News culture Batman: Who is the scariest Joker in cinema? A shrink closes the debate
Published on 01/19/2023 at 15:45
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The character of the Joker, the Dark Knight’s best enemy, is one of the most fascinating villains of the 9th Art. Over the ages, Gotham’s Clown has been brought to life on the big screen by big-name actors. Who is the most terrifying Joker in cinema? A psychiatrist answers the question.
Summary
The scariest Joker of the 7th ArtThe future of the Joker in cinema
The scariest Joker of the 7th Art
Is Rick Deckard a Replicant (Blade Runner)? Could Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt survive two on the board (Titanic)? The history of cinema is strewn with these debates which enliven film-lover circles. For several years, one question in particular has been burning the lips of comic book fans and especially of the most chaotic villain in the DC universe. Who is the most terrifying Joker in cinema? Between the Jokers of Jack Nicholson (Batman), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Jared Leto (Suicide Squad), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Barry Keoghan (The Batman), Batman’s sworn enemy has shown many faces. Nevertheless, one of these interpretations seems to have branded the spectators as well as the psychiatrist Eric Bender. this mental health professional said in a video for GQ:
The Joker does not appear to have any mental illness. Something is wrong with him… He is an agent of chaos. I wonder about antisocial personality disorder. In this case, he meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder. I think he’s a psychopath. Not all people with antisocial personality disorder are psychopaths, but this Joker is one. He knows what he’s doing. Not only does he not have a mental illness, but he also knows what he’s doing, and he knows what he’s doing is wrong. – Eric Bender (psychiatrist)
In other words, Heath Ledger’s Joker is the most terrifying of them all, because he is fully aware of his actions unlike the other clowns in Gotham who often act on impulse. It is this clarity of mind that characterizes the agent of chaos revealed in Christopher Nolan’s film and which makes him a particularly devious being. If the other Jokers can “hope” to end up in a psychiatric hospital, the one played by the late actor Heath Ledger (Knight) must end up behind bars … in prison.
The future of the Joker in cinema
The most infamous clown in comic books is being talked about again in January 2023 with a psychiatric analysis which has the merit of closing a decade-old start to cinema. Nonetheless, the careers of two of the previously mentioned Jokers continue on the big screen as recently as 2024 for one of them. In effect, Joaquin Phoenix puts on his “red-fushia” costume once again in the musical Joker: Folie à deux alongside singer Lady Gaga (A Star is Born).
At the same time, the Battinson universe is developing on HBO Max with the series centered on The Penguin played on screen by Colin Farrell as well as a second film whose writing has just begun. Remember, at the end of The Batman, the easily recognizable laughter of an inmate suggested that Gotham’s clown might give the vigilante a hard time in the more or less near future. A cut scene confirmed this hypothesis a few days after the release of the feature film directed by Matt Reeves. Behind this beguiling smile hides Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin – 2022) who says he is ready to make the inhabitants of the North American city tremble with fear.
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