The Joker through the years: Who really played him best?

Joker has been one of the most reimagined and reinvented characters from DC Comics. Each adaptation adds a new intensity to the character, thanks to the actors who brought their own artistic touch to the portrayal. From Jared Leto to Joaquin Phoenix, Hollywood's most celebrated actors have stepped into this role.

From mischievous smiles to psychotic actions, the Clown Prince of Crime has served as a mirror to a rapidly changing society and shifting cinematic tastes. Fans all over the globe are often divided when it comes to voting for the best Joker performance. This debate over which actor truly nailed the essence of Gotham’s greatest villain runs deep and calls for an even deeper analysis.

Let's take a detailed look at the actors who donned the purple suit and manic grin with menacing grace and find out who really played him best.

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Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion.

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The Joker through the years: Who really played him best?

1.1966 – Cesar Romero (Batman: The Movie)

Cesar Romero was the first actor to portray the Joker in a feature film. This movie was not like your modern adaptations—it was campy, color-saturated, and entirely in tune with the lighthearted Batman: The Movie.

This Joker portrayal was all about flair and flamboyance—Romero brought his own touch. Instead of shaving off his mustache, he chose to simply paint over it.

This portrayal was more slapstick than sinister. In a time riddled with Cold War anxieties and TV censorship, Romero offered audiences a Joker who was giggly and over-the-top. His performance has been loved by nostalgists, despite being less harrowing. However, Cesar Romero's performance set the stage for more thrilling portrayals to come.

2.1989 – Jack Nicholson (Batman)

In 1989, Tim Burton rebooted Batman with a darker, more Gothic approach tailored for the 1980s audience. For this portrayal, he needed a Joker who could blend equal parts camp with equal parts menace. Already a Hollywood icon with roles in The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nicholson entered the scene with his own artistic touch: his sinister humor.

This Joker portrayal was menacing, chaotic, and magnetic. He delivered the role with a contagious laugh, iconic makeup, and an aura that surpassed expectations. Nicholson set the modern benchmark. Overall, this Joker had an element of spectacle and wasn’t just a fear-inducing DC villain brought to life on the big screen.

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3.1992–1995 – Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series)

Let us also talk about voice acting in this entry. In the landmark Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill’s Joker created magic with mere auditory perfection—his voice acting captured the Joker's maniacal, melodramatic, and chaotic essence.

Whenever one mentions the animated Batman series, across timelines, Mark Hamill's name tops the list of best voice actors. This applies to video games (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City) and spin-offs as much as live-action depictions of the Joker.

He sealed the statement in golden letters: You didn’t need a face to sell the Joker. Just an iconic voice and the ability to modulate it with enough menace was enough for the job. For many fans, who grew up watching the animated portrayals, his is the definitive Joker voice.

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4.2008 – Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

This was the game-changer. Heath Ledger's Joker offered an iconic portrayal, one that stayed with Batman fans forever. Initially, people doubted if the handsome actor from A Knight’s Tale could embody a character as menacing as the Joker. But with Nolan's direction, this Joker turned out to be raw, anarchic, chaotic, and absolutely terrifying.

This Joker wasn’t merely an on-screen adaptation of a “comic book villain”—he was a psychologically fractured urban terrorist. His face was not as cleanly painted as Ceaser Romero's version. For creative reasons, this Joker wore smeared makeup, licked his lips obsessively, and never told a consistent origin story. He didn’t need a motive—he simply wanted to unleash anarchy.

Ledger disappeared into the role. His performance has been cemented in the golden books of world cinema, earning him a posthumous Oscar.

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5. 2016– Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)

Among all the Joker performances, Jared Leto's version was perhaps the most divisive. His portrayal was heavily inspired by 2010s SoundCloud rap aesthetics. It leaned heavily on swagger and surface-level shock, but lacked deeper character grounding.

This performance received mixed reviews, with some critics calling it more forced than edgy. Even though there were prominent criticisms, Leto's Joker remains a cautionary tale—it proved that eccentricity without a foundation in complexity can fall flat.

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6.2019 – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

2019 gave us Todd Phillips’ Joker, a film that broke the internet—and the mold. This wasn’t a Batman movie focusing on the fight between good and evil. It was a deep dive into the Joker's backstory. Rooted in mental illness, poverty, and social alienation, the film demanded an actor who could carry its weight. Enter Joaquin Phoenix.

Phoenix gave the role what it needed: he lost over 50 pounds for the role, mastered an involuntary laugh, and danced through his delusions. Fun fact: both Ledger and Phoenix won Oscars for their portrayals of the Joker, despite playing vastly different versions of the same character.

Phoenix humanized the Joker in terrifying ways. Audiences were equally disturbed, troubled—and yes, moved—by his performance

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7.2022– Vera Drew (The People's Joker)

In 2022, writer, editor, and actor Vera Drew brought life to the Joker on screen again, but not without a twist. This portrayal delivers the most radical Joker performance in years. Vera played the character of "Joker the Harlequin,” a trans woman struggling with identity and creative journey within a twisted Gotham City that smartly bases itself on LA's alt-comedy scene.

Vera brought a modern twist to the iconic character, placing it in context with remix culture. This is a hand-stitched, DIY coming-of-age tale that’s both hilarious and critically vulnerable.

Final Verdict: Who played the role the best?

When deciding the best performance, a number of factors have to be considered: complexity, depth, acting, body language, and, most importantly, the actor's own artistic Midas touch.

But based on critical reception, cultural impact, and prestigious awards, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix clearly stand out. Ledger redefined the contours of comic-book villain with his own touch of sinister chaos, while Phoenix delivered a raw, emotionally charged, deeply psychological origin story.

Would you pick one over the other? Sound off in the comments section.

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Also read: 10 hidden details in Saving Private Ryan that every fan should notice