The iconic villain The Joker has been adapted many times into live-action movies and TV, but some versions are distinctly better than others. When it comes to terrifying Batman movie villains, few figures rank as highly as the Joker. The Dark Knight’s iconic nemesis is almost as well-known as the hero himself, and Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime is regularly cited as one of the greatest comic book villains ever created.
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Just as many actors have played Batman in live-action, many actors have taken on the role of the Joker. The character’s cinematic legacy dates back decades, with multiple performers putting their own spin on the chaotic clown. While some have earned widespread acclaim and lasting popularity, others have been ill-received. With that in mind, here is every live-action version of the Joker, ranked from worst to best.
10 Nathan Dashwood’s Joker Is A Laughable Portrayal
First appearance: Batwoman, season 3, episode 12, “We’re All Mad Here”
The Arrowverse’s Batwoman ran for three seasons, chronicling the rise of the titular hero in Gotham City in the wake of Batman’s disappearance. Though the show failed to find a significant audience, it proved an interesting and innovative spin on the Batman mythos. Set after Batman’s years as a hero, the Joker is featured only in flashbacks, and even then, in a non-speaking role.
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Batwoman’s Joker is played by Nathan Dashwood, and is not fully shown during the flashback sequence. His appearance largely seems to be comic-accurate, with green hair and a purple suit. However, the lack of focus given to the character combined with the obscured vision and non-speaking element combine to make Batwoman’s Joker incredibly disappointing. As live-action Jokers go, he’s the worst, as details on his personality and appearance are impossible to make out.
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Batwoman
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*Availability in US Release Date October 6, 2019 Seasons 3
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9 Roger Stoneburner’s Joker Is Memorable For Only One Reason
First appearance: Birds of Prey, season 1, episode 1, “Premiere”
2002 saw the release of the short-lived TV series Birds of Prey, which, despite initially good viewership, was canceled after just 13 episodes. The show followed the superhero team of the same name, with iterations of Huntress, Oracle, and Black Canary serving as its main characters. The show’s first episode also features a cameo appearance from the Joker, played physically by Roger Stoneburner and voiced by Mark Hamill.
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The appearance of the Joker in Birds of Prey leaves much to the imagination, but securing Mark Hamill to voice the character was at least a respectable touch. Having Hamill reprise his role from the DCAU to voice the villain helped to make Birds of Prey’s live-action Joker memorable, if otherwise unremarkable. Though his role in the short-lived show was only momentary, Hamill’s inimitable voice helps Birds of Prey’s Joker stand out somewhat.
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Birds of Prey
Release Date October 9, 2002 Seasons 1
8 Curtis Armstrong’s Joker Was Better Than It Should Have Been
First appearance: Batman OnStar commercial, “Joker Face”
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Strangely, one of the more interesting spins on the Joker came not in a movie or TV show, but as part of a commercial for OnStar in-vehicle security. Airing from 2000 to 2002, the run of six commercials featured different Batman characters, including one in which Batman was engaged in a high-speed chase with the Joker. In the commercial, the Joker was played by Curtis Armstrong.
The live-action Joker featured in the OnStar commercial was surprisingly comic-accurate, and made a good case for Armstrong being a strong contender for the role. Though the purpose of the commercial was to advertise a product, its use of Batman characters made for an interesting gimmick, particularly as Armstrong’s Joker appeared far better than he had any business being. Though he didn’t play the role in a legitimate Batman story, Curtis Armstrong’s Joker still bizarrely had potential.
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7 Jared Leto’s DCEU Joker Was Controversial
First appearance: Suicide Squad (2016)
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Appearing as the Joker in the movies of the DCEU, Jared Leto’s take on the villain proved one of the most controversial in the character’s history. In many ways, Leto’s Joker suffered from comparisons to Heath Ledger’s iteration of the villain, and deviations from a comic-accurate depiction of the character were cited as weak points. The DCEU’s Joker did not prove to be particularly popular, although many of the villain’s issues stemmed from behind-the-scenes problems.
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Leto’s Joker actually fit the overall tone of the DCEU rather well. He was a gritty and dark spin on the character, and while these attempts at innovating the Joker’s story didn’t land, they aren’t entirely without merit. Unfortunately, the combination of the risks taken with the Joker’s DCEU characterization and the franchise’s lack of focus on the villain resulted in Jared Leto’s version of the character falling flat.
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11 5.2/10 Suicide Squad
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*Availability in US Director David Ayer Release Date August 5, 2016
6 Barry Keoghan’s Joker Appeared With An Innovative Design
First appearance: The Batman (2022)
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An unexpected addition to the cast of The Batman was Barry Keoghan, who was revealed to be playing the Joker in Matt Reeves’ take on Gotham City. In the theatrical cut of the film, the Joker only appears as a disembodied voice speaking to an incarcerated Riddler, although a deleted scene showcases Keoghan’s Joker a little better. Shrouding the character in mystery only served to make him all the more fascinating, despite The Batman not giving its Joker much of a role to play.
