With Suicide Squad now available to the general public, it’s time to answer the pressing question of how Jared Leto’s joker stacks up against the rest.

The Joker is, perhaps, Batman’s most infamous nemesis, and he has been portrayed countless times both on the big screen and the small, and in live-action and animated adaptations.

The Joker’s bright costume and colorful personality allows for actors to really go all the way when highlighting the villain’s eccentricities, and each person’s interpretation of his quirks and motivations means we see a different side of the character each time he’s portrayed.

Aside from Jared Leto’s latest interpretation, there have been three main live-action versions of the Joker, including Cesar Romero in Batman (1966), Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008).

On the animated side, Mark Hamill’s Joker is perhaps the best known, having voiced him in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) (and briefly lending his talents to the doomed Birds of Prey television show). He’ll also be reprising his role in 2017’s The Killing Joke. Other Joker voice actors include Kevin Michael Richardson in The Batman (2004), Jeff Bennett in Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008), John DiMaggio in Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Brent Spiner in Young Justice (2011), and Michael Emerson in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012).

There have been several video game incarnations of the Joker as well (Steve Blum in Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008) and Troy Baker in Arkham: Origins (2013)), but I’ll be sticking with television and film for this article.

If you’re not familiar with each Joker portrayal, I’ll give you a breakdown below. Or, if you’ve seen all the Jokers in action already, you can skip ahead to our poll, which allows you to both upvote and downvote the Jokers. Will your favorite one make it to the top?

If you’ve seen Suicide Squad, also be sure to let us know what you think of Jared Leto’s interpretation!

‘Batman’ (1966) — Cesar Romero

This version of the Joker matches perfectly with the tone of the 1960s-era Batman series, in that he’s not too sinister and comes fully-loaded with plenty of terrible jokes. His costume is brighter than many of the other incarnations, and this just lends itself to the campy nature of the show.

Cesar Romero’s version is almost fun in nature. He’s more of a jokester than a criminal, but if he can get a couple bucks out of it, he’ll rob any old museum. This Joker doesn’t feel threatening in the slightest, and there’s a strange sort of back-and-forth camaraderie between him and Batman where they spend all their time trying to outwit one another, knowing that in the end they’ll both be there to face each other another day.

‘Batman’ (1989) — Jack Nicholson

The Joker in Batman (1989) walks the line between a practical joker and a sinister adversary. He spouts terrible puns, has a flower pinned to his lapel that squirts acid, and there’s even a musical interlude where he dances around and destroys a bunch of priceless paintings with his goonies.

But on the flip side, he’s murdered in cold blood even before he was the Joker, he attempts to poison all of Gotham, and his plans for Vicki Vale don’t exactly include a house on the ocean and nighttime strolls along the beach. He is the perfect ’80s Joker, in that he’s completely over-the-top, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous.

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992) — Mark Hamill

This version of the infamous miscreant is surprisingly evil. Yes, this is a cartoon, so it’s not like they can show him blowing up the residents of Gotham, but it also doesn’t mean they won’t show him trying to do just that each and every week.

Joker is still a prankster, but instead of using his toys to make Batman look stupid, he uses sticks of dynamite in an attempt to blow up a kid’s birthday party. He wants the last laugh, but he’s still subject to angry outbursts. Attempted kidnapping and brainwashing make him more than just a mischievous adversary, and Mark Hamill’s laugh only adds to the character’s ominous nature.

‘The Batman’ (2004) — Kevin Michael Richardson

The styling of this series is quite different from many of the other incarnations of both Batman and Joker that we’ve seen. As for the notorious villain, he’s done up like a true madman with wild hair, red eyes, and a grin that defies even the laws of cartoon physics. He’s got an Oogie Boogie sort of air to him that draws you in despite your repulsion.

Whether you like the show or not, you have to admit that this version of the Joker is downright terrifying. As with many of the other Jokers, they make his trickster tendencies nefarious enough that he seems threatening to both the regular citizens of Gotham as well as Batman himself. But what this Joker does better than most is really play up his insanity. There’s no doubt that he, as the Joker himself so bluntly puts it, isn’t playing with a full deck.

‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ (2008) — Jeff Bennett

The portrayal of Joker in this series is one of the most interesting ones, in that he’s almost painted as an anti-hero at times. He’s surprisingly rational given he’s supposed to be insane, and he does have hopes and dreams in that he relishes in being a crime boss who covets power, respect, and the notoriety of being Gotham’s most infamous costumed villain.

