Ranking The Jokers From Worst To Best

Suicide Squad was heavily marketed towards fans of the Joker and Harley Quinn, and while it certainly delivered in the Harley department, many were a bit miffed that there was so little Joker to actually see in the final product.

Now that the film has had a chance to simmer in our collective minds a bit, it should be a bit easier to determine where Jared Leto’s brief but distinctive take on the Clown Prince of Crime should reside.

Of course, that doesn’t make ranking them an easy task, as a number of talented actors have inhabited the role in film, television, and animation, and all three are represented here.

Hit the next slide to who’s up first.

Honorable Mentions

There are a few performances of the character that aren’t strong enough to be listed on their own but are worth recognizing nonetheless.

One such performance is Jeff Bennett’s take on the villain in Batman: Brave and the Bold. Bennett’s take clearly looked to Romero’s version for inspiration, and fit the tone of the series to a tee, but just isn’t above some of the others on this list.

Meahwhile, Michael Emerson’s take is a bit more nuanced in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and again, reflects the core material well. That said, it was a bit dry for my tastes. The same goes for John DiMaggio’s take in Batman: Under The Red Hood, which again features a more subdued vocal performance, and just doesn’t command the viewers attention.

The Batman

The Batman ran for five seasons, and unlike other Batman centered shows, did not introduce The Joker right away. When he did debut, though, he made quite the entrance.

This version of the Joker was more athletic, a bit bulkier, and sported green dreads. It fit with the other redesigned characters featured in the show, and while the design is a bit divisive amongst fans, the voice chosen for the character was brilliant.

Kevin Micahel Richardson brought a Hamill like essence to the character but used his deeper register to great effect. As a result, this Joker seems more threatening, but the show featured more slapstick moments with the villain, which took some of the suspense away.

Why he’s number 8: The vocal performance was quite good, but there wasn’t enough depth to the character.

Batman 66

While Cesar Romero’s Joker might not have the most depth, he was certainly having the most fun, and that is a big part of the Joker persona.

Romero’s Joker was over the top in every way, but he always seemed like he was having the best time of his life, and his laugh was infectious. No subtlety existed in the 60’s Batman show whatsoever, and Romero’s Joker perfectly embodied this. It’s a performance that still brings a smile to my face to this day.

Why he’s number 7: Nowadays fans are looking for more depth in their comic villains, but it doesn’t’ take away from how delightful Romero’s Joker was.

Suicide Squad

With only a small sample size from which to form an opinion, Jared Leto’s take on the villain still has some worthy qualities to highlight.

His Joker is unpredictable, but in a different way than Nicholson’s. Nicholson’s is fueled by power and revenge, and will do anything he deems necessary to achieve his goal, which leads the character to make some surprising decisions on the fly.

Leto’s Joker is unpredictable as well, but he purely lives in the moment. If he catches a whiff of something, he grows curious and instantly becomes infatuated with that particular thing, person, or object. The jury is still mostly out in regards to Leto’s portrayal of the character, but when he is on screen, he is inarguably as engaging as his other fellow actors on this list.

Why he’s number 6: We haven’t seen enough of him to make a firm decision.

Batman: Arkham Origins/ Batman: Assault On Arkham

While Mark Hamill reprised his role in all three Rocksteady led Arkham games, he wasn’t involved in the prequel titled developed by WB Montreal, Arkham Origins, which saw Batman meeting The Joker earlier in his career.

For this game, the studio enlisted actor Troy Baker, who delivers a Hamill like Joker with a few quirks and touches of his own. There is a slightly edgier quality to Baker’s Joker, which was displayed on screen again when he reprised the role of Joker in DC’s animated Batman: Assault On Arkham.

Why he’s number 5: It’s too close to Mark Hamill’s to rank higher on the list, but for anyone who’s seen him deliver the monologue from The Killing Joke in character, his Joker deserves to be here.

Jack Nicholson

Tim Burton brought the city of Gotham to life in a way fans had never seen before in the original Batman, and that same eccentricity abounds in Jack Nicholson’s version of The Joker.

There are many fans who still rank Jack’s Joker as their favorite, and it’s hard to argue with their reasons. Nicholson’s Joker charming yet deadly, and did so without being as dark as future portrayals. In fact, this Joker was a bit more unpredictable than any other iteration.

Why he’s number 4: While Nicholson nailed the more eccentric elements of the character, at times it went a little overboard, and lacked the menacing aspects to help reign it back in.

Batman The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series featured two unforgettable performances throughout its lengthy run in Kevin Conroy’s Batman and Mark Hamil’s Joker, and ever since both have become synonymous with their characters.

Hamil’s Joker is what many iterations of the character use as a baseline when concocting their unique take on the villain. Hamil blends a witty sense of humor with the singlehandedly best Joker laugh seen on screen. It’s why the actor has again and again been asked to reprise the role both in animation and in video games.

Why he’s number 3 : While Hamil’s Joker in the animated series showed hints of darkness, he wasn’t able to fully explore the darker side of the character until future projects.

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger’s casting was met with an extraordinary amount of cynicism and caution, and yet the actor delivered one of the most mesmerizing performances of his career as Batman’s greatest enemy.

It’s easy to forget just how unhinged Ledger’s Joker was on film, which played up Nolan’s angle on the character that chaos was the number one goal. It’s a brilliant performance and one that you can’t turn away from when he’s on screen.

Why he’s number 2: It’s an at time disturbingly accurate glance at what someone like the Joker would be like in real life, and Ledger’s performance commands your attention every time he’s on screen. That said, there are few moments of humor in Ledger’s version, and that is also an important part of the character.

Batman Arkhamverse

Hamill has been voicing The Joker for quite some time, but his peak as the character hit when Rocksteady drafted him for the original Arkham Asylum.

Hamill was allowed to let loose, and fully embrace the darker machinations of the character. The iconic laugh and humor that was evident in his previous performances were still on point, but the actor had some additional agency to explore the viciousness that the character has become known for over the years.

In short, a great performance became even better, and with each subsequent sequel, Hamill found new ways to bring relevance to the character.

Why it’s number 1: The Arkham games show Hamill at his best, blending humor and wit with a constant underlying tension that gets capped off with that often imitated but never quite duplicated Joker laugh.