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To appointment , there are myriad incarnations of the Joker in variouslive - action and animated DC production , ranging from a revised version of the fictional character in the prequel seriesGothamand multiple liven appearances . argument about who the best Joker is continue to ramp on , and it ’s only bound to get longer as Joker reemerges in theDC Extended Universe ( DCEU ) . Even though Heath Ledger ’s version fromThe Dark Knightis a raging favourite , Jack Nicholson ’s Clown Prince Of Crime from Tim Burton’sBatmanleft a lasting legacy
The fabled actor played the ill-famed Gothamite to such idol that it ’s disputable that his Joker bear on all Jokers who come after . Nicholson ’s Joker was not only violent but he alsosome of the best one - liners and fashion sense ever . Plus , he was quite unique too . Here are some resist - out things about this interpretation of the Joker .
He Killed Batman’s Parents
In the DC comics and other Batman stories , Bruce Wayne ’s parents are killed by a random criminal experience as Joe Chill . In the 2019 Todd Phillips celluloid , the Waynes are killed by a rioter who was only inspired by Joker ’s rhetoric . However , in the 1989 film , it is the Joker who in person kills Thomas and Martha Wayne .
When it encounter , he ’s still a petty yet sadistic thug who has no idea that he ’ll become one of Gotham City ’s deadliest criminals . Originally , he was just going to shoot a untested Bruce as well but the constabulary were closing in , force him and Joe Chill to bail . Little did Jack know that the son he spared would not only become the Dark Knight , but also his mortal foe .
He Was The First To Have A Real Name
Nicholson ’s Joker was the first to have a real name . All the other Jokers were but know by , well , " Joker . " The genuine name of Nicholson ’s Joker was Jack Napier , and his aliases included Uncle Bingo and " The World ’s First Homicidal Artist . "
In contrast , Cesar Romero ’s ' LX - geological era Joker , the DC Animated Universe ( DCAU ) Joker vocalize by Mark Hamill , Ledger ’s aforementioned Joker , andJared Leto’sSuicide Squadincarnationnever had a name , which only added to Joker ’s mystery . The only other Joker to be named was Joaquin Phoenix ’s take inJoker , where he ’s fuck first as Arthur Fleck .
He Has The Highest Kill Count
Nicholson ’s Joker is a murderous sociopath . He kill 50 people throughout the picture , make him the Joker with the highest killing count . Heath Ledger ’s Joker takes 2d place with 38 kills .
The DCAU Joker may have 13 confirmed kills but he seldom murders anyone . His victim are mostly saved by Batman , and it has been suggested that this is the case because bulk of the DCAU shows and movies . Since these show are mostly watched by children , the deficiency of mass murder should n’t be too surprising . Romero ’s Joker carries himself as more of a fun - be intimate goof than a killer , whereasPhoenix ’s Joker only ( directly ) kills six people .
He Started Out In The Gotham Mob
Nicholson ’s Joker begin out as a strong-armer working for the mob boss Carl Garrison . By the clip Bruce Wayne becomes Batman , Jack has moved up the mob ’s rank and even had an affair with his foreman ' lady friend .
As for the Jokers of Ledger , Leto , and Romero , not much is known about their early lives . Phoenix ’s Joker , on the other hand , is a struggling sales booth - up comic who also suffers from a mental sickness . The DCAU Joker starts out as a lowly collision - man for the Valestra pack , making him the most similar to Nicholson ’s variant . While he does n’t go up the ranks like Jack did , he still becomes the Joker by following the rest of Jack ’s origin .
Plastic Surgery Turned Him Into The Joker
In the 1989 film , Jack Napier becomes the Joker after fall into a vat of chemical while dueling with Batman . As he fall , Batman fail to bring through him . Jack ’s skin and face are damaged , hence his plastic operating theatre . The DCAU Joker also descend into a drain of chemical waste , though he does n’t undergo any kind of plastic operating room .
As for Ledger ’s Joker , not much is pronounce but it ’s suggest that his violent father shorten his lips . Phoenix ’s Joker becomes the Clown Prince Of Crime as a means of vent out his frustration and genial illness . For Romero ’s psychotic clown , there is no background break as he ’s just a grave cut-up .
He Has Love Interests
For majority of DC live action and animated production , Joker ’s love interestingness has been Harley Quinn . She was a doc at Arkham Assylum who terminate up falling for the Joker and joining him in the worldly concern of criminal offense . But by the prison term the 1989 Tim Burton movie come out , Harley Quinn had yet to exist , as she was first inaugurate inBatman : The Animated Series .
At first , Nicholson ’s Joker is in making love with Alicia Hunt , his knob ' girlfriend . However , she take her own life after the Joker threw acid at her aspect as part of some sick caper only he understood . He then falls for Bruce Wayne ’s girl Vicki Vale , though he never quite manages to build up a proper relationship with her .
He Doesn’t Share Screen-time With Other Villains
Nicholson ’s Joker mint with Batman all by himself . Their interactions are memorable but as always , Batman ends up on top when it ’s all said and done . What pretend this unique is that minus a dyad of hoodlum , he and he alone squares off with Batman .
Other Jokers have had to share the spot with other baddie . EvenLedger ’s Joker had Harvey Dent aka Two Face by his side , though the two did n’t get along . Leto ’s Joker may not have spent a plenty of metre with the Suicide Squad but he did have Harley Quinn at his side , both in the flashbacks and the movie ’s present tense . The DCAU Joker , meanwhile , worked with intimately every single Gotham villain at one point in prison term . Phoenix ’s Joker lives in an alternating adaptation of Gotham that ’s stripped bare of its mirthful al-Qur’an trappings , so his one - man killing spree does n’t really count .
He’s The Oldest Joker
The age of Nicholson ’s Joker is reported to be 52 , make him the honest-to-goodness Joker ever . For equivalence , the DCAU Joker is say to be 48 - year - old , Phoenix ’s Joker is around 45 , Romero ’s Joker was in his early 40 ’s and Leto was around 45 when he portrayed the Joker , so it ’s safe to sham they divvy up the same age .
As for Ledger ’s Joker , no precise long time is observe but he looks fair unseasoned . Heath was in his late 20 ’s when he encounter the character so it can be enunciate that his Joker were of the same age grouping . Technically , this makes him the youngest Joker to engagement .
He Has The Deepest Voice
Of all the Jokers , this particular incarnation is the only one with a thick voice . All other Jokers have high - pitched , clownish voice , which fits their character . Meanwhile , Nicholson ’s Joker has a deep voice probably because this is just how Nicholson speaks normally . That , and he may have been unable to qualify his pitch just for the role .
There are moments where he use a higher pitch than normal , but these are quite few . For most of the time , Nicholson keeps the voice he used for his other nefarious roles . This make his Joker more terrifying than the rest .
He Dies
No other Joker has died and last out all in except for Nicholson ’s version . The Joker dies after his attack to grab a whirlybird ’s ladder for fly from Batman give out . Commissioner Gordon finds the Joker ’s body , splash on the road below . He appear to still be laugh but it turns out it ’s just a pre - recorded corner that was in his pocket .
After Joker ’s death , Batman retain to have hallucinations about Jack Napier , forcing him to get psychiatrical help from Dr. Chase Meridian inBatman Forever . to boot , Joker ’s death indicate the end of the traditional Gotham mobs and the rise of the theatrical villains Batman would become famous for fighting .
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