Alternate Takes 08.21.10 - Top 10 Batman Villain Actors
Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 08.21.2010
From Heath Ledger's Joker and Jim Carrey's Riddler to Julie Newmar's Catwoman and Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face, 411's Shawn S. Lealos ranks the actors who have portrayed Batman's greatest villains!
Welcome to Week 117 of Alternate Takes, my name is Shawn S. Lealos and you have entered my world.
I was looking through the comments last week and everyone had a good idea when it came to ranking animated voice actors. Unfortunately, I am not able to give a list like that proper depth because I have not seen much in the way of the Batman cartoons. However, I plan to rectify that soon and will work on some animated write-ups when I feel I am up to date on the Batman animated universe.
This week I am going to do another list. Last week I looked at the actors playing Batman and who I thought was the best. This week, we are going to attack the villains.
10. Burgess Meredith as The Penguin
Before he was Rocky's corner man Mickey, Burgess Meredith was the perfect Penguin. Meredith began his career in 1932 with the cult horror flick Freaks but achieved fame on the television hit Batman. While Danny DeVito tried to make the character his own in Batman Returns, nothing erased the memories of the original Penguin from my mind. Meredith appeared on the show more times than any other villain besides The Joker. Meredith once said the writers always kept a Penguin script on hand so when he had free time, they had an episode for him to film.
9. Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow
The main villain in Batman Begins is Ra's al Ghul but the more compelling bad guy is Cillian Murphy's Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as The Scarecrow. Murphy hit it big following his lead role in Danny Boyle's 2002 horror movie 28 Days Later. Since then, he has had a small supporting career in films such as Cold Mountain, Batman Begins, Sunshine and Inception. He also appeared in The Dark Knight, reprising his role from Begins. Murphy originally read for the role of Batman but Chris Nolan cast him as Scarecrow after choosing Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader.
8. Christopher Walken as Max Shreck
Among the main villains of Batman Returns, Christopher Walken remains the most interesting. Michelle Pfeiffer is very hot as Catwoman and Danny DeVito brought a humanity to the Penguin that had not yet been discovered. But Christopher Walken makes every role he takes on unique and fun. His Max Shreck is the man who threw Selina Kyle out of the window, thereby creating Catwoman. He pulled strings to help The Penguin and remains the best villain in the movie. All it needed was more cow-bell.
7. Jim Carrey as The Riddler
Some people hate him but I feel Jim Carrey was fantastic as The Riddler. I hated Tommy Lee Jones' depiction of Two Face but everything Jim Carey did made me smile. Batman Forever presented The Riddler as a former employee of Wayne Enterprises whose latest invention is rejected by Bruce Wayne and sets up a vendetta of vengeance against his former employer. Carrey made a name for himself before this movie as a comic funnyman with turns in Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. The next year, he made the underrated The Cable Guy, a movie that stretched his demented sense of humor even further.
6. Frank Gorshin as The Ridder
Regardless of how much I liked Jim Carrey as The Riddler, no one will ever portray the character with the brilliance of Frank Gorshin, the original Riddler. While Gorshin gained popularity as an impressionist on The Ed Sullivan Show and Tonight Show, he never escaped the typecasting as The Riddler. Gorshin was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as The Riddler in 1966. He also made appearances in Star Trek and Buck Rogers. In other Batman related appearances, he voiced Hugo Strange in Batman: The Animated Series.
5. Julie Newmar as Catwoman
Younger audiences may recognize Julie Newmar's name from the drag queen movie starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. However, she was also the most beautiful Catwoman in the franchise's history. She played the sexy cat thief on the original television show from 1966-67. She was replaced by Lee Meriwether in the movie and Eartha Kitt in the final season of the series. Newmar also appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Monkees, Star Trek, Columbo and The Bionic Woman.
4. Cesar Romero as The Joker
It is not a surprise to see Batman's greatest enemy ranking in three of the top four spots on this list. Cesar Romero played the villain with a gusto that made him the most popular bad guy on the original television show. Romero played the Joker from 1966 to 1968 and appeared in the show more times than anyone other than Burgess Meredith. Interesting trivia is Romero refused to shave his mustache so they simply painted it white along with the rest of his face.
