How crazy was Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight?
We look at what game theory can tell us about the villain and his motivations.
This article comes fromDen of Geek UK.
You wanna know how I got these scars?
These stories are the perfect illustration of the characters ambiguity, as written by Jonathan andChristopher Nolan.
One story could be true, the other false.
Or maybe neither is true; its all part of the tricksters slippery persona.
Bruce Waynes loyal friend Alfred suggests that the Jokers a character who just wants to watch the world burn.
Yet in another scene, the Joker pointedly denies the suggestion that hes insane.
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No, Im not, he tells smooth gangster Gambol (Michael Jai White).
So just what is the nature of the Jokers madness, as portrayed inThe Dark Knight?
What is it that motivates him to become a self-described Agent of chaos?
Game theory, described very simply, is the study of underlying strategies in human interaction.
In fact, lots of mathematicians have alreadydone this for us.
The Prisoners Dilemma goes like this.
A jewel thief is attempting to sell a stolen diamond for a million dollars.
As they do so, they talk about a weird guy in make-up who put them on the job.
And then something unexpected happens.
The Joker plays the same game with the gangsters: make this deal now before its too late.
Cops are corrupted into giving up vital information because they have loved ones in Gothams hospital.
The mob give Joker a fortune in exchange for Batmans death.
Citizens take a stab at kill an accountant because the Joker threatens to destroy a hospital.
For a maniac in clown makeup, the Joker sure likes to strategize.
But maybe thats because the Joker is far less crazy than hed have Batman believe.
This tiny moment is perhaps the key to understanding the Jokers true nature.
The Jokers genius is in making his actions seem irrational when theyre anything but.
Because why would a sane person do something as hare-brained as rob a mob-controlled bank?
What kind of sick person would blow up a hospital?
Through his bizarre appearance and actions, the Joker successfully obfuscates his true way of thinking.
The Joker says to Harvey Dent, I dont have a plan, yet this clearly isnt true.
He says he believes in chance, yet the Jokers games of chance are always rigged in his favor.
As the villain tells Batman, Their morals, their code its a bad joke.
Ill show you when the chips are down, these civilized people, theyll eat each other.
See, Im not a monster.
Im just ahead of the curve.
Engaging Batman in an unending game of psychological cat-and-mouse, it seems, is the Jokers sole interest.
We start wearing kevlar, they buy armor piercing rounds.
Youre wearing a mask.
Inspired by Batmans approach to upholding the law, the Jokers inspired to unleash his own form of chaos.
The Joker is not motivated by money or power for its own sake, but by his own games.
Why shouldnt the civilians blow up the criminals to get to save themselves?
Who would miss them?
The same could be said from the criminals perspective: were shunned by society anyway.
Why not blow up a bunch of strangers for save ourselves?
Yet the Joker failed to factor in such human instincts as conscience and distrust in his strategic model.
Could you live with yourself if youd sacrificed dozens of lives to back up your own?
As it turns out, the passengers of both boats came to the conclusion that they could not.
Maybe the Joker isnt quite as far ahead of the curve as he thought he was.
