Joker Avoiding the Batwing

[Slash Man]

My apologies if this thread already exists, but surprisingly I didn't find it searching.

One of the strangest moments in Batman is when Batman's gunning down the Joker's party, and zeroes in on the Joker himself, only to miss and get shot down himself. Joker shooting the Batwing down isn't implausible - look at the size of the gun! But Joker being shot down? What are the official explanations for it? More specifically, is it actually described in the novel?

The script actually helps out somewhat:

A rocket, bullets, and the laser beam SMASH into the
street, all around the Joker.  He leaps, LAUGHING, into
the air and, miraculously, avoids being hit.

The verdict from this? Joker didn't have a plan. He intended to face Batman head-on and go out in a blaze of glory. Except it was just pure luck that he managed to survive. It seems strange, but I guess that was the only part where the suspension of disbelief was really tried. One of those moments is okay in my book; stuff does happen by pure luck, and this is just one of those instances.

[The Laughing Fish]

I thought this scene was absolutely hilarious. Batman had Joker in his sights and he still misses! 

Joker laughing at Batman would've made the scene even better. It would've encouraged the whole audience to laugh at Batman's failure. 

[DarkVengeance]

The bullet is an armor piercing shell, that is all explained in the comic adaption of the film

[DocLathropBrown]

What I love is that the moment is very meta. When the Batwing misses, Joker opens his eyes and looks startled/amazed that he survived. Batman pulls away the visor and looks confused/perturbed that he missed.

It's so subtle, so I don't think many people catch it, but I think Tim was deliberately having fun with the characters and the audience there.

[The Dark Knight]

The phrase luck of the devil is commonly used with this scene. And it's just that. The Joker suicidally stands firm and should be a bloodied mess on the pavement (that came later though) but remains unscathed. It's a visual joke. He gives the barest amount of effort and inflicts the highest level of damage.

[Grissom]

Well said dark knight, Joker has an uncanny ability to survive or escape. He and Batman are destined to battle each other for a long time.

Plus if Joker had been obliterated by the Bat wing,  it would have been too abrupt an ending. 

[Slash Man]

The phrase luck of the devil is commonly used with this scene. And it's just that. The Joker suicidally stands firm and should be a bloodied mess on the pavement (that came later though) but remains unscathed. It's a visual joke. He gives the barest amount of effort and inflicts the highest level of damage.

The more I think about it, the more I like the scene. The "luck of the Devil" term is especially appropriate - with his plans foiled and nothing to fall back on, it's he who's dancing with the Devil. This might be digging too deep, but all of Batman and Joker's confrontations involve cheating death:

1. Jack neglects shooting Bruce after being rushed away by his partner
2. Batman drops Jack into the vat of chemicals, who is then assumed dead afterwards
3. Bruce receives a direct shot from the Joker in Vicki's apartment, but is prepared (actually pretty lucky that it hit him where it did).
4. The Batwing attacks Joker, misses
5. The Batwing crashes, nearly killing Batman

Finally, the Joker's luck runs out when he indirectly causes his own death.

[eledoremassis02]

That is a fantastic observation Slash! That's like how in Ninja Turtles (1990) you dont see all of the turtles fighting together until the end.