The Joker made his final chronological appearance in the direct-to-video feature film '' Batman Beyond : Return of the Joker '' ( 2000 ) , in which he mysteriously returns to Gotham City forty years in the future , apparently unaged since his battles with the original Batman . Flashbacks reveal that before he died , the Joker kidnapped and tortured Robin ( Tim Drake ) , turning him into an insane , miniature version of himself dubbed ' Joker Junior ' , learning Batman 's secret identity in the process . The Joker 's death was edited and redubbed amid controversy surrounding the Columbine High School massacre ; the original version sees Joker Junior shoot the Joker in the heart , whereas the edited version simply sees him push the Joker into damaged cables to be electrocuted out of sight . However , a microchip implanted in Drake 's neck was revealed to have possessed a copy of the Joker 's consciousness and DNA , allowing him to take over his host until he is defeated by the new Batman ( Terry McGinnis ) , who destroys the microchip and the Joker alongside it
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Joker in other media