The Joker is one of the most iconic villains in all of media. There have been so many different takes on the character from the silly Caesar Romero to the menacing Heath Ledger. Of course when we think of animated Jokers, Mark Hamil is the most iconic voice of The Joker.
So, what do you get when you have a LEGO take on one of the most iconic villains. Obviously, you can’t have him be the violent villain/edgelord we have sen too many times lately. Instead, they lean a bit on the clown prince of crime angle while also using him and Batman to comment on relationships. In many ways, it borrows elements of a romcom with Batman and Joker but instead of Joker looking for acknowledgment that he’s loved, he wants acknowledgement that he is Batman’s greatest enemy.
That’s the beauty of these LEGO movies is they when they are good, they aren’t just selling toys but dig deeper into something more important. In this case, this movie looks at Batman’s ego and puts it under a microscope and mocks the idea of Batman working alone. It speaks to how Batman argues he is a loner but he needs a team.
First Appearance
We first see Joker at the opening of the movie planning a big heist with all of the Batman rouges. It’s a fun opening that is a true celebration of all things Batman. Batman sneaks in as the mayor and is about to take down everything and Joker gloats that he has to save everyone or stop his greatest enemy. And this is the crux of the movie as in Batman’s eyes, Joker is just another villain. Batman even says he fights around. This comedy movie that is both a parody and celebration of all things Batman analyzes how Batman and Joker are each other’s yin and yang. Without Batman, there is no Joker and without crime, there is not Batman.
Personality /Grand Desire
Normally, when you think Joker, you think clown prince of crime right. Y’know, it’s fitting Linkara did his review of The Three Jokers while I was working on this as it highlights the various ways the Joker has been handled over the years. Though according to his review, not all that well.
This being a children’s movie obviously can’t have the darker take on the Joker so instead it leans into the comedy angle and we do get a lot of comedic moments with him. Yet, I’d explain this take as Joker as a wounded puppy seeking attention. After Batman says Joker isn’t his greatest enemy this fuels Joker. You’ll see I combined personality and grand desire. Joker will stop at nothing until Batman acknowledges him as his greatest enemy.
This again goes back to the idea of how this movie views relationships and on Joker’s side, it feels one sided as though he is putting everything into it while Batman just doesn’t care. Heck at one point, Harley Quinn even says Batman doesn’t deserve him. This is such an interesting angle as yes Joker has often been shown to be obsessed with Batman. If Joker was able to let go of his obsession, it’d be healthy but he ca’t continue committing crime until Batman gives him the acknowledgment he wants which he doesn’t get until the very end of the movie when everyone in Gotham City works together to prevent it from being destroyed.
Most Evil Deed
His most evil deed is actually quite genius. He knows Batman is gonna want send to him the Phantom Zone so as Batman and Robin steal the phantom projector from the fortress of solitude, Joker hatches a plan where he and all the other villains turn each other in. When Batman uses the projector, it sends Joker to the Phantom Zone as he desired and there he meets truly evil villains such s King Kong the shark from Jaws (I think), the Gremlins, The Wicked Witch of the West, the Daleks, Agent Smith, Sauron, oh and an evil wizard created by a transphobe who’s as evil as he is. Sorry, not sorry but as a gender fluid girly I hate that woman and feel sick seeing her stuff nowadays. Now granted this movie came out before the world knew how evil she is but in 2025, I’m not going to hold back even if I was a huge fan of her franchise.
I know I’m getting sidetracked but seeing that franchise nowadays is a painful reminder she doesn’t want people like me or my friends alive.
Getting back on topic, Joker promises to let these truly evil villains out if they help him to destroy Gotham and take down Batman.
Lackey
Harley Quinn
This is actually one of the healthier Joker and Harley relationships, they seem to have mutual respect for one another. And Joker truly does care for tis version of Harley and even has endearing nicknames for her like monkey face. It’s cute and it’s nice to see a healthy Joker/Harley relationship as that is not the norm.
Demise/Stopped
Joker had turned Wayne Manor into his own playground with a Jokerized carnival. He planned on blowing up Gotham City but Batman told him if he did that, there would be no more them as Batman finally gives Joker what he wants. This is such a humorous moment but it plays into the idea again of how this movie is about relationships and Joker just wanted acknowledgment. It’s kinda sweet in a weird way.
How is this Version of the Joker
You’ll notice I worded the final question a bit differently as I don’t think it makes sense to ask if he is a good villain but rather to ask if he is a good adaption of the Joker. And I’d say yes. These characters have been around so long and are so versatile. This movie shows that anything can be done with them and this movie uses Batman and Joker to comment on their longstanding rivalry and it goes back to how they are each other’s yin and yang.
Well we have one more movie villain to go and I feel a bit out of my depth here as I know next to nothing about this franchise. Join me next time as we head to the world of Ninjago to look at…
Garmadon
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Definitely the most interesting take we’ve had on the Joker in the last decade, and I wish we’d see more of that creativity/deviation from the standard mastermind psychopath depiction that’s been done to death.
Yeh, I’d like to see more creative takes like this over the edge lordy stuff we’ve been getting