Batman Fans Are Already Comparing Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker to Heath Ledger’s

The first trailer for Joker understandably has DC fans buzzing, as this film about the iconic DC Comics villain is attempting something bold and unprecedented in the character’s 79 years of existence:an origin story. That’s a high-risk venture for Hangover director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix, who are setting themselves up to incur the wrath of DC fans, if they don’t hit this nail squarely on the head.

One thing is for sure though: there’s no way that Joker can simply stand on its own merits, as the character is such a deep part of the cultural zeitgeist that any new interpretation must be held up to all those versions that came before. So, even though the Joker trailer has just dropped (at the time of writing this) DC fans are already going in on comparing Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker to his onscreen predecessors – most notably Heath Ledger‘s Joker from The Dark Knight.

Scroll down to get the full measure of DC fans’ current movie Joker rankings:

Side-By-Sides

Images of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker being compared to Heath Ledger’s (or Jack Nicholson’s, or Jared Leto’s) have started flooding onto social media. On the one hand, it’s good for Phoenix to be earning his way into such an esteemed and exclusive club. On the other hand though… 

A New G.O.A.T.?

Some DC fans are very angry that these  comparisons of Phoenix and Ledger (and other Jokers) are being done, and are already proclaiming that Phoenix’s Joker will earn the crown, once Joker hits theaters. Can’t wait to see it. 

Why Bother?

Some DC fans are so in love with Heath Ledger’s Joker that they don’t even think there’s reason to ever feature the character in a another movie again. 

…Thankfully, there are also quite a few fans who understand why that notion is utterly ridiculous, and that there’s plenty of room for a new Joker to make his debut. 

Not Worthy of Heath

We don’t know how/when Heath Ledger became the patron saint of Jokers, but a lot of fans are certainly acting that way by asking condescending questions like this. 

Not Worthy of Leto

Bruh… What??? This is quite possibly *the* hot take of hot takes. Good luck finding support for it… 

 

It’s Not Heath = Hate It

And clearly, some fans are not even going to bother giving Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker fair chance. 

The Contender We Need

It’s fair to say that few actors have the kind of gravitas to even come close to Ledger’s Joker. It is equally fair to say that Joaquin Phoenix is definitely one of them. 

Jokers > Batmen

At the end of the day, we can all at least agree on this one, yes? 

Heath Hates It

The strangest fans are the ones who seem to have intimate knowledge of how Heath Ledger would feel about this whole Joaquin Phoenix Joker performance. 

Joke’s On YOU

Let’s end with this little reminder of actual history, before the Internet gets lost in its own false reality. Ledger and Phoenix were two powerhouse thespians who actually respected one another. So is Phoenix’s Joker an insult to Ledger’s work, or an homage to his friend? The answer seems pretty clear. 

The DC Movie Universe continues with Shazam on April 5th, Joker on October 4th, Birds of Prey on February 7th, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5th, 2020, and The Batman on June 25th, 2021.

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