Since arriving in the pages of DC Comics back in 1940, the Joker has been brought to life on screen by such names asCesar Romero,Jack Nicholson, andHeath Ledger. Those performances are considered classics by fans the world over. Relative newcomers to the role includeJared Leto’s “damaged” portrayal andJoaquin Phoenix’s tortured iteration in the feature filmJoker; time will tell how their versions of the Clown Prince of Crime are received. But for many, the voice of the Joker that plays in their heads when reading comics belongs to the one and onlyMark HamillofBatman: The Animated Seriesfame.
Hamill, known for his leading role in theStar Warssaga before the debut ofB:TAS, made the Joker his own under the voice direction ofAndrea Romano. He brought a now-iconic sound (and laugh) to the character, one that has enjoyed nearly two decades of TV shows, spinoffs, feature films, and video games. But we wanted to revisit the character’s best moments from the original series that started it all. Those moments feature the first-ever appearance of beloved sidekick/love interest Harley Quinn, plenty of glimpses into the Joker’s fragile psyche, and some of the most insane(ly fun) schemes ever cooked up by the Ace of Knaves. We’ve gathered up all of the appearances of the Joker fromBatman: The Animated Seriesbelow (plus a little more for bonus content and honorable mentions) to rank them from worst to best. Enjoy!
Honorable Mentions: ‘The New Batman Adventures’
Let’s spare a moment to talk aboutThe New Batman Adventures, shall we? This animated series followed up onBatman: The Animated Seriesand arrived beforeBatman Beyond. But it came with a pretty drastic redesign for all of the characters involved, notably the supervillains. It wasn’t the first time that fans reacted to a more cartoonish take on DC Comics characters and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, butTNBAdeserves at least an Honorable Mention for these Joker (and Joker-adjacent) moments:
“Beware the Creeper” – Episode 23
“Joker’s Millions” – Episode 7
“Mad Love” – Episode 24
“Old Wounds” – Episode 18
Honorable Mention: ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’
Another Honorable Mention must be made for Joker’s part to play in theB:TASfeature filmBatman: Mask of the Phantasm. This masterful work that actually got a theatrical release (which made 10-year-old me very happy that Christmas) and a relatively dark noir crime story to go with it. Essentially, Batman tracks down a new vigilante in Gotham just as Bruce Wayne is faced with the recent re-appearance of an old flame. (Coincidence?) The Joker factors into both the past and present problems facing the Caped Crusader in a story revealing a peek at the supervillain’s life before taking on his Joker persona. But it’s the knock-down, drag-out, and surprisingly bloody and brutal fight between Batman and the Joker (and the title menace) that makes this movie one of the best big-screen moments for the supervillain.
13) “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne” – Season 1, Episode 29
While there were technically 14 appearances of the Joker throughout the run ofBatman: The Animated Series, one of those–“Fear of Victory” Season 1, Episode 19–only features the character in his cell at Arkham, laughing and commenting on the goings on that have nothing to do with him. Hamill still got a laugh or two in, proving that even in a bit part, the Joker is a scene-stealer.
So with that mention out of the way, we turn to “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne.” Known more for introducing the first (and only) appearance of Hugo Strange in the series, the Joker is somewhat of a background player in this episode. The plot centers on the not-so-good doctor’s discovery of Batman’s identity and his attempt to sell that prized information to the highest bidder. Too bad that Batman and his alter ego of Bruce Wayne are too smart for Strange whether his secret identity is exposed or not. But this is one of three ensemble stories that sees the Joker playing a role but not pulling the strings. So for that reason only, it’s last on the list of the charismatic character’s moments inB:TAS.
12) “Almost Got ‘im” – Season 1, Episode 3512)
This is one of my all-time favorite episodes of the series, but when it comes to Joker, it’s not among his best. Though a part of the criminal gang here, this episode is another example of a fantastic Rogues Gallery and less of a Joker-centric story. The plot centers on a group of familiar super villains who gather to play cards and tell tall tales about the times they almost killed (or at least unmasked) Batman. This fantastic framing tale reveals a somewhat hidden conflict late in the episode. It’s just not a Joker-centric story. Itdoeshowever feature a great final plot punch from Joker and Harley Quinn, which is what Batman (in disguise) needed to figure out in order to rescue a kidnapped (catnapped?) Catwoman.
