Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman was interesting and silly. But Heath Ledger took the character to a completely different level. The Dark Knight’s version of The Joker was creepy, dangerous, psychotic and super smart.
Let’s take a closer look at how Christopher Nolan crafted one of the greatest villains of all time.
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 real tension to a Batman story on the big screen.
In the first few minutes of the movie, The Joker kills 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 combat. However, in The Dark Knight, The Joker fights really well. He kills people without hesitation using “the pencil trick.” He uses knives. He even uses a rocket launcher. In fact, there are theories regarding The Joker’s origin that he was once in the army and could even be a soldier with PTSD. Maybe he even got his scars in battle—but we are not sure. All we know that The Joker is an unreliable narrator that uses chaos to his advantage. This approach only makes him more interesting (and more unstable) to the audience.
Throughout most of the film, The Joker is always several steps ahead of Batman. More than just a physical threat, he’s also a mental threat. This is taken to the ultimate level when The Joker kills Rachel Dawes and essentially rips the heart out of Batman.
As if that is not enough, Batman’s external goal in the movie is to hang up the cape and cowl and pass the role over to Harvey Dent, Gotham’s new “white knight.” The Joker kills Harvey too — in the same sequence.
The truth is The Joker is simply more powerful than Batman. And Batman is not a weakling. Batman is smart and cunning but, at the same time, he has something to lose. He loves Rachel. He wants Harvey to take over. He cares about Alfred. And, of course, he cares about Gotham.
The Joker simply doesn’t care; he is an agent of chaos and loves destruction. “He simply wants to watch the world burn.”
More Than A Physical Threat
On top of The Joker’s dangerous physical presence, he also uses fear like a terrorist. He attacks his enemies — essentially anyone who opposes him — psychologically as well as physically.
Consider the following video The Joker makes and shares with the media; clearly, he is using it as a tool to spread a message of fear. The Joker comes across as a completely unhinged killer savoring every moment.
The Joker Can Even Be Seen As The Protagonist
If you look at the typical form of story structure, the Joker is often the one who is driving most of the action in the story. From the opening scene until the end, The Joker dominates the screen. Batman spends most of his time reacting to The Joker’s plans. It isn’t until the very end that Batman takes control of the story by pursuing The Joker through the use of invasive surveillance.
The Enemy That Can Not Be Beaten
Batman has to do things he has never done before to simply find The Joker. In order to defeat The Joker, Batman must break his one rule of not killing any criminal. But catching The Joker only delays the inevitable. For Batman to win, he must kill The Joker, which actually is not a real win. The Joker knows this and exploits it constantly during the film.
Quite simply, Batman cannot win. He can only have temporary victories against The Joker. However, Batman continues to fight and be the hero Gotham needs. This is the movie’s ending, and it sets up Batman as a noble martyr of sorts. But the audience knows that The Joker is still alive and well in Arkham. The Joker always has the upper hand on Batman, and, because of this, The Joker’s legacy lives on.
