From 1966 to 2018: This has been the evolution of the joker

Staff October 1, 2018

631 3 minutes read

Now that Joaquin Phoenix is the new joker, we remember all the previous ones. Who is your favorite?

Joaquin Phoenix is officially the new joker. He will play the archenemy of Batman in Joker, a film directed by Todd Phillips, known for The Hangover trilogy. It is expected that the film, which will focus only on the story surrounding the villain, will be released next year.

Leer en español: De 1966 a 2018: Así ha sido la evolución del guasón

The actor, born in Puerto Rico, has three Oscar nominations for his roles in The Master, The Gladiator and Walk The Line. The latter gave the Golden Globe to Best Actor in a comedy. He is also remembered for his role in the movie Her.

He has already been seen with the makeup of the new joker and the reactions of the public have been different. While for some this makeup is closer to the drawing in the comic, for others it moves away from the appearance of a terrifying villain. Will he be able to overcome the outstanding performance of Heath Ledger?

Jared Leto (2016)

The actor and singer played the villain in the film Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. The film tells the story of the group of supervillains who have been reunited to complete a mission for the government. He worked with a millionaire cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, and the acting debut of Cara Delevingne. This film was one of the most anticipated of 2016. It was the first joke in a feature film after the colossal Heath Ledger and the first appearance of many of these other villains. The makeup and tone of the character changed greatly, which fans did not like.

Cameron Monaghan (2014)

The young actor plays the super villain in the series Gotham, which began to be broadcast in 2014. The series focuses on the origin and youth of some DC Comics characters. It tells the first days of Commissioner Gordon in the Gothic police and tells the origins of some Batman villains, including the Joker. The curious thing about this character is that it consists of two: Jerome and Jeremiah, one of them is the evil twin, who will drive the other crazy and the joker will be born. The actor plays both characters.

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Heath Ledger (2008)

This has been the most popular Joker among Batman fans. He was the villain protagonist of the second installment of Christopher Nolan's trilogy, The Knight of the Night.

This Joker’s version is the one furthest from the aesthetics of the comic, because the makeup and costumes are more in keeping with the dark aesthetic that Nolan chose for his version of Batman. He does not have the coloring of the comic that the comics have, which will come back with the new joker played by Phoenix. Ledger died before the premiere of the film and his performance earned him a posthumous Oscar and a Golden Globe, in addition to many tributes.

Jack Nicholson (1989)

The three-time Oscar winner played the Joker in the first film of the Batman Burton / Schumacher series. The movie, simply called Batman, had great commercial success. The interpretation of Nicholson and the makeup of the villain were very close to the comic book joker. The actor, moreover, was already known for his terrifying role as Jack Torrance in the horror film The Shining (1980).

This series consisted of four films: Batman, Batman Returns, Batman and Robin, and Batman Forever. The first two directed by Tim Burton and the other two by Joel Schumacher. The Joker stars only the first film and returns in Batman flashbacks in Batman Returns.

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César Romero (1966)

Batman: the movie was the first feature film about Batman. It was based on the Batman series of the 60s. In the film and in the series, César Romero played the joker. Thus, the first joker we saw on the screen was of Cuban descent, a Latin joker. This actor is a Hollywood icon, as his career exceeds 60 years: it began in 1933 and ended in 1994. This was the long-time joker for a generation that grew up with the television series.