Which Batman Movie Actor Would Have Made The Best Joker?

If all the actors that played Batman on the silver screen were cast as the Clown Prince of Crime instead, one Batman movie actor would have undoubtedly made the best Joker. While many Batman performances have surely been revolutionary and ground-breaking in their own right, performing as the Joker arguably requires a completely different skillset. As such, some of the best Dark Knight performers are perhaps not as well-suited to the uniquely chaotic and maniacal energy required of the character’s nemesis.

As it currently stands, a total of six actors have played the Caped Crusader on the big screen. The very first entry on the list is Golden Globe-winning actor Michael Keaton, who played the character in Batman and Batman Returns in 1989 and 1992 respectively, bringing Tim Burton’s dark and gothic vision to cinemas. After the Burton era came Val Kilmer, who performed opposite Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones in 1995’s Batman Forever, and George Clooney, who played a more comical version of the Bat (that was most likely an homage to Adam West’s 1960s iteration) in Batman & Robin. The critical failure of director Joel Schumacher’s Batman duology ushered in Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, who portrayed a more realistic version of Batman in the ever-famous Dark Knight trilogy (consisting of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises). With the arrival of the DCEU came Ben Affleck, who delivered a vengeful and brooding performance – a trend that continued with Robert Pattinson, who played the role in The Batman in 2022.

Every actor in this list is clearly highly skilled in their own right, hence their original selection. However, based on their ability to act, as well as some of their past roles and reputations, not all of them really seem to be a good fit for the complex role that is the Joker. While each performance would most definitely be unique, it’s clear that, similar to Batman himself, not everyone can live up to the high expectation of a character that is so well-known and so easy to get wrong. Therefore, both because of the nature of the character and the demands of the role, there is only one former Batman actor that is capable of absolutely blowing away the competition with his portrayal of the Joker. Ironically enough, his movie features arguably the current best rendition of the Clown Prince to date. That man is Christian Bale.

Why Christian Bale Would Be An Amazing Joker

Christian Bale is notorious for being a highly-committed method actor, like Robert DeNiro and the late Heath Ledger. Bale puts an incredible amount of dedication to each role he plays. Though he is known to push himself to the extreme in certain areas (his weight loss for his role as Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, for example), he is still fully able to give stellar performances and wow audiences with his skill. He is no stranger to playing the part of the villain, with his role as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder a notable example. However, the true reason why he is the best fit for the likes of the Joker is his ability to play characters that are dangerously unhinged, as demonstrated by his legendary role as the terrifying Patrick Bateman in 2000 cult classic American Psycho.

If Christian Bale were cast as the Joker, he can use his portrayal of Bateman as a template upon which to build his own version of the character. Not to mention, his means of method acting would become vital in discovering exactly how he can give the best performance possible, much like how Heath Ledger and Jared Leto did so to create their respective unique Joker personas. While it is true that some other Batman actors like the illustrious Michael Keaton would also be able to give an excellent performance as the Joker, it is Christian Bale who would be the best rendition of the Joker, thanks to his unique skillset and prior villainous credentials.