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Batman, Harley Quinn, Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing and Robin all meet at Crime Alley, where they find the Joker holding a gun to both Alfred and Barbara’s heads. He laughs and says “surprise! Looks like the joke’s over, right, Bats?”

Batman orders for them to be let go, and Joker says no, because the time has come for Batman to lose the game he’s been playing for years against the Joker. Joker attempts to trick Harley into falling in love with him again, by saying that “this game has been tearing me and Harley apart”, but Harley doesn’t fall for it, and says “I know who you are now, Mister J. Ain’t nothing gonna make me come back to you anymore.”

Commissioner Gordon easily gives up and approaches Joker unarmed when he presses a gun against Barbara’s temple, attempting to trade his life for hers. Then he takes the Commissioner hostage without letting Barbara go, and says “I’ve felt the same way the second I met you, Harley, you incompetent witch”.
Suddenly, the Red Hood shoots the gun out of the Joker’s hand (revealing his location to be on a rooftop behind Batman and co.), but Joker quickly pulls out a knife and keeps Commissioner Gordon as his hostage. Red Hood urges Batman over the radio that “I can end this right now, for good”. Batman insists that he hold his fire, and then makes a speech. (The exact same speech that Bruce Wayne made at Gotham City Hall) He says that it’s about keeping hope alive that no matter how bad things may seem, we can always come back, because as bad as we are, we are also good.

Commissioner Gordon recognizes the speech and surprised, utters the words “Bruce Wayne?”

Harley Quinn and the Joker are both surprised. The Joker is so surprised, he STOPS SMILING. In sheer anger, he mercilessly slices Commissioner Gordon's throat, frustrated at the fact that now, he knows who Batman is. Everyone is shocked. Barbara Gordon screams in horror. The Joker falls to his knees, saying “Once again, you win, Bruce. Once again”. He then lunges toward Batman, about to stab him, but Red Hood takes the shot and shoots him through the heart. The Joker stabs Batman in the stomach, and passes away, laughing one last time. Barbara Gordon breaks down sobbing over her father’s corpse. Red Hood puts down his rifle slowly, takes off his mask, and sheds tears quietly, upset.

At sunrise, Harley confesses to Nightwing that she doesn't remember who she is before the Joker turned her into Harley Quinn. Nightwing says that he knew about her memory loss for a while, and then pulls a flash drive with her personal data out of his pocket, asking her to keep it a secret from Batman.

- "Why are you helping someone who's never brought you anything but trouble?" asks Harley.

- "I know what it's like to feel like you don't have a place in the world. I had a bad day too, once" replies Nightwing.

Harley smiles and thanks him by saying "Nice guys like you shouldn't have bad days". Nightwing then leaves Harley alone, as she watches the sunrise over Gotham.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne wakes up in his bed at Wayne Manor, and Tim Drake asks how he’s feeling. Bruce says “Been stabbed before, I’ll get stabbed again. It happens”. Tim Drake clarifies that he meant how was he feeling about Joker, and Gordon, and Selina? Bruce replies “It’ll be a while, but like Gotham, we’ll rebuild, and recover. Like we always have”.
Tim asks why Joker wanted to do all that he did. Bruce explains that…
“Isn’t it obvious? He finally accepted that he was alone. I’ve been fighting the Joker for years, Tim, and the one thing the Joker is really good at, is fooling himself into thinking his life is complete. When the truth is, he hated all of it. He hated the city, he hated Harley, he even hated me. All he had was not knowing who was under the mask, and Gordon took that away from him, so that’s why he killed him.
“Some people see Batman’s mask and think of it as one of Gotham’s remaining few truths. When in fact, it’s a lie. It was the only lie that kept the Joker smiling, that made him him. When Jason took that shot, he was already dead. No, Tim, Jason didn’t kill him: Gordon did.
“Gotham died with him, too, in a way. It was an era of this city that people won’t forget. But we’ll heal. As usual, we will.”

Meanwhile, at an unknown location, Ra’s Al Ghul has captured Hugo Strange and the Penguin, who have been affected by the Joker’s laughing gas. They cackle, as Ra’s gives them a cup of water from the Lazarus Pit.

The End...?

