Original artwork, not a still
Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!
— Batman: The Killing Joke · 1988
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Moore deliberately leaves the Joker's origin unreliable, so "multiple choice" is both a disclaimer for the flashback and a rule for how to write the character: he never has one fixed backstory. Video games have repeated the joke; Batman: Arkham City has him use the same phrase to Hugo Strange.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Batman: The Killing JokeShow the scene
Near the end of The Killing Joke, after he has shot Barbara Gordon and tortured her father, the Joker is finally cornered in the amusement park by Batman. He turns the question on his enemy: what made Bruce Wayne what he is? A girlfriend killed by the mob, a brother cut up by a mugger? Something like that happened to him too, he says. He is not sure what, because he remembers it differently each time. If he is going to have a past, he prefers it to be multiple choice.
Sources (2)
- DC Database: Batman: The Killing JokeQuotation field and Synopsis1Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Batman: The Killing JokePlot summary and ThemesReference checked
Context reviewed
