Joker: Every Character Ranked Worst To Best

3. Thomas Wayne

As with the portrait of Alfred, this universe's Thomas Wayne is a different prospect to the legacy of the character that typically hangs over Batman movies. He is an instrument of corporate greed and lack of humanity, a self-appointed idol for the rich who will throttle Gotham into submission for its own good if he's elected.

But there are two Waynes here, it's important to note, and it's very much key to challenge whether this portrait of Wayne is true, or whether it is a result of what Arthur is being told to think. His mind is a vessel into which lots has been poured and it inevitably shapes how he sees people. Because we see his story through his eyes too, we see Wayne as he does.

In that respect, Brett Cullen is great. He's regal, believably detached and thoroughly detestable without really doing TOO much to earn it. And when it's required, he's also crucially sympathetic.