The Jokers Ranked by Their Laughs

The massive success of DC’s Joker movie has proven that Batman‘s nemesis is still a major icon, whether it’s within the comic book confines of geek culture, or the larger mainstream media spotlight. However, since Joker is a comic book movie, the performance of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker inevitably gets compared to all those actors who have taken on the Joker role before. While we could have a lengthy discussion about overall performance, one of the most important signatures of any Joker performance is the villain’s laugh.

There have been many versions of Joker laughs during the last half a century, so how does Joaquin Phoenix’s unique take on it (based on a real-life mental condition that causes involuntary laughter) measure up? Scroll below for our all the major Joker performances, ranked by laugh from worst to best.

Jared Leto

At the bottom of the list is (not surprisingly) Jared Leto’s Joker. Like so much of Leto’s performance, his laugh for “Mr. J” was a bit too overblown and self-satisfied to really win over fans or go down as that iconic. It says a great deal that the most memorable thing about Jared Leto’s Joker laugh is the laughing mouth tattoo on his hand, a replacement for the teeth that Batman knocked out. 

Troy Baker

Longtime voice actor Troy Baker has been the Joker that fills in for some key DC Animation projects (Batman Unlimited, Batman vs. TMNT, Batman: Assault on Arkham), and he inevitably became the one that DC fans compared most to Mark Hamill – who (needless to say) appears much higher on this list. Baker has been a perfectly suitable Joker – unfortunately, fans tend to demand more than just “Okay” when it comes to Joker. 

Frank Welker

For an entire generation of kids, their first exposure to Joker was in the DC Super Friends animated series. That Joker was voiced by a Frank Welker, and his maniacal Joker laugh now lives in the memories of our youth. It’s not the one you’ll hear referenced much, but that doesn’t make it any less iconic. 

Caesar Romero

If DC’s Super Friends wasn’t your first introduction to the onscreen version of The Joker, then Ceasar Romero’s Joker probably was. Romero is still an icon to this day after debuting in the 1960s Batman TV series (and later movie) as the nemesis of Adam West’s Batman. Part of the love for Romero? His manic, scenery-chewing charisma – which extended all the way to his mischievously wonderful Joker laugh. 

Cameron Monaghan

Actor Cameron Monaghan was handed a nearly insurmontable challenge of having to bring Joker to the Batman-less world fo Fox’s prequel series Gotham. However, Monaghan managed to nail the role not once, but twice, as twisted circus performer Jerome Valeska, and his twin brother Jeremiah. Monaghan gets a nice midpoint spot on this list because he arguably made two good Joker laughs, even if Gotham isn’t the most cherished entry in the Batman mythos. 

Jack Nicholson

Like Caeser Romero, an entire later generation of Batman fans came to know The Joker via Jack Nicholson’s performance in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). Nicholson’s maniacal laugh is as iconic for its look as it is the sound – though he doesn’t get the top spots, as Burton’s film reveals that The Joker cheated by using a laugh machine concealed in his jacket (even if Nicholson’s performance didn’t). 

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger’s Joker is still one of the most beloved versions of the villain ever, and part of that Oscar-winning performance was definitely Ledger’s Joker laugh. The Dark Knight‘s Joker laughs with wild, nihilistic abandon in that creepy nasally tone, and the best part was seeing just what kind wild, unpredictable things would happen right after that laughter erupted. 

Joaquin Phoenix

We have to be careful with ranking Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker laugh, due to the obvious recency bias that comes from Joker having just hit theaters. However, the reason that we put Phoenix over Ledger’s laugh is due to the deeper levels of meaning behind it. Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is afflicted with a condition that causes him to laugh involuntary bursts of laughter – often at the most inappropriate times. Within that tragic condition, however, Phoenix’s Joker laugh carries a mix of pleasure and deep-seeded pain that’s not only a signature of Joker’s character, but also a nice ode to the gruesome pains of the Joker gas from the comics that forces people to laugh until they die.

Mark Hamill

What’s left to say? Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker laugh may very well be the version that sits atop the mountain of great Joker performances, forever. Hamill’s Joker was an immediate breakout star when he debut in Batman: The Animated Series in the early ’90s, and that acclaim has followed the actor through big screen animated performances (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), and even into the modern video game world (the Batman Arkham game series). Long live the great. 

What’s your favorite Joker laugh? Let us know in the comments.