3. Jack Nicholson as The Joker
Taking his cue from Cesar Romero's version of The Joker, Jack Nicholson made the Joker a large, pompous blowhard that was the best character in the entire movie, Batman included. Nicholson is, by far, the most distinguished actor to portray any villain in the Batman universe. He has been nominated for 12 Oscars, winning three of them. His first nomination for Easy Rider came twenty years before he appeared in Tim Burton's Batman.
2. Aaron Eckhart as Two Face
While this may seem high to some people, I absolutely believe it is Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent/Two Face that makes The Dark Knight a great movie. Yes, Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is magnificent and deserves the top spot on the list but Eckhart made his villain into a different beast. His character is the most tragic of the movie, at once the greatest hero and then the worst villain. Eckhart has also turned in great performances in movies like Thank You For Smoking and In the Company of Men but his role as Harvey Dent is his greatest creation.
1. Heath Ledger as The Joker
This is not a surprise. A lot of people believe he only won his Oscar because he died but that tragically discounts his great performance. He took The Joker and made him a unique, brilliant character. He was not funny and quirky like Romero's and Nicholson's versions. He was instead ripped out of the pages of comics like Death in the Family, a dangerous psychopath meant only to cause devastation. Ledger turned in the greatest performance in the Batman franchise, bar none.
Upcoming Releases
September 28, 2010 - Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
October, 22, 2010 - Red
January 14, 2011 - The Green Hornet
March 04, 2011 - Priest
May 06, 2011 - Thor
June 03, 2011 - X-Men: First Class
June 17, 2011 - Green Lantern
July 22, 2011 - The First Avenger: Captain America
July 29, 2011 - Cowboys and Aliens
December 23, 2011 - The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
May 4, 2012 - The Avengers
July 03, 2012 - Spider-Man 4
July 20, 2012 - Untitled Batman project
Posted By: Cotti (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:02 PM
no liam neeson?
Posted By: Guest#0196 (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:05 PM
So the Dark Knight must be the best movie ever...
Geez. Ridiculous. Ledger dying does not make his performance any better. He did nothing to best any other Joker.
Posted By: Jim (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Mark Hamill as Joker. That's the only number one there can be after you've experienced his portrayal of The Joker.
Posted By: Cactus (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:28 PM
Two much love for the tv show. What a joke of a series, and not always in a good way. It's ad because the only memorbale about it is the silly words splashed on screen during fights. Otherwise, plain garbage.
And, the best joker is Nicholson. Also, the hottest catwoman is not that silly girl in the artcile but Michelle Peiffer. No contest. Meow.
Posted By: Volourn (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:37 PM
So the Dark Knight must be the best movie ever...
Geez. Ridiculous. Ledger dying does not make his performance any better. He did nothing to best any other Joker.
Posted By: Jim (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:19 PM
and how did he not do anything to best the other jokers? Ill wait for you to not respond to that
Posted By: jackass (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:52 PM
Dark Knights' Two Face was not very good. His character was extremely rushed and instead of being tragic, just ended up being random. One pep-talk from Joker and he throws everything he has worked his whole life for away. Whatever.
Villians from the Animated Series should be half this list. Joker, Two-Face (a real-tragic villian) and Mr. Freeze spring immediately to mind as better characters then anyone on this list except Ledger and Nicholson.
Posted By: August (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:58 PM
No King Tut? The museum curator turned evil mastermind!! What about Arnold as Mr Freeze? "Batman, chill out!"
Posted By: Guest#2329 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:30 AM
I for the life of me will never understand why people think the only reason Ledger's Joker gets any recognition is because he passed away before the film release. Yet is was before his death that Oscar Buzz was abound. Then when you see the portrayal, you know why. Some haters/trolls just sound like idiots.
Posted By: chAd_b (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:37 AM
Actually, I'm glad you didn't use the animated voice actors, since they blew away every one of the live actors.
Posted By: Spaz Monkey (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:42 AM
I must also voice my sadness at the lack of love for animation in this column. Batman: The Animated Series is an amazing, fantastic show, and Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammill are the definitive Batman and Joker for me (not discrediting Bale or Ledger, who gave great performances in their own right).
