It's hard to list all the absolutely horrible crimes that the Joker has committed over the decades. He's killed people in the hundreds, attempted to end the world several times, and horrifically tortured Batman and the entire Bat-Family more times than anyone can count. Maybe that's why almost no one talks about one of the worst crimes that the Joker has ever committed.

One of the worst things that the Joker ever did, which most people don't even seem to , is featured in Detective Comics #741 by Devin Grayson, Greg Rucka, Dale Eaglesham, and Damion Scott. In this story, the Joker takes an entire maternity wing hostage. When Jim Gordon's wife, Sarah Essen-Gordon, tries to stop him, the story takes a very dark turn.

The Joker is holding a baby while standing in front of an entire room of babies, which makes it very difficult for Sarah to take a shot at him. Knowing this, the Joker simply tosses one of the babies at Sarah. She responds instinctively by dropping her gun and catching the baby, giving the Joker the chance to shoot her.

One of the Joker's Most Brutal Murders Changed Batman History

Detective Comics #741 by Devin Grayson, Greg Rucka, Dale Eaglesham, Damion Scott, Sal Buscema, Sean Parsons, Rob Hunter, Pamela Rambo, Wildstorm FCX, Willie Schubert

When Gotham City was hit by a massive earthquake, it was nearly obliterated, leading to the massive No Man's Land crossover event. Thousands died, and the majority of the city was turned into rubble. This natural disaster was only exacerbated by Gotham's villains all vying for control over the ruins. Surprisingly, the one villain who seemed mostly absent was the Joker. As Batman was going in and out of Gotham to try and gather for the city, the Joker just didn't think it was worthwhile to start making moves in Gotham. When Batman returned, the Joker changed his mind - with devastating consequences.

The Joker shooting Sarah Essen-Gordon in the head was a brutal moment, arguably worse than when the Joker attacked Barbara Gordon during The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. With all the things that the Joker has done in his life - like trying to poison the water supply for Gotham, infecting Arkham Asylum inmates with his Joker Toxin, and everything he's done to Batman - it's understandable that many fans don't Sarah's death. But this moment was so horrific that Batman decided to do something that he had almost never done in response to any of the Joker's other crimes.

Batman Was Willing to Let the Joker Die for This Crime

One Step Too Far, Even for Batman

After the Joker killed Sarah, the building he was in was immediately swarmed by police officers. Knowing he had no way to escape, the Joker simply surrendered, which is when Jim Gordon arrived on the scene, and after learning his wife had been killed, he brutally beats the Joker before aiming his gun at the Joker's head. In front of Nightwing, Robin, Batman, and the entire remaining GD, Gordon states that the Joker has finally gone too far and has to be killed. Shockingly, Batman actually agrees that Jim might be right and that he won't stop Gordon from taking the shot.

Batman often goes out of his way to keep people alive for as long as he possibly can.

Batman's no-kill rule is infamously strict. No matter how horrific a criminal is or what they do, Batman never lets them die. Batman often goes out of his way to keep people alive for as long as he possibly can. The Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara Gordon in The Killing Joke, and Batman still brought in the Joker, alive. The Joker beat Jason Todd to death, and Batman didn't end up killing the Joker, despite ittedly trying at the time. But when the Joker shot Sarah, on top of all the other tragic things that happened in Gotham recently, Batman was finally pushed over the limit.

The Joker's Crime Was So Horrific That Batman Was Willing to Break His No-Kill Rule

Batman Would Have Let the Joker Die

Ultimately, James Gordon decided to shoot the Joker in the knee cap, sparing his life. Batman has often said that the future of Gotham can't be built on the corpses of others. It seems that James Gordon agrees. With Gotham needing to be the focus in the wake of the Cataclysm, he decides to spare the Joker's life. This choice was entirely Gordon's, as Batman made it clear he would have let Gordon murder the Joker in front of everyone. Shockingly, a crime that was so brutal and sadistic that Batman finally itted that the Joker deserves to die is something most fans don't even happened.

The Joker has done so many horrific things over the years, and it seems like he's always going bigger and darker. He attacked Batman, then he attacked the Bat-Family, then all of Gotham City, and then the world. It's easy to see why most fans don't him shooting the wife of a police officer twenty-five years ago. It simply doesn't seem like it compares to his other brutal plans and schemes. But Batman didn't try to kill the Joker after Emperor Joker, Joker's Last Laugh, or even The Killing Joke​​​​​​. It was only when the Joker killed Sarah that Batman finally decided that he had gone too far.

Detective Comics #741 is available now from DC Comics!