Quick answer
The Joker appears in 8 live-action films and 11 animated films. The live-action list starts with Batman (1966) and ends with Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). Five actors play the role in live action: Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix. Barry Keoghan plays an unseen Joker in The Batman (2022).
Animated films add more credits. Mark Hamill voices the Joker in three films on this list. Other voice actors include John DiMaggio, Michael Emerson, Troy Baker, Zach Galifianakis, and Jason Spisak.
Live-action Joker films
- Batman (1966): Cesar Romero
- Batman (1989): Jack Nicholson
- The Dark Knight (2008): Heath Ledger
- Suicide Squad (2016): Jared Leto
- Joker (2019): Joaquin Phoenix
- Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021): Jared Leto
- The Batman (2022): Barry Keoghan, cameo with face not shown
- Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): Joaquin Phoenix
The 1989 film is a Batman story with Joker as the main villain. The Dark Knight (2008) is a Batman story with Joker as the main villain. Joker (2019) is a standalone origin story. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) is a sequel to Joker (2019).
What Is the Joker's Origin Story? A Straight Answer
Animated Joker films
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993): Mark Hamill
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000): Mark Hamill
- Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010): John DiMaggio
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013): Michael Emerson
- Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014): Troy Baker
- Batman: The Killing Joke (2016): Mark Hamill
- The Lego Batman Movie (2017): Zach Galifianakis
- Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)
- Batman: Hush (2019): Jason Spisak
- Batman: Death in the Family (2020): John DiMaggio
- Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021): Troy Baker
Some animated films use Joker as the main villain. Others use him in one scene. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) adapts a comic with Joker as the central figure. The Lego Batman Movie (2017) uses Joker as the main villain in a comedy format.
Films with no Joker
Batman Begins (2005) names the Joker but does not show him. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) has no Joker. Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) have no Joker. Justice League (2017) has no Joker. The 2021 Zack Snyder cut adds a Jared Leto scene.
Count notes
Counts vary by source. Some lists include deleted scenes. Some lists include TV movies. This list uses theatrical and direct-to-video films. It does not count video games, TV series, or comic books.