The Joker: Ranking the live incarnations of the Clown Prince of Crime

3. Jared Leto

It seems most of the criticism for Jared Leto’s incarnation is more the design. The Joker does not have tattoos! Why does he have a grill? When is he some kind of gangsta out of a music video? I turn them to Grant Morrison and his thoughts on the character.

The Joker is a character who is constantly reinventing himself, like David Bowie for example. Can the Clown Prince of Crime continue to operate dressed like a riverboat gambler from the early twentieth century? Will he continue to have this mobster, gangster motif? They are hardly a relevance anymore, unlike the ‘gangsta’ most people know of today. Sure, it does appear garish and could use more subtlety.

There is this unpredictability to Jared Leto. His speech and mannerisms and tones are all over the place. There seems to be a lack of complete consistency. I think this is done purposely though. The Joker is something of a great actor on the scene, trying to put on a show. He is not just a common criminal. Awkwardly enough, Jared Leto makes this Joker as something of a sex symbol. For once, one can see why Dr. Quinzel is attracted to him.

One problem is due to the complete lack of material we have to go off of. We got some more in the extended cut. Still, there is plenty of footage out there. If we had more footage and material, it may be possible to rank Leto higher.