Posted By: Fire Lord Hubbard (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:44 AM
Vincent Price as Egg Head...
He was Egg--calent!!
Posted By: Really? (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:48 AM
Drop Jim Carrey's and Frank Gorshin's Riddler. (Hell drop the original series villians except for Newmar and Romero.) His Riddler is just Ace Venture in a Hamburglar mask and a Greenman suit.
Lower Jack's Joker to #5 cause Jack was just being Jack...which is still good enough for #5. Whereas Heath created a completly unique and perfectly dark, twisted character; different from any other stuff he'd done before then. Add to that, he had to do an American accent. Not an easy thing for even the better non-American actors (EX: Liam Neeson).
And what's up with giving Michelle Pheifer's Catwoman and Devito's Penguin the shaft? Jack Nicholson had Oscar noms coming out the wah-zoo and played the most popular Comic Book villian of ALL TIME... which makes it more amazing that the short guy from "Taxi" smoked him by playing the flipping PENGUIN!?! Devito takes a JOKE of a villian... -Seriously what's Penguin's original series gimmick? Being a foppish dandy and using umbrellas indoors?- ... and simply dee-lih-verrr-duh. You could broaden this ranking to cover all comic villians from film/tv and he (Devito) Pheifer and Ledger would still be top five. As for this list, they're top 3.
Posted By: Fanboy2508 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:16 AM
Mark Hamill as Joker. That's the only number one there can be after you've experienced his portrayal of The Joker.
Posted By: Cactus (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:28 PM
assuming, of course, you include kiddie cartoons as part of the movies list.
Posted By: Guest#9104 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:26 AM
I completely agree Heath Ledger's Joker is the most complete character. The character was psychotic and frightening and you just wanted to see more of him. All of the other runners up are wonderful, but I have never seen such a complete character as the Joker as played by Heath Ledger.
Posted By: Sue (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:27 AM
Dark Knights' Two Face was not very good. His character was extremely rushed and instead of being tragic, just ended up being random. One pep-talk from Joker and he throws everything he has worked his whole life for away. Whatever.
Villians from the Animated Series should be half this list. Joker, Two-Face (a real-tragic villian) and Mr. Freeze spring immediately to mind as better characters then anyone on this list except Ledger and Nicholson.
Posted By: August (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:58 PM
if you don't see the tragedyu in the movie Harvey Dent, then you completely missed the point of the entire movie.
and no, cartoons...unless they are released in theatre, shouldn't count at all.
i have great respect for the voice actors, but in the end, they are still cartoons.
Posted By: Guest#9990 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:29 AM
Sorry, but Nicholson's Joker wasn't that great. It was just Jack playing his usual out of control self in Joker facepaint, much like Will Ferrel simply plays himself in every movie but in a new set of clothes.
Posted By: Scott B (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:49 AM
So the Dark Knight must be the best movie ever...
Geez. Ridiculous. Ledger dying does not make his performance any better. He did nothing to best any other Joker.
Posted By: Jim (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:19 PM
And just because you're going against popular opinion doesn't make you "cool".
Posted By: Guest#5763 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:50 AM
No Mr Freeze? Cold man.
Posted By: Cereza (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:56 AM
So the Dark Knight must be the best movie ever...
Geez. Ridiculous. Ledger dying does not make his performance any better. He did nothing to best any other Joker.
Posted By: Jim (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:19 PM
You're an idiot
Posted By: Erik... (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 02:00 AM
I agree with Ledger for the #1 spot... I have LONG said that while I LOVE Batman, I hated his biggest villain because he was so cartoonish. Ledger took the Joker and made him believable. Made him real. In my mind, made him what he should be. The series version of the Joker was too over-the-top... and while I like Nicholson as the Joker, the character was still too over the top. Ledger nailed it for what I was wanting from Joker. Some of you may want over the top, but I want realism.
Posted By: Stoney (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:08 AM
Nicholson's Joker was horrible.
Posted By: Guest#7919 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:26 AM
Most critics consider Eartha Kitt as the best Catwoman but whatever
Posted By: K. Bett (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:50 AM
"I for the life of me will never understand why people think the only reason Ledger's Joker gets any recognition is because he passed away before the film
release. Yet is was before his death that Oscar Buzz was abound. Then when you see the portrayal, you know why. Some haters/trolls just sound like idiots."
