The Joker in Movies and Video Games – How the Most Famous Comic Book Villain Has Changed

On October 4, 2024, the premiere of the film “Joker: Folie à Deux” will take place. This is the second solo film about Batman’s main enemy. The first came out in 2019 and turned out to be one of the main Oscar candidates. Today we will remember how the image of the Joker appeared and changed depending on the time and the actor who played him.

For Batman, the Joker was and remains his main adversary. The villain made his debut in Batman #1, published in 1940. Moreover, this is not the first graphic novel about the Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne himself appeared in the pages of Detective Comics #27 in 1939.

The appearance of the Joker we owe to screenwriter Bill Finger. It was he who proposed to add a kind of analogue of Gwynplaine to DC comics. This is a character from the novel “The Man Who Laughs” by Victor Hugo. The hero was remembered for his disfigured face, frozen in an eternal smile. And artist Jerry Robinson drew a criminal with the face of the Joker, which we saw on playing cards. When developing the character of the villain, the authors were inspired by the image of the Skinny White Duke. We are talking about the stage role of rocker David Bowie, who represents an insensitive and immoral person with obvious signs of insanity. Thus was born the comedian Joker, an insidious psychopath with the appearance of a crazy clown.

The Batman series, starring Adam West, is first and foremost a great comedy show. It is not surprising that the local Joker, played by Cesar Romero, is a funny guy with a strange sense of humor. For him, every crime is a funny joke. Therefore, it is simply impossible to take him seriously. Note that based on this show, the feature film “Batman” was released in 1966. If you want to see the first version of the Joker, we recommend that you get acquainted with this film.

Tim Burton’s “Batman” turned out not to be a comedy, but a full-fledged action film with a dark neo-noir atmosphere. It was strongly influenced by comics from the 80s, in particular The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. And the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson, no longer looks like a clown, but a real gangster. He has a clear plan of action, he does not hesitate to shoot parents in front of their child and poison people with deadly gas. However, he is also characterized by specific humor. This is especially noticeable during the scene in the museum, where the villain destroys art objects.

The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan is an adaptation of the graphic novel The Long Halloween. However, this is not a literal adaptation, like Sin City, but a free interpretation of the classics. In it, actor Heath Ledger showed a completely new Joker, creepy, unpredictable and extremely cruel. He not only stole from the mafia and killed other bandits, but created a real test for society. The villain has proven to be a talented manipulator who turns other people against each other and literally drives them crazy.

Shortly after the film’s release, a fan theory emerged that the Joker was Gotham’s true hero. He cleansed the city of bandits, robbed them of money, and made the metropolis a relatively safe place. At least until Bale showed up in Nolan’s third film. In our opinion, this hypothesis has a valid point.

Jared Leto played the Joker in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The actor complained that many scenes with his participation were cut. We have never seen the director’s cut of the film, so we have to study what we have. In our opinion, this Joker remains unresolved. Most of the time, he mocks Harley Quinn – throwing her into a vat of acid, or offering her services to a random bandit who pays attention to the girl. We got to see him become the criminal king of Gotham, but we never saw the specific actions of the villain.

The same character later appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. There, his role is reduced to a small cameo. The villain was supposed to be revealed in the sequel, but we will most likely never see him.

In 2019, a solo film about the Joker was released, which has nothing to do with the DC film universe. The lead role was played by Joaquin Phoenix. The actor showed a man who clearly has mental problems. As the film progresses, Arthur finally goes mad and starts committing horrific crimes. At the same time, his brutal murders resonate among marginalized sections of society, giving him an army of followers.

“Joker” is the first film about Batman’s main enemy in which the Dark Knight does not appear. We only see the young Bruce Wayne, who is still a child. But the special development of the Joker turned out to be really interesting. As with the films of Christopher Nolan, director Todd Phillips has created a full-fledged drama. It is she who will get a direct sequel in October, in which Arthur will meet the no less insane Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga.

The Joker’s last appearance in a film took place two years ago in Matt Reeves’ “Batman”. He was played by Barry Keoghan. In the main version of the film, everything is limited to a conversation between him and the Riddler in Arkham Asylum. But we recommend watching the deleted scene, which was posted on YouTube. This Joker resembles the villain from the film “The Dark Knight” in appearance and behavior. He will probably get more attention in Reeves’ second Batman, which is due out in 2026. It has already been announced that Barry Keoghan will return to play the Joker.

Since 1986, there have been dozens of games about Batman. In many of them, the Joker acted as a faceless boss. Here’s how it went Batman: Return of the Joker, Lego Batman: The Video Game, DC Universe Online and many others.

But the most interesting example is the Batman Arkham series. IN In the first part, the Joker lures the Dark Knight to a psychiatric hospital, causes a riot, and simultaneously tries to convince Batman that he is just as crazy as those he is forced to fight. IN In Arkham City we see a sick Joker who can’t handle the disease and tragically dies in the arms of the Dark Knight. The introduction of a superhero and his main enemy takes place in Arkham origins. And in In the final part of the Rocksteady trilogy, the Joker returns, but this time as a hallucination of Bruce Wayne. At the same time, he continues to mock and tease Batman.

In a fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us it is the Joker who drugs Superman, after which Clark kills his beloved Lois Lane, goes mad and seizes power over the entire Earth. It is true that the plan of Batman’s main enemy did not work, because the Man of Steel ended his life. Dilogy Injustice is notable for the fact that you can play as the Joker himself. He also appeared in Mortal Kombat 11 as a guest character.

Which version of the Joker did you like? Share your thoughts in the comments!