In anticipation for Batman 17, there's been a lot of death talk. Alfred, Joker, even Damian, have been subject to the conversation. With the silver platters, it's no wonder that we're convinced it's something personal, predictably Alfred. First of all, Snyder's better than being that predictable. Second of all, the story doesn't have to be fully wrapped up, Joker will be stopped or he won't. Ramifications will be ongoing regardless of the outcome. Finally, the mythos behind Joker is too big, too big for its own good. A character this rich and layered that can lend itself to hours upon hours of debate when we don't even know who he is, is is bound by its own complexity. It's like being too good at your job, so you never receive a promotion. Or it's like the Cubs winning the World Series; romantic, and if it actually happened, what would people talk about afterwards? Fortunately, his complexity lends itself to his unpredictability. It is also fortunate we don't know who he is, it allows us as readers to have our own interpretation, one with a little more freedom. I'd be lying if I didn't read the joker with Mark Hamill's voice, but it's not the only way I hear that character. These are just some of the reasons why Joker can never die. It would rob from his credibility. Dying and being resurrected, at least in my opinion, is a concept best left outside of Gotham, in a superhero world. I wasn't quite old enough to fully reflect on Jason's revival, but in the context and looking back, it worked. Before you go calling me a hypocrite, the complexity of Jason is apples and oranges with that of the Joker. While understanding that dying in comics must be explored, it's just for me, is appropriate with certain characters. Clearly, I'm not a professional writer, so if Joker dies, and it works, then I'll be the first to admit. Lets not forget the title of the arc, though. "Death of the Family." While its realistically not likely that Joker will kill them, it's very likely that he kills the association. We can speculate on how it reaches this point. Does Damian deliver a fatal blow to the Joker, forcing Bruce to save him? This might lead to an undoing, because in losing trust, how devastating would it be for Bruce to end his own family ties. That's the power of the Joker. He gets inside of you. Capable of even greater destruction by forcing your own hand, leaving you no choice. Regardless of the outcome, it's likely that Joker will gain more complexity and reach new heights, especially since he has the advantage of being an established character, rooted, yet blossoming new branches, in the rebooted / evolved atmosphere that is the New 52.