Was This Part of the Plan?

These are the words spoken by the iconic comic book supervillain the Joker during a pivotal scene in the film “The Dark Knight.” The Joker soared to astronomical levels of popularity in 2008 thanks to Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the villain as well as the success of the film. But the Joker has more recently returned to infamy. On July 20, James Holmes, a psychologically disturbed college student, walked into a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” carrying four guns, a tear gas bomb, and 6,000 rounds of ammunition. According to reports, he announced to the crowd, “I am the Joker,” and proceeded to wound 59 and kill 12 in a brutal massacre.

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