What I find interesting here is that Joker sometimes works with Batman, while at other times the roles almost feel reversed in that Joker may be the hero of the story while Batman is his arch-nemesis. Yes, Joker is crazy, but he’s still a person. At the end of the day, he’ll choose crime each and every time, but it doesn’t mean he won’t have some doubts along the way.

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008) — Heath Ledger

It will come as no surprise if this particular version of the Joker ends up making it to the top of the favorites list. Heath Ledger’s portrayal is undoubtedly one of the most nuanced and realistic we’ve ever seen. The dark palate DC movies tend to adopt does mute the tones of his costume and his personality, but it doesn’t take away the very thing that makes the Joker what he is.

In Dark Knight, the Joker is the psychopath you’d expect him to be, but the best part about this iteration of the DC villain is his complete lack of rationale. He isn’t out for revenge or money; he’s out to watch the world burn. A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous man indeed, and the Joker is the most dangerous kind of all.

‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’ (2010) — John DiMaggio

Though the Joker is a prominent feature in this animated movie, he’s merely a catalyst for the main battle between Batman and the mysterious Red Hood, only finding himself out of custody for a few minutes between jail time and his later kidnapping by the film’s villain.

I found this version of the Joker to be quite flat in comparison to many of the others. His backstory was closely tied to Batman’s, but it was overshadowed by the Red Hood’s own history with our hero. He seemed less dangerous, less insane, and less sporadic than many of the other incarnations, and I couldn’t really bring myself to love him or hate him.

‘Young Justice’ (2010) — Brent Spiner

Joker’s single episode stint on this beloved series didn’t do much to add to the Joker lore. Spiner’s voice acting is well and good, but the character’s personality just doesn’t shine through as vividly as many of his other incarnations. If you’re going to do Joker, it’s better to be over-the-top than underwhelming.

The animation for the Joker is all hard angles and dark colors, which would normally be fine if his movements matched Spiner’s loud interpretation. The laughing, the puns, and the insane machinations are all there in his voice, but his mouth barely moves and his face remains stony most of the time. This isn’t a bad Joker — just a forgettable one.

‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ (2012) — Michael Emerson

Aesthetically speaking, this Joker is simply a pale imitation of his other counterparts. His white suit blends in with his white face, and his light hair and lips don’t do much to distinguish his features. The Joker’s appearance is meant to be reminiscent of a clown, but Dark Knight Returns throws that all away in order to bring us a version of the character that we can recognize, but only just.

Emerson’s voice acting in this case is surprisingly good. Joker takes on an oily, nasally tone that just screams serial killer, and that’s basically what he’s been reduced to in this movie. He’s more about the kill count than the revenge, though he does take particular pride in finally making Batman lose control. It’s a good way to show off his insanity, but it never quite pops as much as some of the previous manifestations have.

‘Suicide Squad’ (2016) — Jared Leto

Ah, finally, we’ve gotten to the crux of this article. After seeing what works and what doesn’t for the Joker, it’s time to analyze Leto’s version of Batman’s nemesis. As far as looks go, this is certainly the most outrageous looking liveaction Joker we’ve had thus far. The tattoos and the silver teeth certainly lend an air of maniacal instability that is truly unsettling. He’s brighter and shinier than Ledger’s Joker, but still carries the sense of darkness that DC Entertainment is so proud of.

A lot of people aren’t going to like Leto’s Joker, but I found him interesting to watch, at the very least. He’s good at throwing a wrench into the works, and his insanity is unquestionable. I didn’t like his single-mindedness when it came to Harley, however, if only because I’ve always imagined Joker to look out for himself first and foremost. The love he displays for Harley seems too rational, too real, and it takes away from his unpredictably cruel nature.

But what do you think?

Working my way through the Joker’s back catalog has been an interesting look at how the character has changed over the years. He has turned from an annoying trickster to a downright sinister psychopath. No longer is a lapel flower full of water or a hand buzzer with a small current of electricity enough for him. Now it’s dynamite and guns and knives and a laugh so terrifying it feels like a weapon all on its own.

But which version of the Joker is your favorite? Is it the easy choice, Heath Ledger, whose performance will go down as one of his greatest of all time, or is it one of the lesser known versions of the character? I’m particularly fond of The Batman’s aesthetic choices for the Joker, but Mark Hammil’s cackle has stuck with me since childhood.