“The Joker” from DC Comics is a fan favorite among many, myself included, but what truly makes a good portrayal of Joker? The Joker has so far varied in actors and character names, making The Joker a persona that is imprinted in various people in different universes. There have been several portrayals of this character in several movies and TV shows.
For clarification, I’ve heard how one of the best Joker impressions was by Mark Hamill, according to fans, in several animated series and games. However, since I am only going off the live action movies and tv shows, I will not include the animated nor video game portrayals.
The movies and shows I will be ranking the Joker from are the following:
- Batman (1966)
- Batman (1989)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- Gotham (2014)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Joker (2019)
I will admit first and foremost, that Heath Ledger’s portrayal in The Dark Knight, and Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in Joker, come very close on my list. They were both different portrayals, both also being the most epic in my opinion. But now let’s get into my personal ranking and rating of the live-action Joker portrayals! Also, be warned that I may mention spoilers.
[10/10] Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Many fans agree that Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker is iconic, in fact, even legendary. The actor unfortunately, as fans recall, died shortly before he could see his performance earn several awards.
With his dark portrayal, constant change of backstory, and no identity, he is a complete enigma. His signature dark humor and chilling laugh brilliantly straddle the line of clarity in insanity.
There is nothing that he cares more about than to have his fun causing chaos. Like a force inconvenient for everyone, yet a convenient villain for the audience. An example would be his disinterest in money with there being a scene of him burning his share of cash in a short partnership with a mob.
[10/10] Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
When I first watched this movie, I didn’t know what to expect. From beginning to end, I was surprised how everything played out. Phoenix portrayed Joker as a character with an identity — Arthur Fleck — and a storyline cliche of being a ‘victim of society’ ultimately leading to him snapping to the persona of Joker.
The sad reality conveyed throughout the film was relatable to our reality in society. As one of his iconic lines goes as he kills a popular late night talk show host (Murray) on live television, “You get what you fucking deserve.” The show was his favorite to watch, until the host mocked his comedy performance and referred to him as a “joker”, therefore that is how Phoenix’s persona of Joker was born.
The happening on live television inspired the minority of Gotham City to go on a riot and ultimately light fires, rob stores, and even kill others. With another change in this DC Universe, it also included a bit of the classic Batman origin.
In this version, Arthur Fleck ‘s mother claimed that Arthur’s father is Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s (Batman) father. It turns out that she was mentally unstable from possible abuse of her husband while working for the Wayne family and ultimately fired. Arthur ends up killing his mom due to the lies and deception.
In the end of the film, when chaos ensues after Murray’s murder on live television, Thomas Wayne, his wife, and son leave a theater and take a shortcut down an alley. Someone in a mask shoots Bruce’s parents while quoting after Joker, “You get what you fucking deserve.” Which marks the beginning of a madness.
[10/10] Cameron Monaghan – Gotham
The TV show Gotham did not exclusively call their character “The Joker” because as Louise Mccreesh wrote in their article quoting Monaghan, “Pure green was off-limits to us, as well as the name ‘Joker’, a decision from high-up as they wanted to reserve these for films. A decision which ultimately I respect. “They did not want to dilute the very lucrative brand. It allowed for creativity on our end.”
Which I honestly think is fine, because as I mentioned before, “The Joker” can be looked at as a persona, and not a singular set character. Ledger’s portrayal had no backstory nor official name. Phoenix’s portrayal had a backstory and his name was Arthur.
Each DC universe with Batman and Joker have been portrayed differently, and these alternate characters of alternate universes are nonetheless intriguing. With Monaghan’s mannerisms in his laugh and smile, he’s got the joker persona down.
Moreover, my reason for giving Monaghan a ten is because he plays two different portrayals — twins by the names of Jerome Velaska and Jeremiah Velaska. Both characters differed greatly, and as Monaghan even said, there was room for creativity.
While I don’t agree with a lot of the plots in the show, including Jeremiah’s weird obsession with Bruce (though I kind of see a parallel of it in Ledger’s universe with how he tells Batman that they need each other), Monaghan portrayed amazing talent and potential as an actor.
In addition, the portrayal of Jerome was more about him wanting to destroy things and wreak havoc throughout Gotham City, and similarly to Phoenix’s joker, he inspired peoples inner darkness by calling their sanity a cage and to break free from its hold.
As Jerome says, “I’m an artist, I just want to paint the town crazy.” And as Jeremiah says, “Don’t compare me to that shortsighted psychopath. He just wanted to destroy things. Me, I’m a builder.”
Jeremiah was more about building and rebuilding, though of course it required destruction to clear the way for a platform. Even then, he still had to obtain some inspiration from his twin brother Jerome’s wicked ways in order to achieve certain goals.
[8/10] Jack Nicholson – Batman (1989)
Nicholson’s laugh was everything in this movie, or maybe I’m just a big fan of great laughs. As in, it was probably the most memorable signature of his portrayal alongside the fixated smile on his face due to a chemical accident. It was super contagious, and I was laughing literally every time he laughed.
The portrayal of his Joker — his character also named Jack Napier — was alright here and pretty good there, same with the dialogue. I did enjoy many of the jokes. So, I suppose I just laughed all the way through.
It was an enjoyable Joker portrayal with more comedy and less darkness in the plot. Plus, the Tim Burton aesthetic was surreal. Being that Nicholson also acted as an insane character in the horror classic The Shining he had potential to play his own version of Joker.
[6/10] Cesar Romero – Batman (1966)
It’s understandable that around this time violence in entertainment such as comics were forced to be dialed down by the Comics Code Authority that was established in 1954. So, this series was more silly, less grisly. More colorful, less dark in nature.
I respect and give Romero credit for his performance, I did enjoy his laugh and some of the cheesiness from scenes I looked up on YouTube. However, I prefer darkness in my entertainment. Therefore, I prefer the violence the joker was crafted by in the comics before.
[3/10] Jared Leto – Suicide Squad
To give it to you straight, Jared Leto’s portrayal, the makeup and everything, made him look like a gangster wannabe, not even a Joker. I suppose some of the dialogue made up for it, but it was without the Joker-esque. Perhaps the goal was to make Suicide Squad feel more modern-day instead of fantasy-like?
The vibe and aesthetic of the movie reminded me of Chicago. Nonetheless, many people do not like his portrayal of Joker, and many do not speak of him. I am being generous giving him a three for his attempt at very faintly resembling the Joker. Will he redeem himself in Justice League Part Two?
Overall, we have definitely come a long way in the film and entertainment industry. With more freedom to produce violent and dark content, there’s more satisfaction to certain characters that were meant to have such an aura and portrayal.
Sometimes there’s some really good portrayals, and sometimes not so good. But with the bad portrayals, we at least have something to compare to and can see when something is bad or not great. I believe that this particular character also shows how sometimes anyone can take on a persona, or be an inspiration of the idea no matter who they are.
With that said, I hope my insight has enlightened you and I’d love to talk about this in-depth! If you’d like to see more of my random content or would like to contact me, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr.
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