So how's The Dark Knight for goodbyes? Give us anything—Brokeback Mountain's heartache, Candy's cautionary tale of—gulp—heroin addiction, even Casanova (OK, not Casanova)—but not the The Dark Knight. Not that disfigured creep in the trenchcoat. Heath's last words to us can't be a menacingly growled, "It's all...part of the plan." His last note, not "Why so serious?" scrawled across a theatrical one-sheet in fingerpainted blood. Warner Bros. has issued this statement in response to his death:

"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

The irony, of course, is that The Joker will be one of Heath's greatest, destined to be referenced first, along with Brokeback, as his legend grows. Still—if the performance wasn't nightmare-fuel before... (And it was. Just watch that trailer.) Expect an immediate repositioning in the Knight campaign, with Bale's Cowled Crusader ushered back to front and center, for the time being at least. We need heroes right now.