As far as comic book characters — let alone villains — go, The Joker has been given some of the most iconic representations on screens both big and small. There are Oscar winners like Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, of course, and who can forget the over-the-top turns from Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero? And then there is Mark Hamill, who brought such personality to the Clown Prince of Crime that he almost feels unmatched in his own way. But of course, there is no Joker without Batman — except, you might not expect which Batman inspired Mark Hamill.
We all know that Michael Keaton was a bit of an odd choice to play Bruce Wayne aka Batman, but it was that casting that helped originate Mark Hamill when it came time to audition for The Joker. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, “It was right after they announced that Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, and the fan community freaked out, ‘Oh, he’s Mr. Mom. He’s a comic actor.’ So even though I really wanted the part, I thought, ‘If they freaked out about Mr. Mom being Batman, how are they going to feel about Luke Skywalker being the Joker? There’s no way I’m going to get this!’ And because I believed that, I was completely calm and relaxed. I just let it rip. I drove out of the parking lot really cocky: ‘Top that, try to find a better Joker than that.’ People didn’t even believe it was me. They thought it was treated or sped up or who knows what. But it was a fundamental reason I got so many interesting roles in voiceover.”
Starting with 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Mark Hamill would go on to play The Joker in various TV shows, DTV fare, video games, shorts, and more. And it’s through such projects — however good or bad — that make him one of the best to ever do it.
But will Mark Hamill ever reprise The Joker? It really hasn’t been that long, but considering how many times he has voiced Gotham’s greatest villain, a lot of fans are hoping he does. But now that one of his driving forces, Kevin Conroy — who voiced Bruce Wayne / Batman numerous times opposite Hamill — is dead, that may have sealed it. “When they’d asked [about a new project], ‘Do you want to do the Joker?’ My only question was, ‘Is Kevin doing Batman?’ If he’s in, I don’t even have to read it. I don’t know whether they’ve tried to get me back, but my agent would know. But not to my knowledge. It’s like with Star Wars. You complete a role, you do your best, and when it’s over, you let it go.”
Where would you place Mark Hamill in the list of greatest Joker portrayers ever? Give us your ranking below!