Why Heath Ledger’s Joker is Better

In 2019, with the release of the movie Joker came an argument, which portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime is the better one, Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight or Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in the more recent film and so here is why I think Heath Ledger’s Joker is better, Let’s begin! 

1. The less known, the better...

Joker gives us a somewhat of an origin story on how the Joker came to be and here is where the problem stems. Part of what makes the Joker such an iconic villain is that his origin story remains a mystery. In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the Joker is seen giving three different backstories on how he got his scars which leaves us to wonder which backstory is the correct one or if any of these stories were the correct one at all. That is the charm of this mysterious figure and in my opinion one of the reasons why Joker is such a great villain is that we are left to keep guessing what his origins could be.  

2). Not a Guy with A Plan

Heath Ledger’s Joker shows this maniac with no motive but to spread chaos amongst Gotham while on the other hand Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker has to some extent a motive whether it be to just take revenge on the wrongdoers of society or show Gotham how uncivilized civilization has really become. To me, the whole “Man with No Plan” narrative suits a character like the Joker better than a villain with a motive and those are the reasons why I believe Heath Ledger’s Joker is better excluding the sheer nostalgia of it all of course. 


Does this mean Joaquin Phoenix didn’t do a good job? Of course not in fact I believe he did a truly beautiful job at portraying the villain we all know and love. All I am saying is that I prefer the Joker to be more mysterious of a character than a villain with a definite backstory. 

That’s all for today and please don’t forget to share this blog with others! 


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