15 Actors who could play the Joker.

There are few villains, if any, more iconic than DC’s Joker. First brought to life by Mark Hamill in the Batman animated adventures, it’s difficult to think that there was a time when the Joker was considered a D class villain. Soon to be brought to life by Barry Keoghan in the sequel to the recent ‘The Batman’ by Matt Reeves, I got to wondering who else they could have possibly cast in the iconic role.

Jim Carrey:

Jim Carrey deserves another shot at being a Batman villain as his 1995 representation of the Riddler was riddled (pun VERY MUCH intended) with camp and caused the actor to not be taken seriously. If given the chance I genuinely believe that Carrey can play a terrifying version of the Joker for this new adult centered Batman franchise. (See his roles in The Mask and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Tom Hiddleston:

The obvious comparison here is Marvel’s Loki being their equivalent of the Joker and honestly I think that’s more than enough reason to let HIddleston take the role. The one thing that has held back his portrayal of Loki (which is still amazing) is the fact that Marvel still caters for a younger audience causing Hiddleston to hold back his ‘evilness’. If given the chance to have full reign over a truly malevolent role, I believe Hiddleston will do nothing but excel in the role.

Joseph Gordon Levitt:

After the release of The Dark Knight Rises, where JGL was cast as John Blake, immediate comparisons between the look of JGL and Heath Ledger (still the best Joker) were made. Now as much as this was a meme, it got many thinking that Levitt would actually be perfect for the role. The actor's résumé speaks for itself but he is lacking a major villainous role that we all know he would exceed in, if given the chance.

Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed has slowly put his name amongst some of Hollywood’s finest actors. Recently receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in The Sound of Metal and winning his first Oscar for the short film The Long Goodbye, it his role in former film that I think would make him a great fit. Furthermore it would be great to finally see some decent South Asian representation in a major comic book movie (Eternals ALMOST did it).

Jake Gyllenhall:

Nightcrawler, Okja, Spiderman: Far From Home, does the man need to prove anymore that he is capable of playing a malicious genius? I think not.

Leonardo DiCaprio:

DiCaprio went from teenage heartthrob, to mid 20s heartthrob who can also play a really good bad guy. Django Unchained is the obvious example but I believe his role in The Great Gatsby also shows the man can play a troubled individual amongst the elite.

Rami Malek:

If you have not seen this man’s portrayal of Josh in the game Until Dawn then I certainly encourage you to do so. A troubled genius who struggles with his own mental health and gives off so many Jokery vibes that it only makes sense for Malek to take on the role.

Sharuk Khan:

I am just waiting for ANY major Hollywood picture to put this man in a damn film. The ever growing Asian film market has become so lucrative that it not only makes studio sense, but it makes movie sense too. Sharuk Khan can ACT. The man has so much subtle range that he is just waiting to play a villain in front of a major audience outside of Asia.

Mahershala Ali:

Considered one of the greatest actors of today, it only seems right that Ali puts his own twist on the infamous character. I wouldn’t want to see him emulate other Jokers such as Ledger or Nicohlson, I would want him to craft a Joker from the ground up. A version we haven’t seen before.

Willem Defoe:

This almost feels obvious at this point. A crazy man with crazy ideas? Green Goblin anyone? Furthermore, his recent role as a spooky witch man in The Northman shows that he can portray more abstract thoughts and ideas through his acting. I’m honestly shocked he’s never played the Joker before.

James Franco:

James Franco seems to have gone past his teenage heartthrob phase and is now being taken more seriously as an actor. He’s had a bit of a quiet spell recently but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit the role. Now hear me out, if you saw his portrayal of Tommy WIseau in The Disaster Artist, he showed that he can play a man plagued by his own ideas. A great fit for the role.

Troy Baker:

Not only does baker LOOK like he could play the Joker… he has played the Joker… and Batman and Robin and Two-Face. The iconic voice actor’s representation of the Joker felt very throwback in all the right ways. But I understand, he's a voice actor not an actor actor. My response to that criticism is his performance capture in The Last of Us franchise. The man can ACT, not only that, he understands the Joker already. It is admittedly a risk to put a name that isn’t too familiar to wider audiences in such a high profile role but we’re talking about one of the most successful superhero franchises of all time. They will make money irrespective.

Female Joker?:

In DC’s Flashpoint Paradox a really interesting version of The Joker and Batman were created. Rather than Martha and Thomas Wayne being murdered, it was Bruce instead. This lead to Thomas Wayne becoming Batman and Martha Wayne (now known as Martha Kane) to become The Joker. And let’s be real it’s about we had a great female villain in a superhero movie.

Rosamund Pike:

After her amazingly chilling performance in Gone Girl (unlike her co-star Ben Affleck) Rosamund Pike has more than proved that she has the acting capacity to play the Joker. Furthermore, it would be very nice to see Pike get a wider recognition for her acting ability as I believe she is criminally underrated.

Lupita Nyong’o:

Everyone knows that Nyong’o is an incredibly diverse actress but this was shown off more than ever by both her roles in Jordan Peele’s Us. Nyong’o understands how to be both scary and charismatic and this is a trait that is essential to play the role of the Joker, especially if we are to go the Martha Kane route and we need an actress who could also garner sympathy from an audience after losing her son at such a young age.

Jodie Whittaker:

Another very underrated actress, Whittaker has had a difficult time recently as the Dr. Who fanbase seems to be divided as to whether or not they enjoy her portrayal of the Doctor. But I believe she needs to turn the tables on everybody and play the joker. (Plus she certainly has the look for Martha Kane).

Ruth Wilson:

A name that may not be known to most, Wilson rose to prominence after playing the central antagonist in the BBC show Luther. She’s an actress who can show villainy with merely a simple look and has moe than proved that she is fit for the role.

So what do you think? Anyone I missed?