I'm not disagreeing with you on that. I think Ledger's Joker is one of the most lived in, amazing characters i've ever seen. The film itself is a little overrated, but Ledger is incredible. My point is, I don't know that there was Oscar buzz before he died, as he died 5 or 6 months before the movie even came out.
Posted By: Guest#8104 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:52 AM
You just have to give it to the Joker, created by Ledger,because of how much into the character he was. And I have to say in comparison a funny character will always fall lesser than the serious charcter, even if they displayed same great level of talent.
Posted By: Arnab (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 04:25 AM
While I agree that Heath Ledger has the best performance over all I do not believe that he would have won the oscar if he had not died. While I believe he earned and deserved it I do not believe he would have received the recognition only due to the film being a super hero movie.
Posted By: Tap or Snap (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 04:59 AM
Why is Aaron Eckhart even on the list? Gimmie a break. Michelle Pheifer as Catwoman should be #2
Posted By: Guest#8155 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 05:00 AM
You've completely fucked up your #2, which should have gone to Danny DeVito
Posted By: AngryTas (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 06:52 AM
So the Dark Knight must be the best movie ever...
Geez. Ridiculous. Ledger dying does not make his performance any better. He did nothing to best any other Joker.
---------------------------------------
The Joker in the Dark Knight was one of the best cinematic villains of all time, and was played with flambouyant charisma AND quite serious menace.
If Ledger was still alive, it's still a better performance than Nicholson, sorry.
Posted By: Jon (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 07:43 AM
Seeing how I have a tattoo of Heaths Joker on my leg, I'll go with that a good number one choice. And yes I'm serious but not that serious.
Posted By: Midcard. (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 08:09 AM
How was Cillian Murphy supporting in Sunshine? He was the lead!
Posted By: Random (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:04 AM
geez dident see ledger as number one...SMH. DK fuckin sucked big time, dont let your fandom get int he way of everyday life nerds
Posted By: Guest#7857 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:27 AM
"Where's Michelle Pheifer's Catwoman?
Posted By: Cotti (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:02 PM"
She was cool but I wouldn't call her a villain, more of an anti hero to be honest.
Posted By: prankstar (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:42 AM
I hve never seen nicholson's portrayal of joker and after watching the dark knight frankly I don't wanna see it coz ledger has set the bar so high that all previous portrayals of the joker however gud they might be wud look listless compared to ledger's incredible performance
Posted By: Aman (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:51 AM
"assuming, of course, you include kiddie cartoons as part of the movies list.
Posted By: Guest#9104 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:26 AM"
Seeing as how he never says it's a movie list the cartoon actors could have been listed if the writer had seen that much of the animated shows (which he states in the opening). If you want to be a "witty" person than read everything before you try and insult someone else's I.Q.
Posted By: You're a jerk-off (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 11:15 AM
geez dident see ledger as number one...SMH. DK fuckin sucked big time, dont let your fandom get int he way of everyday life nerds
Posted By: Guest#7857 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:27 AM
You must be one of those that liked Batman and Robin.
Posted By: Forrest (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 11:16 AM
"geez dident see ledger as number one...SMH. DK fuckin sucked big time, dont let your fandom get int he way of everyday life nerds"
This isn't the 1980's anymore. Superhero movies aren't just for nerds, they are big blockbuster events. Plus the Dark Knight in no way sucked, so please get over yourself.
Posted By: Guest#1977 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 11:23 AM
I'm glad Carrey is on the list, he played an extremely entertaining Riddler (who is my fave batman villain ever alongside Two-Face).
I'm surprised to see so much love for the old TV Show.
I need to watch it again properly cause I don't remember it at being that good but well it's your opinion and that's why the IC is so dumb.
They don't stand someone who has a different OPINION and has to insult him and throw a tantrum because he/she had the guts to name someone they don't like and/or not choosing someone they're a fan of.
Vintage Immature Kids !
Posted By: Edward Nygma (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:00 PM
I know a lot of you guys love the animated actors, and I do too. But you guys also need to keep in mind that those guys were just voice acting. Actual physical acting is more demanding and complex, because you need to do more than just a good voice.
