Joker fans have it good right now. Two of the most talented actors in Hollywood are currently playing the Clown Prince of Crime: Joaquin Phoenix scored a Best Actor Oscar for Arthur Fleck in Joker, with Barry Keoghan set to bring a whole new energy to the character in The Batman – Part II.
Could there be room for just one more Jester of Genocide? After all, both Phoenix and Keoghan’s Jokers are in Elseworlds projects, and with Jared Leto unlikely to reprise the role in the DCU proper, there’s a vacated purple suit and acid-filled squirty flower out there waiting for yet another top actor.
With that in mind, DC fans think they’ve found their man: House of the Dragon‘s Aemond Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell:
Mitchell turned heads last year as Aemond, but has also brought unpredictable energy in parts in The Last Kingdom, World on Fire, and The Halcyon. Fans are very much on board:
Could we ever get an actually funny Joker in line with Mark Hamill’s iconic Batman: The Animated Series take:
But he’s so much fun as Aemond, we also worry he’d be spread too thinly:
Joker fatigue also appears to be setting in:
Right now, the future of the DCU Batman is a little hazy. Ben Affleck will reprise the role in The Flash (and potentially also in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), but beyond that it’s likely James Gunn will eventually introduce a new Dark Knight as the core DCU version of the character.
That may be a way off yet, as Warner Bros. will want to keep the focus on Robert Pattinson in The Batman sequels. Whenever there’s a Batman, a Joker won’t be far behind, so watch this space.