Keoghan’s Joker was revealed to have significant facial disfigurement resulting in his rictus grin, and The Batman confirmed him as having had a previous run-in with the Dark Knight. However, as Keoghan’s first appearance made his Joker something of an enigma, he conjured more excitement around the character. It would appear that The Batman’s Joker both fits perfectly within the movie’s world and takes an innovative approach to the villain.
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53 9.5/10 The Batman
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*Availability in US Director Matt Reeves Release Date March 4, 2022
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5 Cameron Monaghan’s Joker Twins Put An Interesting Spin On The Character
First appearance: Gotham, season 1, episode 16, “The Blind Fortune Teller”
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Gotham’s novel approach to adapting the earlier years of the Batman mythos by establishing the origins of many of the hero’s villains and supporting characters earned the show considerable attention. While aspects of Gotham proved contentious, the show’s interesting approach to the Joker’s story was commendable. Cameron Monaghan was cast as both Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, with each of the two embodying a different aspect of the Joker’s personality.
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While Jerome, the first twin introduced, embraces the chaotic and spontaneous violence of the villain, Jeremiah embodies the more fearful aspects of the Joker. Splitting different aspects of the Joker into distinct personalities brought a novelty to Gotham’s Joker brothers that allowed for a more imaginative approach to the villain’s story. What it lacked in comic accuracy, it made up for in creativity, with Monaghan’s dual performance proving particularly commendable.
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10/10 Gotham
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*Availability in US Release Date September 22, 2014 Seasons 5
4 Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Was Deep, But Not A True Villain
First appearance: Joker (2019)
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Todd Phillips’ Joker movies featured multiple Batman characters, but the most prominent of all was the titular villain. Phillips’ two-film arc followed Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian living with mental illness who eventually creates and embodies the alter-ego of the Joker. The franchise’s grounded approach to the character’s origins and character was fascinating, and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Fleck turned out to be as captivating as it was disturbing.
The poor reception to the second film hurt Arthur Fleck’s Joker legacy somewhat, but the main downfall of the character was that he was never truly Batman’s archnemesis. The more grounded exploration of a man living with considerable mental illness proved excellent on many levels, but in terms of adapting the comic book character, it left something to be desired. Phoenix’s performance somehow made the Joker seem sympathetic, which – while incredible – was never truly the point of the villain.
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15 8.4/10 Joker (2019)
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*Availability in US Director Todd Phillips Release Date October 2, 2019
3 Cesar Romero Remains The Classic Joker For Many
First appearance: Batman, season 1, episode 5, “The Joker Is Wild”
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Though it’s hardly considered the best Batman movie, 1966’s Batman and the TV show it was released around helped to keep the character at the forefront of pop culture for decades. The family-friendly adaptation of the hero’s golden years saw many of his villains adapted to the screen, Cesar Romero’s Joker included among them. Romero’s Joker ranks highly amongst his peers, partly due to the fact that he brought the character to life without as much of a template to work from.
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Every Joker since Romero’s has had a strong cinematic past to lean upon, whereas Batman in the 1960s had to rely on pure imagination. As the TV show and movie established a version of the Joker that still holds up today, it’s fair to say that Cesar Romero’s take on the character is sound. In terms of longevity and vision, Romero’s 1960s Joker remains one of the best to appear in live-action.
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Batman (1966)
Release Date January 12, 1966 Seasons 3 See at AmazonSee at WalmartSee at Best Buy
2 Jack Nicholson’s Joker Is A Perfect Live-Action Adaptation
First Appearance: Batman (1989)
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1989 saw Tim Burton take the reins of a Batman blockbuster, and he cast Jack Nicholson as the Joker opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman. Nicholson’s Joker combined comic accuracy with classic big-screen villainy, injecting an extra dose of cruelty and terror into his take on Batman’s arch-nemesis. The resulting iteration of the villain remains one of the best live-action Jokers of all time.
Nicholson’s Joker looks perfect, with a comic-accurate design that seems to be lifted directly from the pages of DC comics. His performance adds the actor’s inimitable touch to the villain, with a dark energy and insidious playfulness that perfectly captures the spirit of the character. In almost every way, Nicholson’s Joker is the perfect adaption of the comic book villain, and he fits especially well within Tim Burton’s dark and wacky Batman mythos.
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25 9.2/10 Batman (1989)
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*Availability in US Director Tim Burton Release Date June 23, 1989
1 Heath Ledger’s Joker Redefined The Character As A Truly Terrifying Villain
First Appearance: The Dark Knight (2008)
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In the history of cinema, there are few movie villains as memorable and terrifying as Heath Ledger’s Joker. 2008’s The Dark Knight saw Christopher Nolan tackle Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, with Ledger originally seen as an unorthodox choice for the role. The late Australian actor’s performance in the movie redefined not just the iconic villain, but what actors could do with comic book movie roles given enough creative freedom.
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Though it departed significantly from the character’s traditional appearance and characterization, The Dark Knight’s Joker was frighteningly charismatic and intensely chaotic. From the villain’s design to Ledger’s unnerving performance, every single aspect of The Dark Knight’s Joker was inventive and compelling. As such, Heath Ledger’s stint in the role continues to stand out as the best live-action iteration of The Joker ever to be adapted to the big or small screen.
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17 9.6/10 The Dark Knight
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*Availability in US Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 18, 2008
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