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Never Retallack<\/strong>\u00a0 | Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHave you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?\u201d This quote from \u201cBatman\u201d (1989)\u00a0 will ring true with the Joker, a character from the DC Franchise first introduced into the Batman comics in 1975 as a supervillain. His character is quite complex and has been interpreted many different ways throughout time. I will analyze each Joker that has been represented in film from as early as the 1960s.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBatman\u201d (1966):<\/b> In this classic Batman TV series, Cesar Romero plays the devious Joker. The way this Joker was portrayed was quite comical; Romero was dressed in the typical makeup and green hair, but his evil plots often failed and he couldn\u2019t even beat Alfred, Batman\u2019s butler.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBatman:The Killing Joke\u201d(1988):<\/b> This animated movie was based off of the comic of the same name, and starred Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker.<\/span><\/p>\n This was a darker version of the character, shooting and paralyzing Batgirl before stripping her naked and taking pictures of her. Joker also says something that insuates he went as far to rape her afterwards as well. This appalling behavior was the first hint that the Joker wasn\u2019t just a simple trickster. The writer, Alan Moore, says he regrets writing the comic, as the public outcry over this behavior towards Batgirl caused a large backlash for him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBatman\u201d (1989): <\/b>Jack Nicholson was known for his crazed character in \u201cThe Shining\u201d (1980), and this equally crazed portrayal of the Joker followed the comics quite closely. The villain starts off as a normal man\u2014 that is until he falls into a vaut of chemicals \u2014 transforming him into a ruthless and cunning criminal. Nicholson\u2019s Joker was unnerving but still followed a twisted humor, yet was not quite intimidating.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d (2008): <\/b>As stated by the LA Times, this film is a turning point for the Joker, with Heath Ledger\u2019s twisted performance of an unhinged villain who wreaks chaos and terror on the city of Gotham. Ledger\u2019s Joker hinted at a sign of mental illness, never revealing his backstory in this film, but hinting at the terrors he\u2019s faced throughout his life. The past Jokers were portrayed as silly and angry characters, resenting Batman and the wealthy, but Ledger\u2019s often slipped into a crazed madness \u2014\u00a0 not quite angry, but seemingly calm in his destruction.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSuicide Squad\u201d (2016): <\/b>Jared Leto\u2019s interpretation of the Joker led to a lot of backlash when first released; this modern day gangster version was bizarre in the world of Joker. Leto also received criticism due to his method acting, even going as far as to send used condoms and dead rats to his castmates. This showed the mentality of this Joker; a twisted man who enjoyed to cause discomfort, and that is what was delivered in \u201cSuicided Squad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Joker\u201d (2019): <\/b>This film has received some concerns similar to the movie, \u201cExtremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile\u201d that showed the notorious killer Ted Bundy as a family man \u2014\u00a0 a character to sympathize with. There was similar concern with \u201cThe Joker,\u201d starring Joaquin Phoenix, as it led audience members to try and sympathize with the classic villain and even view Thomas Wayne (Batman\u2019s father) as the antagonist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Phoenix played the saddest version of the Joker: losing his access to medication, living with his ill mother, being mugged several times and being ridiculed for his dream of being a stand-up comedian. This doesn\u2019t take away from the horrendous crimes he commits, although the audience is left wondering whether what they see is reality or all part of his delusion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Joker\u201d was not for the faint of heart, containing far more graphic scenes than ever used before, often leaving audience members gasping in horror and watching with mouths agape.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Overall, the classic villain, the Joker, has been a prominent member of the Batman franchise, and he has been portrayed in a variety of different ways since the 1960s. His origin story was based off the comics for several of the earlier Batman films, where a struggling crook frustrated with society falls into a vat of chemicals and becomes a disfigured and devious monster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ledger and Phoenix\u2019s portrayal were outliers among all the films released; Ledger\u2019s Joker was shrouded in mystery, never revealing his origin story, while Phoenix\u2019s was void of a chemical influence. Both of these Jokers were more twisted than the others, showing unmistakable signs of mental illness, and rather than the comedic Romero or cruel Nicholson, they were shown as sad men driven to madness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2019\/10\/Joker2-1024x576.jpg\")
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