<P> Gordon hands over the role of commissioner to Captain Ellen Yindel, who issues a statement declaring that Batman is a wanted criminal for his vigilante activities . At the same time, Batman's return stimulates the Joker to awaken from catatonia at Arkham Asylum . With renewed purpose, the Joker manipulates his caretakers to allow him onto a television talk show, where he murders everyone with gas and escapes . With the help of Catwoman, Batman and Robin track him to a county fair while evading a police pursuit led by Yindel . There, they realize that he is already making attempts to kill fairgoers . Batman defeats the Joker in a bloody confrontation, which ends when the Joker commits suicide by breaking his own spine to incriminate Batman for murder . After another confrontation with the Gotham police, Batman escapes with the help of Robin and a citywide manhunt begins . </P> <P> Superman diverts a Soviet nuclear warhead which detonates in a desert, nearly killing himself in the process . The United States is hit by an electromagnetic pulse as a result and descends into chaos during the resulting blackout . In Gotham, Batman realizes what has happened, and he and Robin turn the remaining Mutants and Sons of the Batman into a non-lethal vigilante gang . He leads them against looters and ensures the flow of essential supplies . In the midst of the blackout, Gotham becomes the safest city in the country . The U.S. government sees this as an embarrassment, and orders Superman to remove Batman . Oliver Queen predicts to Wayne that the government lackey Superman and the maverick Batman will have a final confrontation . Superman demands to meet Batman . Knowing he may die, Wayne chooses Crime Alley, where he first became Batman . He relies on Superman's weakness caused by near - death in the nuclear blast (Superman only just managed to survive by absorbing the energy of the sun, but he is still vulnerable to attack). </P> <P> Superman tries to reason with Batman, but Batman uses his technological inventions and mastery of hand - to - hand combat to fight him . During the battle, Superman compromises Batman's exoframe, while Queen shoots a kryptonite - tipped arrow to greatly weaken Superman . Batman reveals that he intentionally spared Superman's life by not using a more powerful kryptonite mix; the fight and near - death experience was meant as a warning to Superman to stay out of Batman's way . Before he can fully defeat Superman, Batman suddenly has a heart attack, apparently dying . Alfred destroys the Batcave and Wayne Manor before dying of a stroke, exposing Batman as Bruce Wayne, whose fortune has disappeared . After Wayne's funeral, it is revealed that his death was staged using his own chemical concoction that can suspend his vital life signs . Clark Kent attends the funeral and winks at Robin after hearing Wayne's heartbeat resume . Some time afterward, Bruce Wayne leads Robin, Queen, and the rest of his followers into the caverns beyond the Batcave and prepares to continue his war on crime . </P> <P> Since the 1950s, when the Comics Code Authority was established, the character of Batman had drifted from his dark, violent roots . It was not until the 1970s when the character began to feature in darker stories once again; however, Batman was still commonly associated with the campy theme of the 1960s Batman TV series, and as a father figure to Robin rather than the violent vigilante he was introduced as . </P>

What happened to alfred in the dark knight returns