10 Things You Didn't Know About The Joker

2. His Absence From The Dark Knight Rises Was Explained

The tragic death of Heath Ledger pretty much precluded his appearance in the third of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, which from the sounds of it through a spanner in the director's plans for the final entry in the trilogy. Ledger's insane, genuinely frightening depiction of The Joker was supposed to be the central antagonist of The Dark Knight Rises as well, but for obvious reasons he ended up being replaced with the much different Bane (played by Tom Hardy).

The audience knew why The Joker wasn't appearing - and re-casting was obviously out of the question - but his disappearance is never addressed in the film itself. What gives? Well, the official novelisation of The Dark Knight Rises gives a brief, fleeting mention of the Clown Prince Of Crime: apparently, after the Dent Act, all supervillains were moved from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate. Except The Joker, who remained there and never got broken out by Bane. So he was in jail.