Mark Hamill's Joker

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

You all know me, you all know my primary obsession outside of wrestling, so that being known, let's move on.....

I was reading the Wikipedia information regarding Batman Arkham Asylum 2 earlier today, when at the very bottom of the page, where they speculate which villains will be featured, one of the final lines states that this is the last time that Mark Hamill will voice The Joker..........

To say i felt my heart sink after reading that, would be an understatement.

I've grown up for sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long hearing Mark Hamill playing the Joker in Batman TAS, Batman Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Justice League, and Arkham Asylum, that i couldn't possibly imagine myself liking another person in the role.

For example, Kevin Michael Richardson plays him in 'The Batman' and personally i think he sounds terrible.

I also found out that in DC's next animated feature, 'Batman: Under The Red Hood' that Joker's going to be voiced by John DiMaggio.......... Fuckin' Bender!

Now some of you may be thinking 'DiMaggio wouldn't be that bad....' and i personally don't share you're optimism. DiMaggio played the part of Toyman in 'Superman: Doomsday' and the voice he used was simply Bender's. I didn't even need to read the credits at the end, because it was that obvious.

So after 18 years, Mark Hamill has decided to end his run as the Clown Prince of Crime, and i for one, am not happy about it.

So what about you guys? Are there any of you out there who are as shocked and annoyed as i am with this, or are there some of you who think 'Finally, it's about time someone else had a go!'

And if you fancy it, share with us some of your favourite Hamill Joker moments/lines.

One of mine has to be in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm towards the end after he's figured out The Phantasm's identity. Batman turns up at Andrea Beaumont's apartment to ask her questions about her connection to the gangster murders. When he arrives, the apartment is empty, and as he looks at her locket with his photo in it, the phone rings. Knowing that only Alfred, Arthur Reeves the crooker councilman (who Joker already poisoned) and Batman are aware she's back in Gotham, Batman answers the phone and before saying anything he hears:

Joker, thinking he's talking to Andrea Beaumont"Helloooooo, anybody home? Listen boobsie, even though you never call and never write, i've still got a soft spot for you, so i'm sending you a fun gift! Air Mail. And there's no use jumping out the window this time toots! (Shot changes to a remote control plane carrying a bomb approaching the window, with 'Plane of the Future' written on it) The Plane of the Future's going to make you history!"

[Batman throws a batarang, causing the bomb to detonate just outside the window.]

Joker, thinking Beaumont's dead: "Aaaaaaahhhhahahahahahahahaaaa! Hello? Hello, operator? I think my party's been..... disconnected. Aaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!"

Great writing, even better delivery.

What are your thoughts?

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I heard about this before and it saddens me. Mark Hamill in my opinion is the best there is to have ever played the Joker. Better than Heath Ledger even. I feel he struck a well balanced nature between psychotic and terrible comedian. He was both creepy and funny at the same time, something the Joker is. His ability to deliver lines is second to none as he plays his role magnificently. His greatest moment may well be in Mask of the Phantasm when he meets Arthur Reeves. He's great at the role and fully unleashed my favourite version of the classic character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJeIG07wY3A&playnext_from=TL&videos=jfx-GX5P8J0

 

[Alex]

Mark Hamill IS the best joker ever. He had the psyhcotic tendencies and he had a sense of humour that was funny yet malicious, he was the perfect blend, this make him more of a psyhcotic genius than the other Jokers.


[YOUTUBE]lb8fWUUXeKM[/YOUTUBE]


This is both sinister and funny and his voice emphasised it.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

His greatest moment may well be in Mask of the Phantasm when he meets Arthur Reeves.

That was to be my third choice, with his first scene in the film being my second favourite.

After he's subjected Valestra to the rollercoaster in the House of Tomorrow, i love it specifically when he gets out of the cart, and then acknowledges the rusted robot dog.

"Oh, don't mind my home security system. Down Rusty...... [Punts the robot] Can't be too careful with all those weirdos running around."

What a great line. He was more or less saying; 'You'd best be armed to the teeth with sick bastards like me in this world.'

In fact, remembering that scene has inspired me to replace one of the captions on my profile......

 

[stillboy21]

I've always loved the fact that the voice actor was that played the Joker also played Luke Skywalker. But yes Mark Hamill will always be the voice of Joker as Kevin Conroy was the perfect Batman voice. I believe that if Mark wants to finish with Joker though he deserves it. Kevin Conroy doesn't voice Batman in that movie either so that wouldn't make much sense if only Mark came back. I still think he's the best Mr. J ever but everybody's got quit sometime.

 

[GUN]

I also found out that in DC's next animated feature, 'Batman: Under The Red Hood' that Joker's going to be voiced by John DiMaggio.......... Fuckin' Bender!

Damn, I thought it was gonna be Jensen Ackles from Supernatural fame that was going to voice Red Hood/Joker. At least that is what I read a few weeks back online. Rather him then Bender in my opinion.

So what about you guys? Are there any of you out there who are as shocked and annoyed as i am with this, or are there some of you who think 'Finally, it's about time someone else had a go!'

Batman: The Animated Series is first and formost, the shit. Grew up on that stuff in the late 90s and it was a fresh spin on what was originally done in Batman '89 starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. But this time, they threw in a much more comical approach to Joker which was simply the best voice over I had heard from a character since James Earl Jones did Darth Vader's. How can anyone disagree with that? You'd have to have been living underneath a soundproof rock not to think Hamill's voice was golden.

And if you fancy it, share with us some of your favourite Hamill Joker moments/lines.

Hamill's Joker: It's true Batsy; I know everything. And kind of like the kid that peaks at his Christmas present, I must admit it's sadly anti-climatic. Behind all the stern and batarangs you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for mommy and daddy. It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.....Oh what they heck I'll laugh anyway! WAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHA!!!!

Or at least from what I can remember. Had to look at a vid from Youtube to get the details in there. That was in Batman Beyond: The Return Of The Joker.

Best cartoon Joker. That's gotta be undisputed if everything else isn't.