Which comic book movie portrayal of a villain do you think is up there with Ledger's Joker

[PhoenixAKG]

So Heath Ledger's Joker:

is considered to be one of the most iconic and greatest portrayals of a comic book villain in cinema. That being aside which other portrayals of villains in comic book films are in the same league/are close to Ledger's performace?

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Alfred Molina as Doc Ock is a favorite, he brought so much realism and humanity to the part.

 

[Lifejumper]

 

[Darkwing-Buck]

IW Thanos is close for me but Joker still the king

 

[DrForester]

He's good, but he's not even the best Joker.

 

[Grimminski]

:Edited for the safety of all bords:

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[Doc Laserstein]

Not a movie, but I'd put D'Onofrio's Kingpin right up there.

 

[Dahbomb]

Not on the level of Heath Ledger but here are some of my favorites:

Joaquin Phoenix as Joker

Danny Devito as Penguin

Ian McKellen as Magneto

Michael Fassbender also as Magneto

Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger

Josh Brolin as Thanos

Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin

Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin

Liam Neeson as Ra's AL Ghul

Tom Hiddleston as Loki


And most recently... Paul Dano as The Riddler

 

[MisterHero]

General Zod, Superman II

Kneeeeeel Son of El!!

 

[Zero-ELEC]

Ian McKellen's Magneto is... probably still the best.

 

[Ouroboros]

John Leguizamo As Clown in Spawn 1997.

 

[Durden]

Dafoe as Goblin/Norman. Shoulda been the immediate response here.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Ian McKellen as Magneto
Michael Fassbender also as Magneto
Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin
Michael Keaton as Vulture
Terrance Stamp as Zod

But I agree that none are really at the same level.

 

[NotLiquid]

Dafoe's Green Goblin has aged fantastically and No Way Home cemented his legacy.

 

[Toriko]

No one is up there. Not even close. lol at Thanos even being mentioned.

 

[Rated-G]

Not a movie, but I'd put D'Onofrio's Kingpin right up there.

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In that same vein, I really loved Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, and David Tennant as Killgrave in Jessica Jones.

 

[Doc Laserstein]

In that same vein, I really loved Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, and David Tennant as Killgrave in Jessica Jones.

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Yeah, the Netflix Marvel shows — specifically the first seasons — had some great villains. Too bad we only got half of a season of Cottonmouth though.

 

[UnpopularBlargh]

People have mentioned McKellen, but Brian Cox was excellent as Stryker in X2.

 

[Deleted member 13798]

Willem Dafoe Goblin is right there with him imo- especially after seeing more of him in NWH. I was lukewarm on the movie because everything felt rushed but it was an incredible performance with the relatively little screen time he was given.

 

[Bor Gullet]

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I want my burd

 

[Lotus]

Killmonger and Dafoe's Green Goblin as of NWH

EDIT: Oops, forgot Thanos ofc

 

[pikablu]

Definitely letos Morbius. Excellent portrayal of the 1992 comic.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is better than Heath Ledger's Joker in every conceivable way.

So that's one.

 

[Kyoufu]

Tom Hardy's Bane is 🐐

 

[Keldroc]

Ledger's performance was of its time, and honestly is a little underwhelming now in the wake of what that take on the Joker character has mutated into over the intervening decade and a half. Thanos outdoes it, although Thanos will probably age poorly in the same way. There's a reason these characters are reinvented so often. They're malleable archetypes that can shift to fit the times, but that does mean the versions that have the most impact also tend to be very rooted in when they occurred.

 

[Solid SOAP]

I read that as "Leto's" Joker for a sec. Which I think could actually pose an interesting question.

 

[Anoregon]

Tom Hardy's Bane is 🐐

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for you

 

[bottledfox]

The MCU has Thanos and Loki, but I personally loved Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as Mysterio more than any other.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

After recently rewatching Infinity War and Endgame again, Thanos is still in my top 5.

 

[Merv]

Not on the level of Heath Ledger but here are some of my favorites:

Joaquin Phoenix as Joker

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I had to think about this for a little bit. I saw the movie and enjoyed it, but I barely register that role as the Joker™.

