As of November 2, 2026, leads with 83% of head-to-head picks across 11 votes.
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Early results after 11 picks. They settle as more people vote.
- 14 picks83%
- 24 picks67%
- 34 picks50%
- 43 picks40%
- 54 picks33%
- 63 picks20%
The case for each
Heath Ledger
His Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) won a posthumous Oscar and is often called the greatest villain performance ever.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joker (2019) won him the Oscar for best actor and became the first R-rated film to pass a billion dollars.
Jack Nicholson
Tim Burton's Batman (1989) made the Joker a gangster showman, and Nicholson got top billing over Batman himself.
Mark Hamill
The voice of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and the Arkham games, for many the definitive one.
Jared Leto
Suicide Squad (2016): a tattooed, gangster Joker that split fans down the middle.
Cesar Romero
The 1960s TV series' giggling prankster, who famously painted over his moustache rather than shave it.