I actually enjoyed the first Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie. The worst parts to me were the tie ins with the DC universe.

Heath Ledger is my Joker though. I say that growing up with the Tim Burton movies and the Romero/West show.

I mean, the Phoenix movie was the first joker movie, but I get what you mean.

And I’d say they have all been good.

Ledger was amazing in the role, bringing the “agent of chaos” Joker to its ultimate form.

Keoghan barely made an appearance, but I think he carried it well.

Then there’s Leto. Controversial to be sure. But, imo, he carried the role he was hired to play. And it works, within that context. The movies themselves weren’t great (even the Snyder remix was meh, and calling that a joker movie isn’t accurate), but the joker inside those movies worked. And, I would even say it takes a batshit crazy narcissist like Leto to play the Joker that was written in the suicide squad and Harley movies.

But, I wouldn’t argue with anyone that disagreed. I’m fine with saying those movies sucked as joker movies.

Now, I don’t know if you include the animated options or not. But Mark Hamill kills in that role. Utterly brilliant voice acting.

If you go back, which I don’t think you meant since you said Nicholson was the last good joker, Romero was perfect for the era, and was in the one movie from then.

Even if you discount my opinion on Leto, and ignore the animated stuff, you’re left with Ledger and Phoenix, who both owned the character in their own way.

The first Joker was amazing. It was such an oppressive, constantly dreadful atmosphere, and I genuinely mean this, in the best way. It was like a two hour long anxiety attack that just constantly built with tension. It filled me with feelings that not many other movies, if any, have made me feel. The ending felt so thoroughly foreshadowed and then somehow it still caught me off guard, a crescendo in the making for the whole runtime of the film.

Personally, I can’t wait to go see two. The trailers have a very similar tone to the first one, and I think it’s going to be wild. Got opening night tickets, which I really never do!