The Joker: Ranking the live incarnations of the Clown Prince of Crime
HOLLYWOOD, CA – JULY 11: Joaquin Phoenix attends Amazon Studios premiere of “Don’t Worry, He Wont Get Far On Foot” at ArcLight Hollywood on July 11, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images), the joker
With Joaquin Phoenix set to play The Joker, let’s look at the previous actors to take over this role in a live-action form.
Joaquin Phoenix is to play The Joker in an up and coming origin film on the character. On top of that, this is something of an Elseworld tale as well. Some people are already hyping for this film. But everyone is asking where will Joaquin Phoenix rank in the list of live incarnations of The Joker?
4. Cesar Romero
For nearly two generations of Batman fans, Cesar Romero was their only idea of The Joker. Cesar Romero has a typecast history of supporting roles including Latin Lovers, gangsters or east Indian princes. Looking back now it is somewhat unorthodox and maybe even progressive to cast a Latin actor for the role of The Joker.
More from Movies
- James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy casts more major DC characters
- New Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer pushes Arthur to his limits
- 7 actors who could replace Ezra Miller as The Flash in the DC Universe
- Masters of the Universe reboot’s new domain could be at Amazon’s Prime Video Streamer
- James Gunn gives interesting update of Superman and Supergirl movies at DC Studios
This particular incarnation of The Joker is quite harmless. He does not kill people, there are no hideous Joker grins for his victims, acid flower or dark humor. Instead, he is nothing more but a prankster type character. Do not fault the show for this. The Joker did indeed behave like this in the comics in the sixties. Cesar Romero’s laughing was rather comic book accurate, with lots of hohoho’s and hehehe’s and hahaha’s. It almost sounded as if he was laughing straight out of the comics. Accurate, but unsettlingly terrible.
One issue which has not aged well is the mustache. Cesar Romero refused to shave his mustache, so they put white make-up over it. Not an issue back then, until today with HD and better television. Now you see it and you cannot un-see it. The Cesar Romero Joker is quite the time capsule of his time. Yet, he was hardly the most intriguing villain of the bunch. Frank Gorshin’s The Riddler with his elastic face and mannerisms I dare say was more impressive. We have the sultry and beautiful Catwoman of Julie Newmar. Then you have Burgess Meredith as The Penguin with that laugh and always brilliant plans. In the end, I dare say Cesar Romero’s The Joker is quite one-note and dare I say – forgettable.