Joker actors ranked from worst to best

A number of talented performers have donned the iconic purple suit and white facepaint of Batman’s nemesis, but which of the Joker actors is the best?

It’s a difficult question to answer. The Joker is a particularly dynamic character who can be as funny as a party clown or as terrifying as Pennywise. That means every Joker actor has the difficult job of choosing which side of the Ace of Knaves they want to personify. Will they be a harmless trickster? A murderous monster? Or something in between?

Well, with the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (killing superheroes is one of Joker’s favorite hobbies), we’ve decided to rank the most iconic Joker actors from the silver and small screen. It’s a difficult job cataloging Arkham’s most devious criminal mind (and no doubt there’ll be more Jokers to add to the list when the DCU gets up and running), but someone’s got to do it, so let’s jump in.

9. Jared Leto (Suicide Squad/Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

Suicide Squad didn’t give Jared Leto’s Joker time to shine, and if pigs ever fly and we get the Ayer Cut, we may revisit his position on this list. That said, the little we did see of Leto’s Joker, we didn’t like. The idea to separate his ‘Mr J’ from previous versions of the character by making him a more modern gangster wasn’t bad, but the execution was dreadful.

This Joker’s design felt exceptionally try-hard, from the tattoos to the teeth grill. His entire character felt like a desperate attempt to be edgy, but he ended up with all the edge of a deflated balloon. Worst of all, though, was his Joker laugh, which sounded like an asthmatic duck trying to quack. The only good thing about this incarnation is that he can act as a cautionary tale for anyone else trying to adapt the Joker to the big screen.

8. Barry Keoghan (The Batman)

We didn’t get a good look at Barry Keoghan’s Joker in The Batman, but if his soul’s as monstrous as his face, then Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne had the best watch out. What’s perhaps best about this version of the Joker is his promise. He seems to be more methodical than previous incarnations, less of a lunatic, and more of a criminal mastermind, which lines up with the Joker’s initial characterization. Of course, we could be wrong about that. I guess we’ll find out when The Batman 2 hits theaters.

7. Cameron Monaghan (Gotham)

A Batman prequel isn’t a bad idea, but a show that steps onto the hallowed ground of Joker’s deliberately vague origin was always going to be controversial. Still, all things considered, Cameron Monaghan did a good job with the material, especially as he wasn’t playing one version of the character but two. Yes, Monaghan played two versions of the Joker, Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who exhibited different facets of the villain’s vile personality. It was a unique take on the Joker’s multi-faceted personality, to be sure, but neither version really searched the acid-burn itch we had for a small-screen Joker.

6. Zach Galifianakis (The Lego Batman Movie)

There’s a belief in Batman fan circles that the Joker only acts the way he does because he’s desperate for the Dark Knight’s attention. Well, if that’s the subtext in the Batman comics, it’s out and proud text in The Lego Batman Movie. As a result, Zach Galifianakis, who lends his dulcet tones to this lively interpretation of the Joker, plays the character like a spurned lover desperate for one more booty call. It’s fun and taps into a legitimate side of the character that we rarely see explored on the big screen.

5. Cesar Romero (Batman TV series/Batman ’66)

As dark as milk spilled on a white marble floor, Cesar Romero’s Joker was a light-hearted take on Batman’s greatest villain, who was more mischievous than malicious. While that might not put a smile on the face of modern fans who are used to the Joker being a bit grittier, it suited the deliberately campy tone of Adam West’s Batman series. It’s not like Romero’s Joker couldn’t embrace his dark side when he wanted it, either. He’d regularly try to kill Batman and Robin, and on at least one occasion, he took UN members hostage. Of course, we can’t mention Romero’s Joker without pointing out his bravery in being the first Joker to have a mustache under his face paint…

4. Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Joaquin Phoenix brough an undeniable maturity and pathos to the role of the Joker, or Arthur Snell – to give him his proper name. What makes this version of the Harlequin of Hate so compelling is how grounded he is. He isn’t some cackling supervillain; he’s a mentally ill man who’s driven to violence by a cruel society that’s been literally and figuratively kicking him for years. Phoenix’s performance is, of course, impeccable, and his Best Actor Oscar was well deserved for making the Joker, of all characters, sympathetic. With that in mind, though, there’s one problem with this version of the Joker: he’s just not funny. Hopefully, they fix that in Joker 2.

3. Jack Nicholson (Batman)

Some actors like to embrace the Joker’s chaotic side, while others engage more with his humor. Jack Nicholson had a different take on the character, though. In his hands, the Joker is a vain egotist and artist who sees Gotham as his canvas and crime as his art. It’s an original take on a well-defined character, making Nicholson’s Joker a captivating foil to Michael Keaton’s Batman. Yet, just like the facepaint he uses to hide his rictus grin, this classy facade is just a disguise. Underneath the superficial gloss, there’s an evil monster who finds nothing funnier than murder, mutilation, and mayhem.

2. Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Anarchic and wild, Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker deliberately played against the more polished elegance of Nicholson’s performance. As a result, Ledger’s disheveled and less cartoony Joker has gone down as one of the most terrifying movie villains ever. Still, what makes Ledger’s Joker so scary isn’t his penchant for violence and causing mayhem; it’s how truly disturbed he feels. Whenever Ledger’s on screen, there’s this broiling tension that he could do, quite literally, anything at any moment. Will he make another pencil disappear? Will he make a gag? You’re just never certain with Ledger’s Joker, and that’s part of what makes The Dark Knight the second-best Batman movie.

1. Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series/ The Arkham Games)

The true Clown Prince of Crime, Mark Hamill, is the definitive Joker for those of us who grew up watching the truly exceptional Batman: The Animated Series. What makes Hamill’s Joker so brilliant is his terrifying mercurial nature and the breadth of moods he can channel. As a result, the animated Joker can flit between being a goofy trickster and a murderous psychopath as easily as Two-Face flips his coin. This capricious characterization makes Hamill’s Joker extremely unpredictable, and he feels like the most dangerous version of the character ever. The cherry on top of this particularly sadistic sundae? Hamill’s hyena-like evil laugh will have even the most hardened hero’s hair standing on end.