11) “Trial” – Season 2, Episode 4
Another group effort, this episode features the most villains in one story, led by the Joker as self-appointed judge. That’s great enough on its own merit. However, the episode is much more about the exploration of vigilantism told through the eyes of an anti-Batman lawyer who is forced to defend him (and save herself in the process) to a jury of criminals. The Joker gets to lead the Rogues Gallery in a crazy episode that’s the best of the bunch when it comes to villainous ensembles.
10) “Harlequinade” – Season 2, Episode 5
Now we’re getting into the Joker focus a bit more … after a brief stop in Harley Town. The next few episodes are ranked here because they focus more on Harley Quinn than Mister J. That’s not a bad thing, just not the aim of our ranking. But as far as firepower is concerned, it doesn’t get much bigger than this episode since Joker gets his hands on an atomic bomb which he uses to hold Gotham ransom.
Batman and Robin temporarily team up with Harley Quinn (to hilarious results) to track him down and prevent nuclear destruction, though it’s not an easy partnership. This episode also features Harley’s hyenas and the Joker flying a bomb-dropping biplane, so he earns high-flying style points for that at the very least.
9) “Harley and Ivy” – Season 1, Episode 47
Though a fantasticThelma and Louiseriff, this episode is obviously more about the title duo than the Clown Prince of Crime. It does, however, reveal Joker’s mercurial nature, one that results in him kicking Harley out of his gang, for a time. Ultimately, the “Queens of Crime” prove to be much more successful than he’s ever been which obviously does not sit too well with his fragile ego. Pointedly, “No man can stop them,” so it’s Renee Montoya who ultimately arrests them and lands the supervillainous duo back Arkham. Even there, however, Harley still has hope for patching up her relationship with Mister J, much to Poison Ivy’s displeasure.
8) “The Man Who Killed Batman” – Season 1, Episode 49
Now were at the Joker-centric episodes, right? Well, not exactly. First we have to give some props to Sid the Squid. “Who?” you ask, incredulously. Exactly.
Batman isn’t really the main feature in this episode but rather the newly created character of minor mobster Sidney Debris, a bumbling little nobody who somehow manages to “kill” Batman. Word of his incredible achievement spreads throughout the criminal underground, from mob bosses to supervillains. Eventually, the Joker takes Sid the Squid along on his heists to see if Batman is really dead, expecting his nemesis to show up and stop his crime… but he never does. It’s ultimately revealed that Batman was laying low and following Sid’s misadventures in order to get to the root of a drug ring. Batman eventually nabs Sid and sends him to prison, but the man’s totally coincidental reputation formed by almost killing Batman, making the Joker look like a fool, and even busting Rupert Thorne makes life there rather easy for him.
7) “Be a Clown” – Season 1, Episode 11
At long last, we’ve reached the Joker episodes in earnest. These seven gems see the insane clown and his posse carrying out all sorts of wacky antics and schemes, making these the best of the bunch.
This episode offers a great peek into the damaged psyche of the Joker. He is so insulted by a comparison to Batman, made by the mayor, that he impersonates another clown in order to bomb the birthday part of the mayor’s son, Jordan Hill. While that doesn’t go to plan, young Jordan sneaks away with the disguised Joker in order to learn how to become a clown and magician himself while getting out from under his father’s oppressive rules. Jordan soon becomes an unwitting pawn in Joker’s plan to capture and kill Batman in a series of deadly traps in a rather fitting amusement park setting.
It also gave us the gift of the batman-thumbs-up.GIF
6) “Joker’s Wild” – Season 1, Episode 42
Not to be confused with this NSFW version ofThe Joker’s Wild, this story features another great example of the Joker’s easily disturbed ego. When businessman Cameron Kaiser co-opts the Joker’s likeness to open a new casino, the Joker takes umbrage … and revenge. But it turns out that the casino is a scam; the owner intended to enrage the Joker so that the madman would destroy the casino, allowing Kaiser to cash in on the insurance payout and wipe out his debt. As you might expect, Batman sees to it that both criminals are put in jail, but “Joker’s Wild” is one of many instances in which the unstable Joker is easily goaded into doing crimes.
