Three films, three actors, one Joker5 reading minutes

From Tim Burton's Batman (1989), with Jack Nicholson as the madcap Joker, to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight (2008), which shows us a more playful and calculating Joker played by Heath Ledger, we arrive at Todd Phillips' Joker (2019), which focuses on the figure of the clown who's more lost and marginal than mad, driven by the virtuoso acting of Joaquin Phoenix. Three films, three actors, one Joker. To be discovered, explored and perhaps understood. His frozen smile, uncontrollable laughter and fantasies say a lot about our society. Just as they say a lot about human psychology. About each and every one of us.

A Joker, yes, but with different pasts. Different reactions. Different actions. And yet. The three Jokers stand out, without becoming radically distinct characters. In a way, they complement each other. Because their respective madness is brought to life by paths that veer off course.