10 Best Joker Movie Moments

3. You Can Call Me... Joker! (Batman 1989)

Jack Nicholson Joker
Warner Bros.

Nicholson's Joker was genuinely funny throughout Burton's Batman, but he never lost that dangerous, murderous edge that's so vital for the character to have. This is shown perfectly in the early stages of the movie, with the introduction of The Joker in truly spectacular fashion.

The Clown Prince, entering the office of his soon-to-be-victim, gleefully fires off bullet after bullet, dancing around to the tune of an orchestral circus beat. Upon emptying the gun with numerous trick-shots - at one point, he turns away from his victim and fires the gun blind - The Joker spreads his arms wide and looks around the room, celebrating his own arrival. Why wouldn't he?

There aren't many villains - or many characters in general - that would celebrate a murder in such a hilarious fashion. This scene plays like a comedy skit, but it completely nailed The Joker's psyche - he's happy when he's murdering and killing.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!