I still think Hamil should be on the list. He's just so good as the Joker's VA. Plus, he did play Joker in a theatrical movie: Mask of the Phantasm.
Posted By: Wade (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:16 PM
Ok, I can not defend the movie at all, but Halle Berry was the best looking at woman. But sure, Newmar was covered in hot sauce in a 60s way.
(I won't get in to the rest of this argument.)
Posted By: Franco McNeil (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:33 PM
How was Cillian Murphy supporting in Sunshine? He was the lead!
Posted By: Random (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:04 AM
That's debatable with an ensemble cast. You could go with Cillian or Chris Evans I think
Posted By: Erik... (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Aside from listing the Burgess Meredith Penguin ahead of the not even listed Danny Devito Penguin, there is little that I can argue with on this list. Cartoon Characters should be set aside when discussing live actors. Yet there should be a future list of alternate takes that ranks cartoon villains, perhaps even cartoon villains of different series.
Heath Ledger would have been the best Joker even if he did not pass away soon after. Two Face was the definitive tragic character in any comic flick. Aaron Eckhart was the Two Face that could have taken Batman Forever to the next level. Two Face should never be a comical figure, and the Dark Knight portrayal outdid any Two Face of the past. I question listing Julie Newmar, or Catwoman in general as Catwoman was always more of an anti hero than a villain.
Posted By: Cannonite (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:27 PM
geez dident see ledger as number one...SMH. DK fuckin sucked big time, dont let your fandom get int he way of everyday life nerds
Posted By: Guest#7857 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 09:27 AM
^^^^^^Too much brain damage from all that glue-sniffing.
Posted By: Guest#1138 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:39 PM
As good/great as the live action Batman villians are, Batman: The Animated Series had them all down perfectly. Even villians like Scarface and Killer Croc were made interesting, plus it gave us Harley Quinn!
Posted By: Zingy (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:45 PM
Ledger (RIP) is overrated.
Jack Nicholson was a far better Joker.
Posted By: Guest#8977 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 02:11 PM
too much love is given to Nicholson's Joker. Really, it was Jack playing Jack, in prosthetic lips and greasepaint. Not saying that it wasn't fun to watch, as I'll watch Jack Nicholson in anything, but Ledger brought more to the table.
Of all the characters on the list, his was the closest to the comics as you could come in the modern age (not counting the 60's TV series, as Batman comics were incredibly campy at the time, which the original series captured).
It is criminal to omit Hamill's animiated Joker though, even if he was a cartoon.
Posted By: Guest#0413 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 02:29 PM
Yeah, I think Shawn got it right putting Eckhart at number two. Next to Ledger's Joker, his portrayal is the most layered and emotional of any cinematic depiction of a Bat-villain, as Dent should be. I thought we saw Dent as a hero in spades, and when he turned, boy did he turn. I will say that audiences got short-changed just a bit, though. Two-Face's character is rich in psychology, and his split personality that was the heart of so many stories in the comics would have made for some pretty compelling stuff on film. I do understand the character's story arc for the purposes of The Dark Knight, so I guess I'm being nitpicky and fanboyish here.....but I would have loved to see what Eckhart would have done if given the chance to run with the "split-personality" ball. His giving himself over to the power of the coin and to chance itself was a step in the right direction. And the Joker gives him much more than just a pep talk; it was a very Manson-esque corruption of a soul already in turmoi and on its way to embracing chaos and destruction....
Regarding the voice actors: they unquestionably deserve mention and praise in the Batman pantheon(I'm a Conroy and Hamill mark...no dobut about it), and it's a good idea to rank them as well. Ranking them separately is a good idea, though; I just don't think you can compare them fairly to live action. Why? Well, I think that's pretty obvious....live action gives you the entire package, physicality along with the voice, wheras with voice acting, you get the voice!
Posted By: Daniel (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:44 PM
Enough with this N0lan love.
TDK is mediocre. Get over it.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:56 PM
I thought Tom Wilkinson did a great job playing Falcone in Batman Begins.
Posted By: matt (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 05:32 PM
mark hammel's joker get no metioned? that stinks?
