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The Jokers, Ranked from Worst to Best

Ever since Joaquin Phoenix slapped on that greasy white paint and creepy grin for Todd Phillips’s Joker, he officially joined the small but mighty club of actors who’ve played Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime.

The Joker captivates actors with his unique blend of chaotic charisma, unstable insanity, and calculated madness. Now that we’ve seen a good amount of Joker in movies and TV shows, who did the worst and best portrayal of him so far?

1. Jared Leto—Suicide Squad (2016)

Yeah, no surprise here, huh? Before Suicide Squad came out, Leto made headlines for going full “method acting” route, sending dead rats and used condoms to his castmates, because that’s what Joker would do in his mind. No, Jared, Mr. J would blow up the whole studio if he found out they cast you as the Joker. Either way, all that effort was for nothing, as the Joker was barely in the movie, and when he is on-screen, he’s a try-hard mess. Leto cackles, pouts, and flashes gold teeth, but he’s about as scary as a dollar-store Halloween mask. Bonus cringe points for the “Damaged” forehead tattoo. Hard pass.