Written by Jon Williams
Batman is
one of the oldest and most beloved superheroes, having now been around for 80
years. Now, though, his most famous nemesis is stepping into the spotlight.
Joker launches into theaters this
weekend with plenty of buzz, looking to thrill audiences and break box office
records. Here is a look at how the character has evolved throughout its various
iterations over the years.
The Joker is
nearly as old as the Caped Crusader himself. He made his first appearance in
the premiere issue of
Batman early in
1940, and the two have been fighting ever since. The original origin story
holds that he fell into a vat of chemical waste, altering his appearance and
driving him insane. This has changed often, due ostensibly to the mercurial
nature of the character. In the comics he has been by turns a vicious murderer
and a mischievous prankster. Patrons interested in these exploits will find a
wide range of classic and contemporary comics from DC on
hoopla
digital.
Being aimed
more or less at kids, those iterations of the Joker were generally lighthearted
in nature. Things began taking a darker turn with Tim Burton’s 1989 take on
Batman,
which saw
Jack
Nicholson portray the Joker as a twisted gangster intent on taking out the
population of Gotham City.
Mark
Hamill provided what many consider the definitive voice of the animated
Joker beginning in 1992 with
Batman:
The Animated Series and continuing for years through several animated
projects and video games, including the movies
Mask
of the Phantasm (1993) and
Return
of the Joker (2000), and even up through recent outings like
The
Killing Joke.
After
Nicholson’s incredible performance and with Hamill holding down the fort on the
animated side, the Joker wasn’t seen again in live-action form until 2008. In
The
Dark Knight, the middle film of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed
Batman
trilogy,
Heath
Ledger made it worth the wait with a powerhouse performance that earned him
an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Unfortunately, it was a posthumous
award, as the actor tragically passed away shortly before the film’s release.
Since then,
however, focus has returned to the Joker, with a variety of big names playing
him. He was portrayed by
Jared
Leto in 2016’s
Suicide
Squad along a team of super villains, with Harley Quinn and Deadshot
among them. This movie has a sequel in development as well as several planned
spinoffs, so fans will be seeing this version of the Joker again. In 2017’s
animated
Lego
Batman Movie, he was voiced by comic actor
Zach
Galifianakis. And now, in
Joker,
he’s played by Joaquin Phoenix in an unhinged performance that is already
drawing raves.
Batman vs.
the Joker is a rivalry that has stood the test of time. Visit our website for
plenty of Batman media across all our formats, and point your patrons toward hoopla
for comics and more they can enjoy immediately on all their devices.