Posted By: Matthew (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 06:01 PM
Cool List---
-My ONLY gripe (& I respect your opinion) is Jim Carrey as Riddler... that was God awful... but the franchise had clearly derailed before his performance....
-Catwoman TV... Ertha Kitt boiled my loins as a kid & her purr was "purrrrr"fect, but I think it's cool you added a Catwoman from the series!
-Frank Gorshin is who I think of as the Riddler, so if he is the NEXT big-screen villian, I hope the cast an actor that pulls off that class, seperates him from a "poor-man's" Joker.
-people SHIT on Jack for his portrayal of the Joker, but I saw it in the theaters & that was the 1st time Jack played "Jack x 1,000" like he does in all his later movies... so in THAT movie at THAT time, he came off as great (people at the time still thought Mr.Mom Keaton was a horrible choice) so Jack saved that movie.
-Love that you included Eckhart... his portrayal of 2-face was amazing & was the core of that movie... Heath Ledger's great Joker aside.
-Heath was awesome in his role & raised the bar for both actor & the villian the actor plays in the next movie.
-Scarecrow couldn't have been done any cooler than what was delivered in the 2 films...
-& I dug Meredith's penguin... hated when I tuned in & the penguin was the villian, but compared to Burton's vision... his stock shot up with me.
I think Patrick Stewart as Hugo Strange or Timothy Dalton as the Cavalier would be great 'minor' villians in the next film... but that's just me being a geek :-)
Harley-Quin was a cartoon girlfriend of Joker with a fan-base but has NO place in current Batman films, a'la Robin....
Posted By: theHomewrecker! (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 06:21 PM
I thought Dark Knight was a good, solid movie, but wayyyy overrated. Its no Spider-Man 2 for me.
That said, having Two Face and Joker in the top spots on the list makes total sense. They're truly fleshed out (without an actual backstory in Jokers case) and compelling. Didn't like the final fate of Two Face...pretty lackluster...but everything to build up to it was great.
I still like Nicholsons take on Joker. Hell, he seems even sicker than Legder's at times. The disfiguring of his own mistress and the Smilex stuff is pretty damn deranged and disturbing, far creepier than anything Ledger did!
Posted By: Earl (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 06:52 PM
solid list but i would think Michelle Pfeiffer should have been put in
Posted By: wylun (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 07:04 PM
Enough with this N0lan love.
TDK is mediocre. Get over it.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:56 PM
I was about to reply to this with some kind of quip, but then I realized it was just Chungles, as usual, trolling away.
Good try, though! Enough to get me to add this non-response.
Can you provide any reasons as to why you think The Dark Knight is mediocre? Seriously! I'm intrigued.
Are you evaluating this movie versus its predecessors comparatively, or versus other movies in the sub-genre all around?
Really! I'm curious. I can't figure out if people like you genuinely don't find the movie to be, at very least, well done, or if you're just being contrary because you think it makes you sound more astute or cool.
Oh, and the zero in Nolan's name? Nice touch! Really helps to emphasize *just that much more* how little you think of Christopher Nolan's Batman efforts.
Tree-mendous!
Posted By: Guest#5410 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 12:17 AM
Enough with this N0lan love.
TDK is mediocre. Get over it.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 03:56 PM
Its about heaths portrayal not the whole movie there buddy, people put in good performances in shitty movies all the time.
Posted By: Guest#5341 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 12:46 AM
Lady Eloise was the BEST Catwoman ever.
Cesar Romero wasnt "acting"
Posted By: TheR (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 01:00 AM
"assuming, of course, you include kiddie cartoons as part of the movies list.
Posted By: Guest#9104 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:26 AM"
Actually there were several Batman TAS movies Mask of the Phantasm i believe made it to cinemas so they should count
Posted By: Eh! Steve!_v2 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 03:56 AM
Don't get me wrong, loved Gorshin but hated Carrey, I concure that he was Ace Ventura in a green spandex suit. The role should have gone to Robin Williams but lets face it Joel S. screwed the franchise without the jelly!!!! No Harley Quinn???? Forshame~~~~
Posted By: Lord Keedik (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 07:12 AM
Mark Hamill as Joker. That's the only number one there can be after you've experienced his portrayal of The Joker.
