Who exactly is the Joker? Obviously he’s the clown prince of Gotham, Batman’s arch-nemesis, and one of, if not the, most famous supervillains of all time. But the question still stands, who in the world is he?
The versions (not to mention origins) of the Joker are many, as is inevitable for comic book characters. Among fans, there are constant debates and quibbles about which is the ‘definitive’ version, which is the best interpretation, and there are always several frontrunners for the position — Mark Hamill’s portrayal of the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series(1992-1995)”, Heath Ledger’s portrayal in “The Dark Knight(2008)”, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal in “Batman(1989)” and more recently Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in “Joker(2019)”.
All of these characters have interesting distinctions, but I think one stands well above the others. In Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”, the Joker is a thoroughly evil anarchist, someone who doesn’t play by anybody’s rules, especially not his own. His presence adds both horror and comedy to every scene, and his bizarre crime streak and ruthless ingenuity is… unsettling, to say the least.
The movie opens on a bank robbery, where the robbers turn on and kill each other one by one, until the last man standing reveals himself as the Joker. This intro to insanity is the perfect way to demonstrate the entire rest of the movie — the Joker starts to spread his chaotic influence into every scene, and he stays directly involved in each subplot until the end of the movie. He even gets a lot of good guy blood on his hands, something that never happens in these kinds of movies. This type of villain creates an aura of fear and loathing, yet is so uniquely intriguing that one has to wonder why he has such a draw.
Of course, Heath Ledger himself is responsible for much of this Joker’s success. This actor is still the only person in history to receive a posthumous Oscar for a supporting role, one that was well deserved for this performance. His manic energy and unique tone, not to mention his terrifying laugh, all build up an incredible character, fully mired in mystery.
In the end, as incredible as his writing, character, and acting are, the strongest element that this Joker has to offer is his mystery. He is exclusively a man that wants to watch the world burn, someone whose past doesn’t matter, someone who exists as a perfect, one-dimensional villain. He exists only to be chaos, and exemplifies it perfectly.