Tom Hiddleston
Heath Ledger
This weekend has comic book half-shell heroes TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES facing off against their nemesis, the Shredder. Let’s put another couple of well-known comic book movie villains against each other, Marvel’s Loki (THOR, THE AVENGERS) and the Joker from THE DARK KNIGHT.
(Please note: Face Off is an opinion column. We’re not using any actual science to prove or disprove anything. It’s just for fun.)
-Wears finely crafted attire and polished armor
-Slicked-back hair, devilish grin
-Wears suits of purple and green
-Disheveled green hair, white face makeup, “Chelsea smile” scarring
-Dispatches the Destroyer to slay Thor on Earth
-Encases Heimdall in ice
-Double-crosses the Frost Giants and kills his birth father Laufrey
-Attempts to destroy the ice world of Jotunheim
-Indirectly causes the destruction of a secret SHIELD facility
-Brainwashes Hawkeye, Dr. Selvig and a bunch of random humans to do his bidding
-Kills dozens of Earth civilians
-Jams his scepter through Agent Coulson’s chest
-Commands an army of alien invaders and attacks New York City
-Feigns his own death, only to later secretly remove his father Odin from Asgard’s throne
-Promises to execute Gotham citizens until Batman exposes his true identity
-Disrupts an extravagant fund-raising event
-Demolishes a hospital
-Slaughters a considerable number of police
-Takes over the mob by wiping out all the crime bosses
-Throws Bruce Wayne’s sweetie Rachel Dawes off a balcony (and then later blows her up)
-Burns a gigantic stack of money
-Plants bombs on two evacuation ferries and instructs each to detonate the other or both will explode
THE AVENGERS: Joss Whedon (SERENITY, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING)
THOR – THE DARK WORLD: Alan Taylor (“Game of Thrones”)
-“Kneel before me. I said… KNEEL!!! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”
-Thor: “The Earth is under MY protection, Loki!”
Loki: “And you’re doing a marvelous job with that! The humans slaughter each other in droves, while you idly fret. I mean to rule them. And why should I not?”
Thor: “You think yourself above them?”
Loki: “Well, yes.”
[to Black Widow]: “I won’t touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear! And then he’ll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I’ll split his skull! This is MY bargain, you mewling quim!”
-“Malekith! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I have brought you a gift! I only ask for one thing in return; a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn!”
-“If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
-“Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can’t savor all the… little emotions. You see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?”
-“Wanna know how I got these scars?”
-“Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just… DO things.”
-“Let’s put a SMILE on that face!”
-“See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.”
-“This city deserves a better class of criminal. And I’m gonna give it to them!”
-“Why so serious?”
But Heath Ledger’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime is truly a once-in-a-lifetime performance, a genuinely unique spin on the comic book supervillain that makes Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the character seem as campy as the Adam West TV series. I don’t believe THE DARK KNIGHT itself deserves anywhere near the worship it receives from Batfans, but there’s no arguing that Ledger’s phenomenal Joker reinvention (his final role, sadly) set a high bar for bad guys in comic adaptations, effectively altering the general public’s perception of the classic comic book character and creating what is one the most memorable villains in movie history.