Surprising Joker stat reveals a huge missed opportunity for DC movies

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

A DC movie stat reveals how much the Jokers movie appearances have wasted the villain’s potential. Over the years, several actors have played the Joker in live action, starting with Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman TV show and its 1966 movie to Joaquin Phoenix in 2019 Joker and its controversial 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. Another memorable Joker actor is Mark Hamill, who has amassed many voice roles across various media, including Batman: The Animated Series And these Arkham Video game franchise. And considering that two big-screen DC franchises have installments set to release in the coming years, at least two other live-action Jokers will likely have sizable roles soon.

Obviously, the Joker has been a popular DC character for a long time. In fact, it can be said that the Joker is the face of DC villains, as he tends to be the first candidate for the main antagonistic role in Gotham-related stories in all media. The Joker’s unpredictable personality and vague origin story provide ample material for a wide variety of adaptations, including live-action DC movies and shows. However, it is precisely these traits that make the Joker’s lack of successful big-screen sequel appearances so contradictory.

Only Joaquin Phoenix and Jared Leto reprized their Joker roles in DC sequels

Live action DC movies have failed to make the Joker a recurring villain

In almost every DC Comics continuity, the Joker is a recurring Batman villain who keeps coming back no matter what Batman and the Bat-Family try to do to stop him. Whether by defying death or by being replaced by a successor, the Joker is often depicted as an unstoppable force of chaos that survives as long as there is something to destroy. therefore, It’s ironic that big-screen Joker actors rarely reprise their DC roles after their respective Jokers’ introduction. The only two actors to do so are Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix – the two most controversial Joker actors to date.

Both Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix’s Jokers achieved something that other live-action Joker pictures didn’t: they both explored Joker’s DC lore beyond their feud with Batman. Jared Leto’s Joker is introduced in Suicide Squad As a dangerous gangster obsessed with Harley Quinn, and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker starred in two solo films that delved deep into his psyche. Due to the DCEU’s change of plans, Jared Leto’s Joker only returned for a cameo in Zack Snyder’s Justice LeagueAnd due to Todd Phillips’ creative vision, Joker: Folie a Deux Brought back Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker only to kill him at the end.

No big-screen Joker has become the mainstay Gotham threat that DC’s Clown Prince of Crime has been for decades

Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix’s Jokers barely have to interact with Batman. Jared Leto’s Joker Exchanges Some Rough Words With Ben Affleck’s Batman In Zack Snyder’s Nightmare Future Justice LeagueAnd Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck briefly visited a young Bruce Wayne before he was kicked out of his mansion. With Leto’s Joker left behind by Harley Quinn before the DCEU’s conclusion and Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck killed in prison, it’s still safe to say that no big screen Joker has become the mainstay Gotham threat that DC’s Clown Prince of Crime was for Decades in the source material.

The Joker has two great opportunities to become a recurring movie villain

The Batman franchise and the DCU could do the Joker’s unstoppable nature justice

While the Joker’s credibility has taken a big hit with Joker: Folie a Deux‘s massive critical and commercial failure, the villain is likely to have two distinct changes to make an impression on the big screen soon. The BatmanScenes Scenes introduced Barry Keoghan’s Joker, and a deleted scene set up his conflict with Robert Pattinson’s Batman. The scenes suggest that Barry Keoghan’s Joker could play a primary or secondary antagonist role, possibly in The Batman – Part II And The Batman – Part III.

Meanwhile, the DCU’s The brave and the bold Movie will present a brand new Batman. In the recent continuity of the DCU, a considerably experienced Batman may have already fought the Joker several times, and the Joker may be a recurring antagonist not only in Batman-related DCU projects, but also in other character movies and shows. The DCU could also make the Joker a bigger physical threat to Batman and allow him to team up with other villains, which previous live-action movies have also overlooked in the past.

The Joker may soon get the live-action movie break he deserves

DC may need to give the Joker a break before he makes a big return

Although DC movies have wasted the Joker’s potential for multi-film arcs, the Clown Prince of Crime has appeared in many DC projects in recent years. Both The Batman – Part II And The brave and the bold Will likely give other villains the chance to shine in a major antagonistic roleAnd the Joker may take a break from DC movies for a few years – at least until Barry Keoghan’s Joker breaks out of Arkham in The Batman – Part III And the DCU’s Batman fights his Joker in a sequel to The brave and the bold. From this point, the DCU could continue to develop its version of Joker As a recurring antagonist.