The Joker is known as being the greatest villain to Batman, but no one knows who he is and where he came from. All we know is that an accident caused him to fall into a vat of chemicals and Batman was involved and on that very day his body and mind were altered forever turning him into this insane clown of a man. Being one of the greatest rivals to Batman he has been given roles to play in live action Batman movies, cartoon shows, and animated films. Now there is a new movie based around him that is releasing later this year.  We’re all wondering  what will this new Joker be like or will he possibly be even better than any of the previous actors?

The Prince of Crime, the Joker is a very difficult character to play because the character takes a toll on the actors. These four individuals have dawned the makeup successfully and originally. This first man who played the Joker was Cesar Romero in the Batman television series in 1966. His representation was based on the Joker from the silver age of comics where the Joker wasn’t a killer but more of a robbing prankster stealing money and getting out smarted by Batman and his gadgets.

The next Joker was played by Jack Nicholson in the Batman movie from 1989. He was based on the golden age of comics where the Joker was a murderer and a master criminal with henchmen to do his bidding. In this appearance he looked at the Batman as just an obstacle in his way. He would try to get his point across with violence and the use of guns and knives. His famous line was uttered to Bruce Wayne’s face, “Tell me something? Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light? I ask that of all my prey.”

The next Joker is from The Dark Knight movie made in 2008 and he was portrayed by Heath Ledger. His version is represented by the bronze/modern age of comics where the Joker is a psychopath, an agent of chaos, who in his world cannot exist without Batman. All of the Joker’s plans revolve around Batman swearing that they’ll be doing this forever. Ledger’s Joker in the movie even stated , “ I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you? You complete me.” Many people, including actor Christian Bale, have stated that this Joker was one of the greatest characters ever portrayed in film. 

The final Joker to hit screens was the Jared Leto Joker from Suicide Squad in 2013. His Joker is like the Jack Nicholson Joker, a mob boss criminal who uses guns, knives, and men by his side to do his dirty work. He even sees Batman as just an obstacle much like Nicholson’s version. While this joker was unique and different, some are wondering if it was too much of a change. 

Now with the 2019 upon us, we find ourselves with a new joker on the horizon. Now award winner Joaquin Phoenix will throw his hat into the Joker ring. The new installment of Joker will be in a new Joker movie later this year in October. Rumors have it Joaquin nailed the part of the Joker. However, that vision will be judged by the fans once this new Joker hits the screen. We also wonder is this a completely new Joker or will we see a continuation towards one of the previous ones? We all will just have to see which one has the last laugh.