Jack Nicholson's Joker voted best
comic book movie villain of all time
comic book movie villain of all time
Jack Nicholson’s 1989 portrayal of The Joker has been voted the best-ever film version of a comic book villain, according to a survey. He narrowly beat out Heath Ledger’s acclaimed 2008 depiction of the same character to claim the top spot, with Batman characters dominating the list. Nicholson’s twisted turn as Batman’s infamous nemesis was selected by 23% of the population, just ahead of Heath Ledger’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’. Danny DeVito’s demented rendition of The Penguin in 1992’s 'Batman Returns' came in 3rd place in the poll.
Greg Brown, who commissioned the study, said: “It seems the Batman series is best when it comes to memorable villains. And it’s little wonder, when you have performances as iconic as those of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, which have gone down in cinema history.” He added, “Heath Ledger’s tragic death in 2008 - the same year his Joker appeared in The Dark Knight - has cemented his place in comic book villain lore.”
The top five best ever comic book-to-movie villains also included Gene Hackman as Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor, and Tom Hiddlestone’s mischievous Loki, who went up against a gallery of iconic heroes in 2012’s The Avengers.
In the same survey, the overwhelming majority also voted for the worst ever comic-to-movie bad guy who totally sucked in the role. That dubious honour went to Arnold Schwarzenegger for his appearance as Mr. Freeze in 1997’s Batman & Robin. His performance was littered with cheesy ice-based catchphrases like: “Allow me to break the ice” and “Chill out!”
One in three comic book fans think a truly great comic-movie bad guy has to be sympathetic, making you almost want to root for them despite their evil deeds. 25% of fans polled think a chilling evil laugh is the most important way to make your mark as a top screen villain. Three times as many people find comic book movies’ bad guys to be more interesting than the heroes of the film.
Some of the top reasons for this include the fact they say and do things that most people never would, they have interesting back stories, and they are totally unafraid to break the rules. One in four fans believe there are too many superhero movies being released at the moment, and on average they’ve seen a whopping nine per person.
Greg Brown, who commissioned the study, said: “It seems the Batman series is best when it comes to memorable villains. And it’s little wonder, when you have performances as iconic as those of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, which have gone down in cinema history.” He added, “Heath Ledger’s tragic death in 2008 - the same year his Joker appeared in The Dark Knight - has cemented his place in comic book villain lore.”
The top five best ever comic book-to-movie villains also included Gene Hackman as Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor, and Tom Hiddlestone’s mischievous Loki, who went up against a gallery of iconic heroes in 2012’s The Avengers.
Top 10 best comic book-to-movie villains:
| 1. |
Jack Nicholson |
The Joker |
| 2. |
Heath Ledger |
The Joker |
| 3. |
Danny DeVito |
The Penguin |
| 4. |
Gene Hackman |
Lex Luthor |
| 5. |
Tom Hiddlestone |
Loki |
| 6. |
Michelle Pfeiffer |
Catwoman |
| 7. |
Margot Robbie |
Harley Quinn |
| 8. |
Ian McKellen |
Magneto |
| 9. |
Tom Hardy |
Bane |
| 10. |
Terence Stamp |
General Zod |
In the same survey, the overwhelming majority also voted for the worst ever comic-to-movie bad guy who totally sucked in the role. That dubious honour went to Arnold Schwarzenegger for his appearance as Mr. Freeze in 1997’s Batman & Robin. His performance was littered with cheesy ice-based catchphrases like: “Allow me to break the ice” and “Chill out!”
Top 10 worst comic book-to-movie villains:
| 1. |
Arnold Schwarzenegger |
Mr. Freeze |
| 2. |
Sharon Stone |
Catwoman |
| 3. |
Robert Swenson |
Bane |
| 4. |
Topher Grace |
Venom |
| 5. |
Alain Chanoine |
Incubus |
| 6. |
Jon Cryer |
Lenny Luthor |
| 7. |
Peter Sarsgaard |
Hector Hammond |
| 8. |
Paul Giamatti |
Rhino |
| 9. |
Samuel L. Jackson |
The Octopus |
| 10. |
Colin Farrell |
Bullseye |
One in three comic book fans think a truly great comic-movie bad guy has to be sympathetic, making you almost want to root for them despite their evil deeds. 25% of fans polled think a chilling evil laugh is the most important way to make your mark as a top screen villain. Three times as many people find comic book movies’ bad guys to be more interesting than the heroes of the film.
Some of the top reasons for this include the fact they say and do things that most people never would, they have interesting back stories, and they are totally unafraid to break the rules. One in four fans believe there are too many superhero movies being released at the moment, and on average they’ve seen a whopping nine per person.
