Why Heath Ledger’s Joker Is The Best Villain Ever

Jim Woods
Write STUFF
Published in
4 min readNov 3, 2019

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Photo by Luke M. Schierholz (Creative Commons)

You’ve viewed The Dark Knight countless times since it first appeared in 2008. It has captivated you and entertained you for hours on end. Sure, Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Burton’s 1989 Batman was entertaining and silly, but Heath Ledger took the character to a completely different level. He was creepy. He was dangerous. He was psychotic but also super smart.

Let’s take a closer look at why Heath Ledger’s Joker is the best villain ever.

In most stories, the hero is never truly in danger. Sure, the hero may get bruised or beaten, but, in the end, you know the hero will prevail.

But Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker brought tension — real tension — to a Batman story for the first time on the big screen.

In the first few minutes of the movie, The Joker killed other characters during the robbery without a hint of remorse. This sets the tone for the entire movie and draws the viewer in. Make no mistake — The Dark Knight is a movie about The Joker more than it is about Batman.

A New Kind Of Physical Danger

In the past, The Joker was never a real physical threat to Batman. Sure, he might set some kind of trap — but he could not overpower The Caped Crusader in a fist fight.However, in The Dark Knight, The Joker can fight…

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Jim Woods
Write STUFF

I help small businesses, writers, and non-profit organizations repurpose their content and create books. Contact me: Jimwoodswrites@gmail.com