Every Joker’s First Look Movie Image (& What They Revealed)

The Joker is no doubt one of the most popular supervillains to ever exist, and each reveal of his appearance in a movie has long been an event. Of all the superheroes in the worlds of Marvel and DC, Batman arguably possesses the best line-up of fearsome foes. Gotham City has been menaced by so many different memorable baddies that there’s never a shortage of characters to lock inside Arkham Asylum at any one time. It’s also why FOX’s Gotham TV show focused almost as much on the villains as it did Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon.

Of Batman’s expansive rogues’ gallery though, easily the most famous is the Clown Prince of Crime, indisputably the Caped Crusader’s arch nemesis. There have been many iterations of The Joker over the decades since the character was created in the 1940s, on the pages of DC Comics, in movies, on TV, and via animation. The Joker is, so far anyway, the first Batman villain to be deemed so beloved that he even got to headline his own movie in 2019.

When news broke awhile back that Jared Leto’s Joker would be appearing in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, there was naturally a lot of interest from fans, even despite the divisive nature of his version in Suicide Squad. This fervor only increased upon the reveal of a recent first image of Leto’s new look. With that in mind, here are all the first look Joker images released from movies to date, what they revealed, and how fans reacted to them.

Jack Nicholson’s Joker (Batman 1989)

Unlike later Joker castings, there really wasn’t much doubt that Jack Nicholson, who by the late 1980s was already a legendary actor, could do justice to the character. In fact, Nicholson had been a popular fan casting as The Joker for years, and had also been a favorite pick of Warner Bros. executives since before they even hired Tim Burton to direct. In the days before the internet, the above first look image of Nicholson’s Joker was revealed in a 1989 issue of Time Magazine, alongside the first look at Michael Keaton’s Batman.

One wonders what the reaction might’ve been if social media had existed back then, but the only real issues some fans seemed to have with Nicholson’s Joker was the actor being a bit on the old side by then, and that he seemed a bit out of shape. As for what the image revealed, the fact that Joker has a permanent grin etched into his face is on full display, a stark contrast to the painted-on smile of Cesar Romero’s TV Joker, the most recent screen version. At the same time, while Nicholson’s Joker looks more evil and psychotic than Romero’s, the loud colors and patterns he sported gave potential viewers a clue that Burton’s Batman wouldn’t be taking the fun out of the character.

Heath Ledger’s Joker (The Dark Knight)

Unlike Jack Nicholson, many people doubted the casting of Heath Ledger as The Dark Knight‘s Joker. Ledger hadn’t really played a villain in a major movie before that, and was probably best known for the dramatic cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain at that time. Of course, the late Ledger would go on to prove the doubters wrong, and turn in an Oscar-winning Joker performance some believe can never be topped.

The above first look image was revealed to fans as part of a viral marketing campaign in the months leading up to The Dark Knight‘s release, and while some didn’t care for Joker’s new look, others found themselves wondering if they’d been wrong to doubt Ledger’s casting. The image revealed that Ledger’s Joker would be far darker and grittier than that of Nicholson, and looked more like a serial killer than a playful clown. The messy make-up also looks like something Joker could’ve thrown on himself, unlike the more polished and even look of Nicholson’s white face. The change from Joker having a permanent grin to simply huge scars on his cheeks also drew plenty of attention, both positive and negative.

Jared Leto’s Joker (Suicide Squad)

After Ledger’s commanding performance as The Joker, when fellow method actor Jared Leto was cast in Suicide Squad, many fans chose to remain optimistic that a similar excellent turn would result. Then, in 2015, director David Ayer revealed the above first look image on Twitter, and to say there was backlash from fans would be a massive understatement.

While Leto’s Joker portrayal certainly does have its fans, his new look for the character turned many, many people off immediately. Most notably controversial were Joker’s large amount of tattoos, especially the infamous “damaged” on his forehead. The gaudy jewelry, metal teeth, and the fact that his entire body appeared to be the same stark white color as the traditional Joker make-up also didn’t sit well either. Many dubbed this look the Hot Topic version of Joker, and as seen in the film, it’s certainly far from any other screen version before or since.

Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

When it was first announced that Todd Phillips, still best known for his comedies, would direct a standalone DC origin movie for The Joker, many fans were skeptical of the prospect. That changed, however, when acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix was cast in the title role. Sure enough, Phoenix went on to give Ledger a run for his money as best movie Joker, and also won an Oscar for his work.

The above first looks at Phoenix’s dueling identities in Joker were provided on social media by director Phillips. In a move illustrating the fact that Joker was a character study of a man pushed too far, the image of Phoenix as Arthur Fleck was released first, with the image of him in full Joker make-up coming a few days later. These collectively revealed the contrast between Arthur’s rather meek and unassuming original nature, and the utter confidence and glee he feels when transformed into Joker. The long, wild hair sported by Phoenix’s Joker was on full display as well, much different from Joker’s usual slicked back hairstyle, but closer to Ledger’s mid-length curly cut. Joker’s hair and clothing also has a distinctly late 1970s/early 1980s vibe to it, fitting the movie’s setting.

Jared Leto’s Joker (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

Shared recently by director Zack Snyder, the above image gave fans a first look at Jared Leto’s new Joker appearance in the Snyder Cut of Justice League. While its blurry filter doesn’t reveal much, the presence of that particular Joker card serves to reaffirm the fact that Joker is said to be part of the expanded Knightmare sequence. The aspect of Leto’s new look that fans have been most vocal about though is what appears to be longer hair, which some have likened to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker look. Overall though, the reaction has been positive. Thankfully, fans will only have to wait until March 18, 2021 to see exactly what Snyder changed about Leto’s Joker, and what he kept intact.

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