Posted By: Cactus (Guest) on August 20, 2010 at 11:28 PM
assuming, of course, you include kiddie cartoons as part of the movies list.
Posted By: Guest#9104 (Guest) on August 21, 2010 at 01:26 AM
And, by "kiddie cartoons," you of course mean a show that FOX elected to air during it's prime time scheduling, due to their deeming it too dark, violent, and mature for "kiddies," right? Because animation has no legit standing as a form of on-screen entertainment... suuuuuuure.
I'm with you, Cactus!!
Posted By: jsn (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 07:55 AM
"Meredith appeared on the show more times than any other villain besides The Joker.'
then....
"Romero played the Joker from 1966 to 1968 and appeared in the show more times than anyone other than Frank Gorshin."
Whaaaaaaa?
Posted By: Guest#8205 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 10:17 AM
"Dark Knights' Two Face was not very good. His character was extremely rushed and instead of being tragic, just ended up being random. One pep-talk from Joker and he throws everything he has worked his whole life for away. Whatever."
Yeah, cuz y'know...getting his face blawn off and his girlfriend killed had nothing to do with pushing his mental state over the edge, I'm sure.
Posted By: Guest#1264 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 10:19 AM
Clearly somebody watched the Batman television series as a kid haha
Anyway I would take out Max Skreck and put Devito's Penguin in there. I would also take out Two Face(hate the character in general and the one in the movie) add Pheifer's Catwoman there.
Also I think Nicholson is severely overrated, hes a great actor but I don't like his Joker. If we count the animated series I would def add Hamil but at the least flip Caesar's Joker with Jack's
Posted By: DeafMitchell (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Nicholson's Joker was better in my opinion, but please remember that Ledger and Jack were playing two different types of Joker. It's really hard to compare them because Jack was playing a dark, humorous Joker where Ledger was playing a purely evil Joker.
Posted By: Dogpound7382 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 11:14 AM
Great list...I do wish Liam Neeson had been included, but I fully agree with #1 and #2. TDK really felt like it was Harvey Dent's film, and his story was incredibly structured and tragic. It was also one of the few times a movie version told a better origin story than the comic.
Gotta disagree on Cilian Murphy's career being "small" or relegated to supporting. He made it big as a leading figure in films like The Wind that Shakes the Barley and Breakfast on Pluto before BB, and went on to headline Red Eye afterwords. His Scarecrow made BB awesome.
Posted By: Guest#1884 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 12:11 PM
good list but u missed out on 2 things..
Danny Devito playing penguin and how can you forget Liam Neeson? his portrayal of Ra's Al Ghul was amazing
Posted By: elna9er232 (Guest) on August 22, 2010 at 09:52 PM
yeah-- catwoman from Batman Returns is missing.
Also-- on Meredith, for those curious-- he's the guy from the Twilight Zone who declares "but... but that's not fair... there was time now!"
Posted By: Guest#4703 (Guest) on August 23, 2010 at 02:23 PM
Oh and for those of you bashing the cartoons because they are cartoons...
Hamill appeared as the Joker in at least 2 animated movies. I think "Mask of the Phantasm" even had a theatrical release (not sure though).
Of course there is the UNRATED "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" which is just awesome
Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on August 23, 2010 at 02:28 PM
I BEG to differ with regard to Mr Ledger's lack of "funny" in his Joker turn. You CANT tell me you DIDNT laugh your ASS off at the "disappearing pencil" trick! Funniest thing Joker has EVER done.
Posted By: CM Wolf (Guest) on August 23, 2010 at 04:33 PM
I give props for you giving the #1-2 spots to such a "recent" pair of villains, and I TOTALLY agree with you on that. I was reading the list (without reading the blurb that says the characters/actors listed) and was all but shaking my fist at the screen for the lack of love for TDK's Harvey Dent/Two Face.
I will remind you all that we never "officially" see that Dent is dead, so everyone saying that "it's too bad that we can explore more of THAT Two Face" is a bit premature. Besides, in comics is anyone truly dead anyway??
Posted By: The Outcast Legend The Wolf (Guest) on August 26, 2010 at 07:07 AM
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