10 Villains That Are More Popular Than Their Hero Counterparts

The Joker

The Clown Prince of Crime. The Harlequin of Hate. The Ace of Knaves. Whichever name you use to describe him, you know the Joker’s the yin to Batman’s yang. There’s no villain quite like him who riles up the Bat and the Internet community so vehemently (just ask Jared Leto). Every piece of news about this aficionado of purple and green just seems that much bigger than anything else.

Undoubtedly, the height of Mr. J’s popularity came when the late Heath Ledger’s performance of him in The Dark Knight earned him a posthumous Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. Not only did he steal the show in the film, but he also inspired a whole new generation of Halloween getup. He put a smile on our faces and carved out a legacy as one of the finest comic book movie villains of all-time.

Whenever the news of a Batman reboot hits the airwaves, the first question is, who’ll be the Joker? Naturally, like any good Internet conversation, it turns into insults and controversy, since he’s such a beloved character in the DC universe. The Bat is famous, but the Joker will always be infamous. He’s a different class of criminal, you know.