5 Reasons Why Mark Hamill Is The Best Joker (& 5 Why It’s Heath Ledger)

5 Reasons Why Mark Hamill Is The Best Joker (& 5 Why It’s Heath Ledger)

The Joker is a mainstay in Batman’s rogues gallery, with the most iconic portrayals being Mark Hamill’s and Heath Ledger’s. But which is better?

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The Joker has been a mainstay in Batman’s rogues gallery since the character debuted in Batman #1 in 1940. Since his initial appearance in the comic book, the Clown Prince of Crime has gone on to become Batman’s primary antagonist and arch-rival, with the character featuring prominently in the comics ever since. Due to his frequent appearances in Batman comics, Joker has also appeared in various forms throughout the movie and TV adaptations of Batman, with the character even receiving a solo movie with 2019’s Joker. Despite these portrayals of the Joker, fans tend to be drawn to one of three interpretations of the character: Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix.

This article will focus on the first two listed above, giving five reasons why Mark Hamill is the best Joker and five why it’s Heath Ledger.

10 Heath Ledger: Mysterious Origins

Despite being one of the oldest comic book villains of all time, we know very little about the Joker’s origins. Some comic books have attempted to give an origin to the character, with the most notable of which being Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. Similarly, movies have also attempted to do so with both Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film (with Mark Hamill’s Joker taking inspiration from this), and Joker giving the character a name and origin.

However, the Heath Ledger Joker keeps his origins a mystery. During The Dark Knight, the Joker gives several conflicting accounts of his past, keeping the mystery behind the character alive.

9 Mark Hamill: More Comic Book Accurate Design

The character design of the Mark Hamill Joker in Batman: The Animated Series is far more accurate to the character’s comic book origins. As a matter of fact, the design takes inspiration from the versions of the Joker from the 1940s, all the way up and until Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the character in Tim Burton’s Batman.

This allows for a more timeless feel to the character, with Mark Hamill’s Joker not feeling at all dated despite appearing in a TV series from the ’90s.

8 Heath Ledger: Oscar Win

There’s no denying that, in terms of awards, Heath Ledger’s Joker easily trumps the Mark Hamill version of the famous comic book villain. In the 2009 Oscars, Heath Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Clown Prince of Crime.

This was a huge moment, not only for The Dark Knight, but for comic book movies in general, cementing Ledger’s performance as one of the best in the process.

7 Mark Hamill: Childhood Memories

Nostalgia is a huge influence on how we view certain properties. For instance, a video game that was critically hated might be loved by an individual who grew up playing it. For a role that was critically adored, such as Mark Hamill’s Joker, those who watched the show in their childhood would see his Joker as the Joker.

In addition to starring in a beloved TV series that introduced a whole new generation to the Batman universe, Hamill would continue to share his version of Joker as he reprised the role for the Arkham series of video games.

6 Heath Ledger: Interactions With Batman

While the interactions between Batman and Joker in Batman: The Animated Series are fantastic, the meeting between the two characters in The Dark Knight reveals so much about their unique dynamic.

Taking inspiration from several comic book and graphic novel interpretations of superhero and villain, The Dark Knight gives a fascinating and memorable account of their relationship.

5 Mark Hamill: Interactions With Harley Quinn

Batman: The Animated Series isn’t only seminal for introducing a new audience to the adventures of the Caped Crusader in a manner that retained the dark subject matter without making it inaccessible to children; the iconic animated series also introduced new characters into the Batman canon, the most famous being Harley Quinn.

The scenes featuring Joker and Harley Quinn are not only entertaining, but they also set the groundwork for how the two characters would interact in wider canon.

4 Heath Ledger: The Scars

While the comic book version of the Joker gained his iconic appearance after an unfortunate encounter with Batman ended in the Clown Prince of Crime falling into a vat of chemicals, The Dark Knight version of the character has a mysterious past and a grisly appearance.

Rather than having the Joker sport a frozen, wide smile, The Dark Knight’s version of the Ace of Knaves had the character’s smile come from a scarred appearance.

3 Mark Hamill: More Variety

Due to the nature of the TV series and its attempts to cater to both children and older audiences, Mark Hamill’s Joker captured both the silly side of the character that was prevalent in the ’60s and ’70s, as well as Joker’s darker aspects, with some episodes, such as “The Laughing Fish” (pictured above) skirting between the dark and comedic.

These two different sides of the character allowed for a far more varied version of the Joker, with Mark Hamill’s interpretation being loved by so many because of this wide variety in tone.

2 Heath Ledger: Darker Tone

The darker, more gritty tone of The Dark Knight trilogy was a breath of fresh air for the comic book genre. Under the direction of Christopher Nolan, the movies leaned deeply into the darkness around the Batman mythos, and this was seen most clearly in its interpretation of the Joker.

This version of the Joker had no laughing gas or comedic schemes; instead, he wished to reduce Gotham into a state of anarchy.

1 Mark Hamill: The Laugh

While Heath Ledger’s laugh in the Dark Knight was terrifying and certainly memorable, there is no denying that Mark Hamill had perfectly nailed the maniacal and psychotic nature of the Clown Prince of Crime with his own shrill and creepy delivery of the laugh.

While many would consider it impossible to capture the laugh of the comic book Joker due to the fact that it is up for interpretation, one would be hard-pressed to say that Hamill isn’t the closest.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/dc-comics-batman-best-joker-mark-hamill-vs-heath-ledger/

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