6. The Joker
Retarded: Again, liable to have its fans, but I've never been a huge fan of Jack Nicholson's take on The Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman flick. Sure, Nicholson is great at playing unhinged psychopaths - and as many joke, it seems like he's basically playing himself in these sorts of roles - but Burton's goofy take on the character, in making him prance around, dancing to Prince, was just too corny and theatrical for my liking, especially after having tasted Heath Ledger's 2008 portrayal. Also, the decision to make The Joker the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents was testament enough that Burton didn't really care about being reverent to the comic books.
Reimagined: Heath Ledger gives as immaculate a portrayal of a movie villain as we're ever likely to see, turning Nicholson's campy portrayal on its head and making of the joker a sick, psychopathic terrorist without remorse, compassion or dancing skills. Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his sublime work on the film, helping to legitimise the superhero movie as firmly broached between entertainment and "art" (why can a film not be both?), while giving the actors in these movies an extra brass ring to grasp for.