Description

Batman, Harley Quinn, Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing and Robin all meet at Crime Alley, where they find the Joker holding a gun to both Alfred and Barbara’s heads. He laughs and says “surprise! Looks like the joke’s over, right, Bats?”

Batman orders for them to be let go, and Joker says no, because the time has come for Batman to lose the game he’s been playing for years against the Joker. Joker attempts to trick Harley into falling in love with him again, by saying that “this game has been tearing me and Harley apart”, but Harley doesn’t fall for it, and says “I know who you are now, Mister J. Ain’t nothing gonna make me come back to you anymore.”

Commissioner Gordon easily gives up and approaches Joker unarmed when he presses a gun against Barbara’s temple, attempting to trade his life for hers. Then he takes the Commissioner hostage without letting Barbara go, and says “I’ve felt the same way the second I met you, Harley, you incompetent witch”.
Suddenly, the Red Hood shoots the gun out of the Joker’s hand (revealing his location to be on a rooftop behind Batman and co.), but Joker quickly pulls out a knife and keeps Commissioner Gordon as his hostage. Red Hood urges Batman over the radio that “I can end this right now, for good”. Batman insists that he hold his fire, and then makes a speech. (The exact same speech that Bruce Wayne made at Gotham City Hall) He says that it’s about keeping hope alive that no matter how bad things may seem, we can always come back, because as bad as we are, we are also good.

Commissioner Gordon recognizes the speech and surprised, utters the words “Bruce Wayne?”

Harley Quinn and the Joker are both surprised. The Joker is so surprised, he STOPS SMILING. In sheer anger, he mercilessly slices Commissioner Gordon's throat, frustrated at the fact that now, he knows who Batman is. Everyone is shocked. Barbara Gordon screams in horror. The Joker falls to his knees, saying “Once again, you win, Bruce. Once again”. He then lunges toward Batman, about to stab him, but Red Hood takes the shot and shoots him through the heart. The Joker stabs Batman in the stomach, and passes away, laughing one last time. Barbara Gordon breaks down sobbing over her father’s corpse. Red Hood puts down his rifle slowly, takes off his mask, and sheds tears quietly, upset.

At sunrise, Harley confesses to Nightwing that she doesn't remember who she is before the Joker turned her into Harley Quinn. Nightwing says that he knew about her memory loss for a while, and then pulls a flash drive with her personal data out of his pocket, asking her to keep it a secret from Batman.

- "Why are you helping someone who's never brought you anything but trouble?" asks Harley.

- "I know what it's like to feel like you don't have a place in the world. I had a bad day too, once" replies Nightwing.

Harley smiles and thanks him by saying "Nice guys like you shouldn't have bad days". Nightwing then leaves Harley alone, as she watches the sunrise over Gotham.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne wakes up in his bed at Wayne Manor, and Tim Drake asks how he’s feeling. Bruce says “Been stabbed before, I’ll get stabbed again. It happens”. Tim Drake clarifies that he meant how was he feeling about Joker, and Gordon, and Selina? Bruce replies “It’ll be a while, but like Gotham, we’ll rebuild, and recover. Like we always have”.
Tim asks why Joker wanted to do all that he did. Bruce explains that…
“Isn’t it obvious? He finally accepted that he was alone. I’ve been fighting the Joker for years, Tim, and the one thing the Joker is really good at, is fooling himself into thinking his life is complete. When the truth is, he hated all of it. He hated the city, he hated Harley, he even hated me. All he had was not knowing who was under the mask, and Gordon took that away from him, so that’s why he killed him.
“Some people see Batman’s mask and think of it as one of Gotham’s remaining few truths. When in fact, it’s a lie. It was the only lie that kept the Joker smiling, that made him him. When Jason took that shot, he was already dead. No, Tim, Jason didn’t kill him: Gordon did.
“Gotham died with him, too, in a way. It was an era of this city that people won’t forget. But we’ll heal. As usual, we will.”

Meanwhile, at an unknown location, Ra’s Al Ghul has captured Hugo Strange and the Penguin, who have been affected by the Joker’s laughing gas. They cackle, as Ra’s gives them a cup of water from the Lazarus Pit.

The End...?