Who Got The Last Laugh? A Comparison of Jokers

I work at a small pizza place in a small, but ever-growing, town.  At work, we love to talk about all things media: books, games, movies, TV, the news, and any and everything else that goes with it!  Today, we were talking about one of our favorite discussions, movies.  More importantly superhero movies. Today the subject was none other than the Batman.


If you're reading this, and I hope you still are, you've seen either Tim Burton's Batman, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, or both.  You also know that from those two movies, we have two totally different versions of the Joker.  But everyone has their opinions on who did it best, so let's put that question to rest and pick apart the differences.

Let's start with the Burton-esque Joker, played by the great Jack Nicholson.  His Joker was funny, creepy, and still had the psychopathic aftertaste.  When the Joker came on screen, you knew it.  He was Detective Comics / original Batman comic book Joker.  He played games without playing games.

My face when using this entire article in the comparison argument.

Some things I like about Nicholson's Joker:

• The make-up that gave him that constant smile.
• His witty jokes.
• That crazy laugh and over-the-top antics.
• He was batshit insane.

However, as you all notice, Heath Ledger's Joker is VASTLY different.  Of course, they are coming from different "worlds" one might say.  Mr. Ledger's Joker comes from the world that is very gritty and realistic.  You would expect this Joker to be living right next door.  (If you lived next to or in an asylum, that is.)

He comes from the Knightfall trilogy of the Batman universe, meaning the darkest saga that I know of.  He's crazy, scary, and more about explosive deaths than anything else.

My face when people compare the two.

The things I like about Ledger's Joker:

• He's realistic.
• His make-up was great.
• He was definitely insane.
• The way he talked.
• That thing he does when he smacks his lips.

So, who got the last laugh?  Well, there's simply no competition.  Nobody was a better Joker.  They were both the best for their universe.  Each played a great Joker for each equally great themed Batman movie.  What do you think?

What's your favorite scene from a Batman movie, animated or live-action.  I'd have to say the musical fight at the end of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman.  That was the best fight scene I've seen.  I loved it.