4. The Joker - The Dark Knight (2008)
"Wanna know how I got these scars?" If you read any review of The Dark Knight, a huge chunk of it will be dedicated to Heath Ledger's performance. Cynical people will say this is merely because he died before the film's release, but that is plainly untrue, and one need only see how little Cristian Bale's performance was mentioned in initial reviews. Ledger blew the Dark Knight out of the water, offering the kind of performance that not only counter-balanced one of the most enduring heroes of the cinematic age, but also wiping out the first, supposedly definitive performance in the role by Jack Nicholson. The Joker is of course supposed to upstage Batman as part of the villainous role but, you actually miss him when he isn't on-screen. Ledger's Joker channels the spirit of the source, as well as multiple maniacal screen villains, stealing the show entirely, and leaving an imprint that makes the tragedy of the actor's death even more profound. As a final mark of the role's success, without him, more focus turned to Cristian Bale's performance in The Dark Knight Rises, and there was far more negative critical response than came with its predecessor. Without Ledger disstracting, Bale's performance (as Batman, not Bruce Wayne) looked more cartoonish, without the correct balance. It's unlikely there will be another portrayal of the Joker in the next 20 years simply because no one thinks, or wants to think, they can do better.