A few weeks after taking down the Riddler and confronting the assassin Deathstroke, a new killer emerges in Gotham, known as the Joker, murdering his victims with a type of laughing gas. At the same time, Bruce begins to grow closer to reporter Vicki Vale, but questions whether he can get involved in this kind of relationship with someone like her without jeopardizing his mission. Batman's relationship with the Gotham police deepens, with him working alongside James Gordon and Harvey Dent, an old friend of Bruce's. As the hunt for the Joker intensifies, Batman is challenged more than ever before to his limits, being forced to question how far he will go to fulfill his mission and whether he should make an exception to his promise not to kill a criminal as terrible as the Joker.
