8 Great Characters DC Movies Have Completely Screwed Up

6. The Joker

Jack Nicholson's Joker is well loved, so I don't doubt for a second that including him here will upset some. However, while there's no denying the fact that the legendary actor delivered a terrific performance in Tim Burton's Batman, this was not a particularly satisfying interpretation of the iconic comic book villain. The look and origin were all fairly spot on, but the filmmaker made one huge blunder by revealing his name. Part of me can appreciate skipping The Red Hood, but knowing who The Joker is makes him a lot less interesting (a big part of why Heath Ledger's version was so compelling was because we all wanted to know where he got those scars, but were never told). Even worse than that was the decision to have Jack Napier be the one responsible for murdering Thomas and Martha Wayne; it felt forced and wholly unnecessary. Yes, the comics have often made things personal between these two, but their hatred and rivalry has never boiled down to that. The Joker is Batman's opposite and they're locked in an endless cycle until one of them dies, something Burton skipped straight to by having the Caped Crusader MURDER the villain. Nicholson's great performance has ultimately overshadowed what was a pretty disappointing take on The Joker.