What do you think is on the Joker's serving tray?

I'm going to guess it's cake. His birthday or anniversary with Bats.

I was talking about it with my best friend and my girlfriend, and...

@End_Boss: you might be right. I can see the symbolism between the two.

@End_Boss:

@TheCrowbar: Well, yeah, that could be it too. Either way, it serves the same purpose.

Maybe...

It is his SANITY!

Thought it was Alfreds eyes but his head would make more sense given the other criminals reaction...

Either a chunk of Harley or something tying Bruce to Batman

@Quintus_Knightfall:

Oh, ew. Its in black-and-white!

@Manbehindthewires said:

... a chunk of Harley...

What gave you this impression? I don't see why Joker would serve up a piece of Harley to Batman...

Couple of reasons:

1. I think Death of the Family refers to the death of Batman's Rogues Gallery, not his allies, Harley may be the first to go, Joker already has 3 key villains locked away and Snyder has said in interviews they'd like to steer clear of some of the main villains for a while.

2. Suicide Squad #15 Harley was warned by Joker that he'd had and killed other "harleys" before.

3. Harley has laid low for a few issues now, considering how regular she was in DotF's earlier foundations, this would account for, and make for a shocking comeback

4. I think the platter is for everyone, not just for the Bats.

Jelly beans.

Granted, even following the books in so-called order it's a little tough to keep track, but I was under the impression there were different trays for different members of the Bat "family."

The only reason I don't think it's Alfred is because the other villains aren't supposed to know who Batman is, so the true horror of serving his butler's head up probably wouldn't strike them the way they seem struck. Unless, you know, they're fazed by mere macabre. Also, the next Suicide Squad book (#16) already features Harley back to seemingly-regularly-scheduled programming. So there's that.

@Manbehindthewires: Interesting theory, though I'm not sure I agree. Joker's whole thing right now is wanting to get "his" Batman back, and he wants to do this by making him stronger. I don't see how removing his primary antagonists would accomplish that. As for the Suicide Squad stuff with Harley, I think he was just blowing smoke, trying to get inside Harley's head to make her (in his words) "what he needed her to be." I don't think there have been Harleys before her, not truly.

@akbogert: Dastardly.

@akbogert: I didn't know there was supposed to be more than one tray. That's an interesting tidbit. I still think it's Alfred's head/face though, and yeah, I think they were fazed by the sight of it simply because of the gore.

@akbogert said:

Granted, even following the books in so-called order it's a little tough to keep track, but I was under the impression there were different trays for different members of the Bat "family."

Hmm. I was thinking it's the same tray. Maybe it is multiple trays.

There are two great theories I've heard.

Here they are:

@InnerVenom123: If Alfred is the Joker my head will explode. Alfred became the Joker to make Bruce a better hero. lol

It seems ridiculous Alfred and the Joker could be the same person after all these years, but I wouldn't put it past DC at this point.

Alfred/Joker just had a double in Arkham all those times......

@End_Boss said:

I was talking about it with my best friend and my girlfriend, and...

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I think it's Alfred's head. Due to the fact that the other principle family members were all shown on live video feed, apparently in another location, just before it was delivered and the fact that having Alfred's head served on a silver platter would be the kind of extra dig that the Joker could never resist. It would also prove, without question, that Joker knows who Batman is.

I'd really like to see this happen.

Cassandra Cain.

@CitizenBane said:

Cassandra Cain.

Nah, Stephanie Brown.
BB

@Samimista said:

@End_Boss said:

I was talking about it with my best friend and my girlfriend, and...

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I think it's Alfred's head. Due to the fact that the other principle family members were all shown on live video feed, apparently in another location, just before it was delivered and the fact that having Alfred's head served on a silver platter would be the kind of extra dig that the Joker could never resist. It would also prove, without question, that Joker knows who Batman is.

I'd really like to see this happen.

Not me. It is too Seven-ish. Everyone is already making many "what's in the box?" references. I would hope Snyder would do something more original.

@Billy Batson said:

@CitizenBane said:

Cassandra Cain.

Nah, Stephanie Brown.
BB

Nah, Barbara Gordon's original spine.

I think Alfred's head is a bit too logical and predictable.

@InnerVenom123 said:

There are two great theories I've heard.

Here they are:

Someone on /co/ suggested that there's a mind-swap machine underneath the lid. Joker switches brains with Bruce and becomes the Better Batman.

@Joygirl said:

Jelly beans.

If it's Jelly Beans then all the Joker did is forgiven. ;)

@CitizenBane said:

Someone on /co/ suggested that there's a mind-swap machine underneath the lid. Joker switches brains with Bruce and becomes the Better Batman.

Genius! Why didn't Marvel think of that? :P

I'm not trying to be overly sadistic here but I am kind of hoping it is something much worse than some body part of Alfred. I'm kind of hoping it is something that will be a major game-changer... like a body part of each hero. I'm thinking about nighthawks left eye (because he wears a patch in Batman Beyond. Maybe it is something that takes all of the heroes out of the game (at least for a a while) except for maybe Damien and/or Jason Todd. Thoughts?

Let me add - I know we never saw Joker capture anyone other than BatGirl, Batman and Damien, but maybe that's why. Maybe the other were captured and that won't be revealed until Batman #17

@Nightwing28710 said:

@InnerVenom123: If Alfred is the Joker my head will explode. Alfred became the Joker to make Bruce a better hero. lol

It seems ridiculous Alfred and the Joker could be the same person after all these years, but I wouldn't put it past DC at this point.

Alfred/Joker just had a double in Arkham all those times......