 

[gforguava]

We as a people have forgotten the pleasures of classical supervillainy so I have to stand up for Patrick Wilson as the Ocean Master himself, Orm:

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And one day people will be ready to accept Christoph Waltz's Bloodnofsky from The Green Hornet as the king of supervillains but sadly today is not that day.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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[TheMerv]

Ledger's performance was of its time, and honestly is a little underwhelming now in the wake of what that take on the Joker character has mutated into over the intervening decade and a half. Thanos outdoes it, although Thanos will probably age poorly in the same way. There's a reason these characters are reinvented so often. They're malleable archetypes that can shift to fit the times, but that does mean the versions that have the most impact also tend to be very rooted in when they occurred.

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I'd argue it's precisely because of the intervening mutations that Ledger's version holds up. Other takes within that wavelength take it too far. It all starts to get overwrought in comparison to the pure energy of Ledger.

 

[Deleted member 87246]

Ledger's Joker is one of the greatest performances in cinema. Not many villains from any genre come close imo.

 

[Firemind]

General Zod, Superman II

Kneeeeeel Son of El!!

Click to shrink...

 

[Jarmel]

Ledger's performance and depiction is still the bar.

Killmonger is possibly the closest and he's not even remotely close to TDK Joker.

 

[Kyoufu]

for you

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[jackie daytona]

Honestly, while something like Dafoe's Goblin was great, he wasn't given as much room to work as Ledger.

I think that is one of the biggest strengths of his Joker: they really gave him time to shine and steal the show.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Tom Hiddleston is pretty delightful as Loki. I though Cate Blanchett made a great Hela.


... I also thought Elizabeth Banks was fun as hell as Rita Repulsa.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

Tom Hiddleston is pretty delightful as Loki. I though Cate Blanchett made a great Hela.


... I also thought Elizabeth Banks was fun as hell as Rita Repulsa.

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Glad that you mentioned Hela, because I think Cate Blanchett was wonderful in the role and had the type of charisma I want to see from more movie villains.

 

[Kasey]

None

 

[Stranger Things]

Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin is GOAT

 

[Psamtik]

Danny DeVito's revolting, depraved pervert of a Penguin is by far my favorite interpretation of the character.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

None of them come close but tbf they aren't trying to. The Dark Knight is a very specific kind of movie that is inherently different from what the MCU is doing. Ledger's Joker wouldn't really belong in any of these movies either. But as far as I'm concerned, nothing has topped it yet.

That said, there's certainly some good villains out there. Loki, at least in Thor 1 and Avengers 1, was a delight. Dafoe's Green Goblin is legendary and still works today. Molina's Doc Ock wasn't as good in NWH but in SM2 was fantastic.

 

[Rookhelm]

Terrance Stamp as Zod is a great pick.

 

[BrucCLea13k87]

None. None none none none none none none. Not one.

 

[Bishop89]

Osborne of course

Mags/stryker are also good

 

[Carnby]

They were all defeated in the most bizarre ways.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Ledger's Joker isn't just amazing because of the performance---it's because the movie and writing actually give the villain time to breathe and be a real character. Marvel movies in general fall short because they just don't seem to want to commit time. Thanos got a lot of time and development, and was amazing. Same with Kingpin in the Daredevil show. Again---movies need to be willing to give villain's time, and while that by itself doesn't make one great, I think it's damn near impossible to be anything special without.

 

[thediamondage]

MCU Thanos for sure, simply because he got a full movie where he "won" before the next one shows the heroes coming back. I like villains like Zod (70s Superman) or Hela (Thor) but their arcs are done in a single movie. Loki would be another contender for me but I sorta feel like the Loki TV has done the usual thing of turning him from a villain into an anti-hero.

 

[Astro Cat]

I would say Dafoe for sure. I rewatched No Way Home last night and he's Green Goblin in a way the mask really discredited in the first Spider-Man.

I also think Danny Penguin, Michelle Catwoman, and Bane are top tier.