The Joker’s bank heist mask was a pleasingly obscure tribute

In The Dark Knight‘s epic opening sequence, the Joker and his unwitting henchman all wear similar clown masks. These are a reference to the campy 1960’s Batman TV show and the Joker in that series, Cesar Romero. In the 1960’s production, the Joker is introduced in a very similar manner, wearing an identical mask to that of Heath Ledger. Both Jokers reveal their ‘true’ clown faces to the audience by removing their clown masks