There is no Batman without Joker! Joker is a significant part of the DC Universe and the biggest rivals of Batman. What makes him the most dangerous is his insanity that knows no bounds of evil. He simply enjoys wreaking havoc and inflicting pain upon others for fun. But never confuse his insanity with foolishness. His clever mind enables him to make such diabolical plans that even other villains shiver at his name. There have been many iterations of Joker on the small and big screen but it was Heath Ledger who took us on a crazy ride into Joker’s mind. His portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime opened terrifying gates to the character’s depth that we never imagined.
The late actor, Heath Ledger’s Joker was dark, disturbing, and terrifying. His flawless performance won him a posthumous Academy Award. This article embarks on various details about Joker cleverly in the movie that some of you may not have noticed. Here are the hidden details from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight that you missed. It simply proves the directorial vision of Christopher Nolan.
1. Reference To Comic Book
Even though Nolan adopted a realistic plot for the Dark Knight Trilogy, he made a few references to the source material. In the comic book, The Killing Joke, Joker likes to remember his past in different versions. He says “sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another…. If I am going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice”. That can be directly linked to Heath claiming different stories surrounding his scars.
2. 50-50
When angry Bruce Wayne asked Joker where Harvey was held captive, he replied “250 52nd Street”. If the address is read out loud, it also reflected Harvey’s “50-50” chance.
3. Joker Was In the Restaurant
It is imperative to study your rival and know his weaknesses before attacking him. That’s why Joker always had his eyes on Bruce Wayne and his pals, Harvey and Rachel before making his major move. Heath Ledger was seen without makeup at the restaurant where Bruce and the rest went.
4. Vegetable Peeler
When the Joker was brought for interrogation, all his belongings were confiscated by the cops. As they emptied his pockets, they found a variety of knives and one of them was a vegetable peeler. Did anyone get the chills?
And remember this?
5. Why Heath Ledger Licked His Lips
There are many things that set apart Ledger’s Joker from the rest of the versions, and one of them his famous lip-licking. While we thought he licked it due to a habit or his scars, it was actually Heath’s doing who was trying to prevent the prosthetic make up form falling off.
6. Joker’s Bank Robbery Mask
When Joker was robbing the bank, he had donned a different Joker’s mask. This mask was a homage to the first on-screen Joker of 1966 in the episode titled “The Joker Is Wild”.
7. The Shard of Glass
Even though the cops confiscated Joker’s weapons, the madman was quick on his feet and resourceful. After Batman left Joker and rushed to save Rachel, the Clown Prince of Crime sneakily took hold of a broken piece of glass that he had earlier crashed into. He provokes Stephens to attack and then puts the shard against his throat as a ticket to break free.
8. Ledger Did His Own Makeup
The great Heath Ledger wanted to do his own makeup to achieve authenticity. He explained that as Joker applied it himself, he should do the same. The imperfection of the makeup made it so flawless. Moreover, Heath also decided to keep the stains of makeup on his finger in the scenes to look realistic.
9. Was Joker A Man With A Plan?
Joker can be anything but a hypocrite? He always ridiculed the ones who moved ahead with plans and strategies. Joker claimed that he liked being spontaneous and worked without a plan. However, he referred to his notebook during his monologue.
10. Reflection of Batman
Batman and Joker are incomplete without each other. In The Dark Knight, some of their actions mirrored each other in some ways. Both Joker and Bruce Wayne entered the party in a similar manner. They were surrounded by an entourage, both of them asked for Harvey and Rachel, and in the end, they threw away their champagne.
11. Pulling The Trigger
The clever Joker is widely known for his tricks and illusions. The same game was played with Harvey Dent when he was visited by the Joker at the hospital. While brainwashing Harvey and fuelling his anger, Joker puts the gun on his own head and gives Harvey the option to either kill him or join him. But Joker is not that straight and simple. He only creates an illusion and puts his finger on the hammer. This would have prevented Harvey from pulling the trigger anyway.
12. The Fictional Character Had Logic
Christopher Nolan is a genius who doesn’t miss a detail in his movies. The man surely knew what he was doing. Despite being a fictional superhero movie where filmmakers often choose to turn a blind eye to logic, The Dark Knight tried to be quite accurate. Since an RPG explodes from both ends during firing, Joker kept both the doors of his trailer open.
