The Dark Knight Rises: Whatever Happened To The Joker?

For those who have seen or have yet to see The Dark Knight Rises, it's a given by the synopsis alone that the film takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. The Joker, played and immortalized by the late Heath Ledger, was understandably missing because of the Australian actor's passing and director Christopher Nolan choosing not to incorporate the character to honor Ledger's memory. However, the novelization of TDKR briefly mentions the criminal mastermind, and a fan has taken the liberty of creating a storyboard sequence where we find out one interpretation of what exactly happened to the so called Clown Prince of Crime.


Via Nuke The Fridge, here is the excerpt from the novel:


Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible for the city’s criminals to cop an insanity plea, it (Blackgate Prison) had replaced Arkham Asylum as a preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure. Not even Selina.


And here's the fan-made storyboard via Reddit, Movie Moron, and Slash Film.

Interesting sequence, and although fanmade, it makes sense that the clown remains locked up during Bane's takeover.


The Dark Knight Rises is currently playing in theaters and IMAX.