Suicide Squad has been playing on HBO a lot here lately. I'm not keen on the gangsta style that Jared Leto has brought to the Joker.

Who do you think did the best job in the DC Universe playing the Joker? Why?

I'm inclined to go with Heath Ledger's portrayal. His Joker, to me, seemed to have the best combination of a madman who embraced chaos and a strategic, methodical planner.

FWIW, I didn't care for Leto's version from Suicide Squad.

I also think Ledger was the best Joker,

with a nod to Caesar Romero as well,


I thought Leto's Joker was a different an interesting version,

Ledger's portrayal was the definitive one, IMO.
To me, the Joker was defined by Frank Miller's take on the character in The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and Ledger's was along the same lines. Crazed, propensity for extreme violence and death at the drop of a hat. Jack Nicholson's portrayal did not really exhibit those traits, his was a bit too cartoonish.

I didn't hate Leto's version, but Ledger was definitely the best.

Mark Hamil probably 2nd up between the animated series and the Batman games.

quote:

To me, the Joker was defined by Frank Miller's take on the character in The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and Ledger's was along the same lines. Crazed, propensity for extreme violence and death at the drop of a hat.

Yep. And that's why I love Afflek's Batman so much, because it's "old man I don't give a fuck anymore" batman from Dark Knight Returns.

I think that a lot of people that hated BvS hadn't read TDKR or they probably would have liked it a lot more.

Jack Nicholson.

I'm a fan of Heath Ledger's.

1. He put a pencil through a guy's eye in a PG-13 superhero flick, which is a-ok in my book!

2. I hate wussy villains in movies and on TV. I like ones that are defiant and relentless to the very end (like John Doe in Seven or the Hitcher). You know how on TV the cops can usually intimidate a suspect into confessing? I love the scene in Dark Knight with Batman slamming the Joker all around the interrogation room and he refuses to be meek and groveling - "YOU HAVE NOTHING! NOTHING TO THREATEN ME WITH!!!" That's MY kind of stubbornness!

That said, I liked Jared Leto's version. I thought he played a good "regular" version of the Joker.

I give a slight edge to Mark Hamill. Especially in the Arkham video games, where they could go darker than most of the animated stuff.

But if we're just sticking with live action portrayals, then Heath Ledger gets my vote by a mile, compared to the others.

Ledger most certainly.

The Dark Knight was probably the best superhero movie made

Ledger. And then Nicholson.
"This town needs an enema"!

I thought Leto was great. He is on a role right now. The way he played the Joker was new and inventive. But they cut scenes out and he wasn’t in enough of the film.

Ledger was the best. Nolan and Bale the best as well.

Ledger and Hamill are both the epitome of the joker in their respective formats. Nobody will ever come close to how Ledger portrayed the Joker and his image is what comes to mind when I picture the Joker while Hamill's voice and more specifically his laugh is what I think of when I imagine what he sounds like.

I also prefer Affleck over others as he seems to nail both Bruce Wayne & Batman. Would love to see his take on Matches Malone too in a future movie. But when I think of Batman's voice, Kevin Conroy comes to mind, that and the gravelly, "WHERE IS SHE?"

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
I didn't hate Leto's version, but Ledger was definitely the best.

Mark Hamil probably 2nd up between the animated series and the Batman games.

quote:

To me, the Joker was defined by Frank Miller's take on the character in The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and Ledger's was along the same lines. Crazed, propensity for extreme violence and death at the drop of a hat.

Yep. And that's why I love Afflek's Batman so much, because it's "old man I don't give a fuck anymore" batman from Dark Knight Returns.

I think that a lot of people that hated BvS hadn't read TDKR or they probably would have liked it a lot more.

very good point on Miller's work,
and Affleck,
and if anyone has not read it, they should,

Ledger by a mile. Hamill's voice work is incredible though. Watch the animated movie Mask of the Phantasm if you want to see the Joker at his best in cartoon form.

It's hard not to straight up laugh at the Nicholson version after Ledger did his thing, and I though Jack did a great job for years, but really, it's ridiculously non convincing, comparatively.

Leto was ok, I think, and that movie has grown on me.

Watching suicide squad now and man is this bad.

This is so bad. "And if my daughter's grades start slippin' I need you to white people that shit. You know what I'm talking about." and the military guy nods like, "Yeah I know what you're talking about."

Wow.

I mean... wow this is bad.

EDIT - This is an actual line from the movie, by a 6000 year old demon-witch, with an upper-class English accent: "With my heart returned, I can finally finish my weapon. Now tell me how to destroy your armies."

Holy shit dudes. This is something else.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Veeper,

SS is awful.

Ledger was the best. The scene with the crime bosses is great. the following as well. notably quotes, "I know what a squealer looks like when I see one"

And also

"were going through agressive expansion, time for tryouts"

If Margot Robbie wasn't in SS, nobody would ever watch it. It was awful

I haven't liked any of the DC movies so far after Nolan's DK trilogy, I think Ill skip Justice League.

Wanna know how I got these scars?

Heath Ledger, voice and acting was spot on. Mark Hamill is a close second just using his voice:

Batman: The Killing Joke