E13: Punchline

Punchline is the thirteenth episode of Batman: Shadow War's season one. It continues Joker's debut in the series.

Plot
A gang war is shown in the opening between Black Mask and Penguin's gang, however Batman along with the police led by James Gordon arrived to end it. Black Mask however started giggling during the war and his orders and how he acted were different from before, both his assistant and henchmen noticed. However, Batman tried to talk to Gordon in he'll go after Penguin while they'll go after Black Mask. Gordon acted stubborn and tried to arrest him at gunpoint, but Batman escaped and went after Penguin. Gordon then hesitantly ordered his men to go after Black Mask.

Batman confronted the Penguin who was angered at a henchman and was scoulding him, however the Caped Crusader landed on the henchman; knocking him out and demanded for Penguin to surrender. Penguin though brought out one of his trick umbrellas and after a small fight with Batman, Batman eventually took him down and cuffed him for the cops. Batman then went to assist in the defeat of Black Mask however after the police took down the armed guards, Black Mask sat quietly and told a joke until he threw a grenade at Gordon but Batman managed to rescue them which led to Black Mask escaping.

Batman placed a tracking device on him and the Dark Knight escaped from the police. Batman went onto the Batcomputer with Alfred Pennyworth and discovered the location was at Sionis Industries steel mill where Batman infiltrated and took out any gangsters there in his way. However found that an unmasked Roman Sionis was bound and gagged by a sticky substance and suspended, the fake Black Mask arrived to tell the truth that he is a fake but then pressed a button which unleashed a death trap on Sionis. After some time, Batman managed to stun the trap with a Batarang and rescued the real Sionis who was still restrained. Batman left the bound and gagged crime lord from a building hanging by rope for the police to arrest while Batman tracked down his kidnapper.

While Batman tried to locate him on the Batcomputer, he heard a news report on an unfinished construction site with SWAT Teams at the bottom with Gordon in charge that the killer reveals his plans to try and make two ferries kill each other by rigging them with explosives and threatening to destroy them both if one isn't blew up and says they have til' midnight. He also tells if the police interfere, he will kill them anyway and has gangsters who left Black Mask's criminal empire to assist him in guarding him. Batman though arrives to the scene and tells Gordon to disarm the bombs while he deals with him, Gordon despite his hesitation agrees.

While he and a bomb squad disarm the bombs, Batman defeats his henchmen and then confronts the unmasked mastermind, with Batman asking him who it is. He then turns around and reveals himself as a murderous psychopath with no empathy and has green hair, bleached pale skin and blood red lips. Batman tries to wipe off his "makeup", but Joker reveals it is not makeup but his actually face and kicks Batman away from him. After a chase with Joker trying to kill him numerous times, Batman eventually caught up to him at 12:00. Joker reveals it's time and presses the detonator, but nothing happens, and then presses it numerous times until he is punched in the face by Batman, knocking him near off the site and gets pinned down, asking him what his trying to prove and then deduces his trying to prove to make everyone as bad as him. Joker grins and knocks him out nearly with a crowbar, then pins him down and reveals a backup detonator which is used to blow up the construction site, but Batman throws him off. The Dark Knight then uses his Grapnel Gun to rescue him which causes Joker to stop laughing and become disappointed, Batman leaves him hanging tied up for the police and Joker states they continue their "game".

At the end, Batman confronts Gordon and Gordon admits they did some good work, and even offers him a chance to work together against crime. Batman though "disappears" and Gordon walks away to his team, where it is revealed he is promoted to Police Commissioner. A captured Joker congratulates him mockingly on his promotion and claps, until Harvey Bullock restrains him and places him in the back of the SWAT Van, Joker is then sentenced to Arkham Asylum.

Character

 * Bruce Wayne/Batman as
 * Alfred Pennyworth as 
 * James Gordon as 
 * Harvey Bullock as 
 * Marion Grange as
 * Joker as 
 * Roman Sionis/Black Mask as 
 * Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/Penguin as
 * Jack Ryder as
 * Vicki Vale as

Objects Used

 * Batarang 
 * Grapnel Gun 
 * Smoke Pellet
 * Bat Stungun 
 * Flash-Bang Grenade
 * Disruptor
 * Bat-Cuffs
 * Razor Playing Card
 * Acid Flower
 * Trick Umbrellas 

Deaths

 * 1) Numerous Gangsters: Killed during a gang war.