This week, Joaquin Phoenix’s new Joker movie will give Joaquin Phoenix a terrifying and realistic look at the character we’ve never seen before. In fact, this portrayal of the popular comic book villain is so polarizing that some have said that a movie like Joker could be dangerous in today’s socio-political climate.
But this is just another entry in the long and strange history of the Joker in film and television. There is something about the character that draws audiences. It is a completely mystical and terrifying Batman movie created in 1940 by the DC Comics team of Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. A shocking phenomenon to watch, the Joker is arguably the greatest villain in pop culture history. His humorous, socially dependent and downright demonic presence has become a thing of the cinematic tradition. As with James Bond, or even Batman himself, it’s no small thing for an actor to score to play the infamous enemy of the Dark Knight. Here we have ranked the most popular Joker images from worst to best [insert a crazy laugh here].
8. Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)
To really get into his character, actor Jared Leto decided to go the extra mile with his acting, which means sending dead creatures and, in some reports, condoms to other stars. This rude behavior led to a totally bizarre performance, as Leto seemed to be dealing with a sinister clown who was somewhere between Heath Ledger’s fickle performance in The Dark Knight and a disgruntled Hot Topic employee. Cringey and funny, Leto’s Joker is difficult at times, and writing the Suicide Squad script did him no favors either.
7. Zach Galifianakis (LEGO Batman)