15 Bravest Creative Decisions In Comic Book Movie History

2. Heath Ledger As The Joker - The Dark Knight

Much like when Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, the vitriol surrounding Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker for The Dark Knight cannot be exaggerated. The collective consciousness that is the Internet came out in full force, unable to believe that a pretty-boy actor known for starring in comedies and dramas could pull off something as savagely grotesque as the Clown Prince of Crime. Did It Work? Needless to say, those Internet commentators all felt mightily stupid once the first trailer for The Dark Knight was released, and a virtually unrecognisable Ledger soon enough became the movie's major talking point. His untimely death a few months later naturally coloured the movie and his performance in particular in a totally different light, but Ledger was almost universally singled out as the greatest aspect of the film, even becoming the first actor in a superhero movie to win an Academy Award for his work. In addition, Ledger has set an intimidating benchmark for The Joker that few actors will want to attempt to top. What do we learn from this? No matter how sure you are that an actor is wrong for a part, they all have the ability to surprise us, and along with fantastic make-up and an awesome wardrobe, can transform themselves beyond anything we'd ever dreamed of.