.”

Adapting the iconic comic story of the same name, Joker poisons Gotham’s fish supply, leaving them with his characteristic rictus grin. Joker hopes to claim a copyright on these fish to thereby control Gotham. Joker likewise takes over the television to advertise a string of fish products containing his toxin.

A major parallel with the movie is the idea of Joker’s toxin having a two-part binary compound. In the movie, it takes multiple Smilex products to cause death in its victims. Similarly, the animated Joker is able to target one victim in a gas attack by having sprayed him with perfume earlier.

6

Joker Corrupts Harleen Quinzel

Suicide Squad & The New Batman Adventures Season 1, Episode 24 “Mad Love”

Suicide Squad introduced movie audiences to Harley Quinn, Joker’s volatile ex and partner in crime. Her descent from psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel to unhinged villainess was first, and best, told in The New Batman Adventures. In the Emmy-winning episode “Mad Love,” the show delivers Harley’s tragic origin with emotional depth and dark irony.

While Suicide Squad flashes back to her transformation, the animated series explores the entire arc. Harleen starts as a professional treating Joker at Arkham, but his manipulative charm slowly breaks down her barriers. The Joker exploits her empathy and romantic idealism, twisting her perception until she’s helping him escape and adopting her new clownish persona.

This manipulation is shown with shocking clarity in the animated format, making it both sympathetic and disturbing. “Mad Love” became a benchmark for storytelling in superhero media. By the time the films touched on this relationship, the animated series had already perfected it.

5

Joker Is Transformed In A Vat Of Chemicals

Batman (1989) & The New Batman Adventures Season 1, Episode 24 “Mad Love”

The image of Joker falling into a vat of chemicals and emerging bleached and twisted has become one of the character’s most defining origins. Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) immortalized this scene in live-action. The New Batman Adventures helped fold this into Batman lore, depicting it in two episodes, most notably “Mad Love.”

In a flashback sequence, audiences see the man who would become Joker, then a mob enforcer. He falls into a vat of chemicals during a confrontation with Batman. The reveal of his newly altered appearance, albeit brief, is played with atmospheric tension, mirroring the horror of rebirth.

While different in tone than Burton’s version, the animated transformation remains just as impactful. It might be even more tragic. The series managed to show the Joker’s creation with emotional resonance and narrative purpose, long before it was cemented as a live-action visual trademark.

4

Joker And Harley Quinn Break Up

Birds Of Prey & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 56 “Harley And Ivy”

The toxic nature of Joker and Harley’s relationship has become widely known. This is especially thanks to Birds of Prey, where Harley finally breaks free from her abusive partner. Long before Margot Robbie swung her mallet, Batman: The Animated Series explored their messy breakups and emotional fallout in surprising detail.

While they broke up frequently, the primary example appears in “Harley and Ivy,” where Joker fires Harley for her incompetence. This prompts her to partner up with Poison Ivy, foreshadowing he pair’s later romance in the comics and beyond. Even as the series often played their dynamic for laughs, the emotional undercurrent was always present.

Batman: TAS’s handling of their separation was years ahead of its time. It treated Harley not just as comic relief, but as a survivor. Long before cinema took it seriously, animation gave her the arc she deserved.

3

Joker’s Acid-Shooting Flower

Batman (1989) & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 56 “Harley And Ivy”

One of Joker’s most iconic gadgets is his flower lapel that squirts acid. It’s a perfect blend of clown humor and lethal danger. This gag weapon has appeared in various Batman films, including Batman (1989), where Joker tries to squirt Vicki Vale, but she’s able to dodge out of the way.

Batman: The Animated Series used the acid flower long before and often with more creative flair. The first example came in “Harley and Ivy,” Joker uses his lapel flower to spray Poison Ivy with laughing gas. Joker would later use the same technique throughout the series.

The weapon is emblematic of his style: a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly joke hiding in plain sight. While the films gave the acid flower a moment in the spotlight, the animated series established it as a signature part of Joker’s arsenal. It reinforced his role as a walking contradiction of whimsy and menace.

2

Joker’s Unsuccessful Stand-Up Attempts

Joker & Batman: TAS Season 2, Episode 18 “Make ‘Em Laugh”

Joker (2019) portrays Arthur Fleck as a failed stand-up comedian whose descent into madness is fueled by rejection and humiliation. It’s a tragic origin rooted in emotional pain. Surprisingly, Batman: The Animated Series hinted at this same concept years earlier.

In the episode “Make ‘Em Laugh,” Joker targets Gotham’s top comedians with a mind-control device, revealing that he once failed as a stand-up comic himself. The story hints that his obsession with humor stems from a past life that never took off. It suggests that his current persona is partly a warped reclamation of that dream.

Though the tone is lighter than Joker (2019), the animated series still taps into the same core idea. It’s a man broken by failure, channeling that pain into chaos. The psychological complexity behind Joker’s humor-first idenтιтy was explored subtly but effectively.

1

Joker Falls To His Death

Batman (1989) & Batman: TAS Season 1, Episode 34 “The Laughing Fish”

In both Batman (1989) and The Dark Knight, Joker’s demise (or near demise) involves a dramatic fall. Jack Nicholson’s Joker plummets to his death from a cathedral, while Heath Ledger’s Joker is saved from falling but left dangling, laughing maniacally. Yet Batman: The Animated Series delivered multiple iterations of Joker’s signature fall, often with similar gravitas.

In “The Laughing Fish,” Joker takes a plunge off a skyscraper after battling Batman, laughing all the way down, only to mysteriously survive. In Mask of the Phantasm, his lair crumbles as he disappears into the smoke and fire, seemingly lost. Even in “Mad Love,” he takes a brutal fall during a scuffle with Batman and Harley.

These sequences established the trope of Joker’s dramatic, often ambiguous exits, before they became cinematic set pieces. The animated series knew that nothing suited the Clown Prince of Crime better than a final laugh followed by a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly drop, at until the next episode. Joker’s repeated falls throughout his cinematic history are lifted directly from these moments in Batman: TAS.