Every Joker Voice Actor, Ranked
The most dramatic character in all of fiction, Batman’s nemesis, the Joker has appeared in many animated movies and shows. Marvel is beleaguered for not being able to get its cinematic universe off the ground. On the other hand, DCAU influence many popular live-action superhero franchises today. In these various stories featuring the Joker, there have been ten talented voice actors as well. They have helped make him a much more effective supervillain than ever before. Here are the top five picks for the best actor to ever voice this chaotic character based on their performances as he appears across several shows and movies –
John DiMaggio
Batman: Under The Red Hood is one of the best animated Batman movies in existence. This 2008 film received a lot of praise across the board due to its unique interpretation of some classic characters and situations. One of the fan’s favorite characters from this film is the Joker, voiced by DiMaggio. This portrayal of one of Batman’s greatest adversaries is extremely different when compared to most other portrayals of the character. Typically, this maniacal clown has a high-pitched voice and possesses a certain level of charisma but DiMaggio’s Joker is much more menacing and deeply disturbing.
Michael Emerson
The Dark Knight Returns is one of the greatest comic books of all time. Many have tried to make the profane, dark, and terrifying tale into a film, but it has never been done quite as well. Producer Jon Bewley must be given credit for taking another stab at the project under his watch. It wouldn’t hurt though to find someone else to voice The Joker especially since his usual voice performer (Michael Emerson) had so much more range to offer that could add a completely different kind of energy to the role.
Mark Hamill
There’s no doubt that Mark Hamill was going to be on the top of this list. Throughout the last several decades, Mark Hamill has helped redefine one of pop culture’s greatest and most iconic supervillains – The Joker. Hamill described voicing The Joker’s laugh as an instrument. In fact, he performed dozens of them in his recordings. These laughs helped illustrate the villain’s many moods, such as madness and depression. That was really brilliant!
Kevin Michael Richardson
Following the cancelation of the DCAU shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series in the 1990s, there was a growing need for a new animated DC show. That’s when the makers aired The Batman. Kevin Conroy reprised his role from Batman: TAS as Batman and Mark Hamill resumed his role as Joker. Richardson’s performance of Joker turned out to be more energetic than all of his counterparts as he bounced off of walls and ran around throughout many scenes. This energy was brought by Richardson’s strong performance paired with his fantastic voice.
Troy Baker
Baker got his first shot at playing the Joker in the video game Batman: Arkham Origins. But has since gone on to play the villain in several other television shows, animated films, and video games. His most notable work can be found in the series of prequels to the Batman: Arkham series of games as well as in the title Batman: Arkham Assault. In this role, Baker made use of several different elements taken from past portrayals of the character. He then combined these aspects into a terrifyingly original performance that really lets players know why he’s been so celebrated in previous titles such as BioShock Infinite and Fallout 4.
