Batman: Endgame is the final Batman arc before Convergence hits us in April. The arc is halfway over and with the revelation that Joker was back in the first part, there's no telling how all this will end. There definitely is the feeling that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are not holding back in delivering what Snyder described as his final Joker's story.
For me, honestly, this is the last time I plan on using the Joker. I always knew there’d be this story. If you asked friends of mine or privately in the Bat-Offices, it’s been on the docket since Death of the Family was going. For me, that was always going to be love and this was going to be hate, it was going to be a comedy and a tragedy. I had this whole idea for it.
Joker has begun to unleash his attack in BATMAN #37. In the issue, there are some big revelations. There will be some spoilers for the issue so be sure to read it to check out all the details and glory of what happened along with everything else.
Joker Created a new Joker Virus
Joker is known for unleashing his Joker Venom upon the innocent. He's created a number of different strains over the years. Batman stated he's created nearly a hundred cures over the years. This time, it's different. They've tested this strain against all the known ones with no luck. This strain is also airborne, meaning it's spread to pretty much all of Gotham.
The idea is Joker really wants to make Batman suffer. Rather than simply target Batman, he wants to show him what he can do to his beloved city he's sworn to protect first. It's not known yet if he's been working on this strain since we last saw him in Death of the Family or if it's something he's had for a while. It does seem likely this could have something to do with why Joker was working at Arkham before revealing himself.
Gordon is out of Blackgate
One of the big plot points in BATMAN ETERNAL is Jim Gordon being arrested and sent to Blackgate Penitentiary. We all assumed he'd get out sooner or later but now we know for certain that it's going to happen. We should be able to expect to see the how and why in upcoming issues of BATMAN ETERNAL.
From his scenes in this issue, it's not clear if he's managed to get his position back as police commissioner. Is still considered liable for what happened? Is he back on the force or will he have to seek another job? Maybe it's time for Gordon to get his own costume and help clean up Gotham on his own terms.
It does sound like he's aware what decisions are being made to quarantine the city. We just don't know if he's getting this information officially or through other connections.
Gordon Discovers Joker’s Past Presence
As Batman goes in search of Patient Zero to try to stop the Joker Virus, Gordon does some research into the significance of Gotham Presbyterian Hospital and why Joker might have targeted that location. It is the oldest hospital in the city and some claim it's haunted.
As Gordon goes through different newspaper clippings, he makes a horrifying discover. There's a certain familiar form in pictures dating back decades.
Even though it, and Joker, catches Gordon off guard, Jim doesn't believe it's possible. When it comes to Joker, you can't believe everything he tries to imply. Joker does say this to Jim:
"You know, maybe you're right Commisssshhh. Maybe this ooooone time, it's not a joke at all."
Patient Zero
This is where the stakes of the game really start to rise. We're starting to see that everything Joker is doing is for a specific reason. So of course patient zero would have been chosen for a reason. This is all part of Joker's twisted attack against Batman.
We won't reveal the identity of who Patient Zero is here. You can get a glimpse at him above and maybe figure it out. If Joker did specifically chose this person as a message to Batman, what happens next confirms a suspicion from Death of the Family.
Joker Rises
There's a pretty great (and creepy) confrontation between Joker and Gordon. Joker is really showing who he is. When it appears that Gordon has finally put an end to him, we get a pretty jaw-dropping revelation.
We see, despite being shot and in a burning room, he manages to rise as if it were nothing. Is Joker telling the truth about being more than just a man? The real kicker is what he says to Batman when he gets the phone away from Jim. This changes quite a bit.
In other words, you need to read the issue. Joker is playing at another level now. Batman is usually prepared for anything but Joker has just thrown a couple nice curveballs his way. Start counting down the days until issue #38.