I don't think the theory was implying that Alfred has ALWAYS been Joker, I think it was saying that Alfred is THIS Joker. That's why Harley said Joker was different, and Batman remarked how odd it was about Joker getting his hands dirty, and Joker being able to take out the cops physically... Joker is behaving differently in Death of the Family than he has in the past, and there's a reason for that... it isn't REALLY Joker, its Alfred wearing Joker's face, having orchestrated this whole thing. Who knows where the real Joker might be, but this one is Alfred playing the role to torment Batman... according to that theory, anyway.

And it actually makes a disturbing level of sense, especially considering Alfred's mental breakdown way back when... we know how Snyder loves referencing old stories, bringing back obscure concepts from the past and integrating them in new ways.

Of course I don't think this is actually going to be the case, I'm pretty sure that's not where the story is headed... just clearing that up.

Maybe it is just the long lost wig of Alfred ?

Maybe its an apple.

Or Superman's red underwear.

@Loki9876 said:

I think Alfred's head is a bit too logical and predictable.

I know, he likes to make things shocking so I don't think so either.

Maybe it is just the 2 balls of Alfred so Alfred can't have a family anymore.

@Imagine_Man15: I was pretty sure I remember actually seeing Alfred attacked, not via security camera (which could be explained away as part of tricking Batman) but simply as a reader, which pretty much rules that out.

Alfred's face I think.

@Nightwing28710 said:

@InnerVenom123: If Alfred is the Joker my head will explode. Alfred became the Joker to make Bruce a better hero. lol

It seems ridiculous Alfred and the Joker could be the same person after all these years, but I wouldn't put it past DC at this point.

Alfred/Joker just had a double in Arkham all those times......

Which is not only completely stupid but also unoriginal.

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

LOL NO.

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Despite being a big Snyder fan, I have to say if he makes Alfred this Joker, I might get angry with him. How do you explain the security footage anyway? And what if the big reveal is that there are multiple Jokers? That would piss me off. And I haven't read Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow but I know what happens and since For The Man Who Has Everything (which I have read) is one of my top 5 favourite Superman stories, it's most likely an excellent story.

@Lvenger said:

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Despite being a big Snyder fan, I have to say if he makes Alfred this Joker, I might get angry with him. How do you explain the security footage anyway? And what if the big reveal is that there are multiple Jokers? That would piss me off. And I haven't read Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow but I know what happens and since For The Man Who Has Everything (which I have read) is one of my top 5 favourite Superman stories, it's most likely an excellent story.

It's like Barbara turning out to be Ivy,Steph becoming Harley or Bane turning out to be Superman.

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Despite being a big Snyder fan, I have to say if he makes Alfred this Joker, I might get angry with him. How do you explain the security footage anyway? And what if the big reveal is that there are multiple Jokers? That would piss me off. And I haven't read Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow but I know what happens and since For The Man Who Has Everything (which I have read) is one of my top 5 favourite Superman stories, it's most likely an excellent story.

It's like Barbara turning out to be Ivy,Steph becoming Harley or Bane turning out to be Superman.

Hmm you have me there. And to think I thought Death of the Family was so good up until now. And the grim truth is that Alfred would be the most likely candidate to know about all the Bat family's identities and weaknesses. An unfortunate point I hadn't thought of.

EDIT: But now that I think about it more, there were a couple of instances when Alfred was present with Bruce and Joker was elsewhere. Like in the first issue when he killed the son of someone Joker killed in a Golden Age story. So that gives me hope this Joker isn't Alfred. That does pose the question of whether Snyder'll kill Alfred instead though.

I think in each tray is a clue confirming that he knows there identity

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow was quite good.
BB

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is good, but for Moore, it's certainly nothing amazing. It is certainly "the last Superman story", since it has a huge ENDING feel to it, but it's honestly not that tremendous. Also, completely different to Gaiman's Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. There's really nothing comparable between them other than the name.

@Billy Batson said:

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow was quite good.
BB

Thanks.@Lvenger said:

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@entropy_aegis said:

@Lvenger said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@entropy_aegis said:

If Alfred turns out to be Joker I'll never read another Batman comic again.

Pfft.

You know you'd love it.

Didn't Neil Gaiman make Alfred the Joker in an alternate story of part one of "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" If that's true Snyder'll be ripping off Gaiman there.

That's why I said that it's unoriginal,Morrison explained that as part of the realities Bruce was stuck in/imagining under the Omega Sanction.

BTW how's Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Despite being a big Snyder fan, I have to say if he makes Alfred this Joker, I might get angry with him. How do you explain the security footage anyway? And what if the big reveal is that there are multiple Jokers? That would piss me off. And I haven't read Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow but I know what happens and since For The Man Who Has Everything (which I have read) is one of my top 5 favourite Superman stories, it's most likely an excellent story.

It's like Barbara turning out to be Ivy,Steph becoming Harley or Bane turning out to be Superman.

Hmm you have me there. And to think I thought Death of the Family was so good up until now. And the grim truth is that Alfred would be the most likely candidate to know about all the Bat family's identities and weaknesses. An unfortunate point I hadn't thought of.

EDIT: But now that I think about it more, there were a couple of instances when Alfred was present with Bruce and Joker was elsewhere. Like in the first issue when he killed the son of someone Joker killed in a Golden Age story. So that gives me hope this Joker isn't Alfred. That does pose the question of whether Snyder'll kill Alfred instead though.

I hope so but after Lincoln March/Owlman I wouldn't at all be surprised.

@entropy_aegis: Well Snyder does go for shocking endings I guess. But to do that to Alfred would ruin the very legacy and history of the character plus bring an unwanted change in the Batman mythology. Plus it kind of makes Alfred out to be a little bit gay given the way the Joker acts towards Batman in this story which I like but not if Alfred is the Joker. It undermines the father figure and mentor Alfred has been to Bruce.

Batman #17 spoiler

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.