The Dark Knight’s Joker’s Terrifying and Unsettling Look That Was Never Used

It’s truly regrettable that this rendition wasn’t featured in the official release of The Dark Knight.

“Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr. once missed out on a villain role in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy The Flash releases new trailer, featuring 2 Batmen, 2 Flashes, missing Superman but introducing Supergirl DC unveils first trailer for The Penguin, the next installment in Robert Pattinson’s The Batman universe Being a superhero without superpowers, how much can Batman bench press? Surprising? Tony Stark exists in the DC universe and is Batman’s business rival Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight can be considered one of the most iconic versions, a towering monument in the history of Hollywood superhero movies. From the makeup to the performance, Ledger truly brought the essence of the criminal clown prince from the comic books to the big screen, contributing significantly to the resounding success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Released in 2008, yet to this day, Heath Ledger’s Joker remains a deeply ingrained impression in the hearts of many audiences. And recently, artist Rob Bliss, who was involved in The Dark Knight project, revealed a very different rendition for this supervillain, with features entirely distinct from the official version and could have turned Nolan’s blockbuster into a horror film.

Although there weren’t many changes in terms of costume, the hairstyle, and especially the makeup, seemed eerily different, giving Joker a completely altered appearance. Bliss’s concept art reveals that among the rejected options, there was a truly terrifying clown, with a face full of anguish mixed with malice, eyes entirely covered in a dark, eerie shade, accompanied by a “rough” scar extending to the ear area without being concealed by the red lipstick as in the official version.

Notably, Bliss’s concept art bears striking resemblance to the Joker in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, released in 2022 and portrayed by Barry Keoghan. This rendition also sports short, jagged-cut hair along with a scarred face, especially around the mouth area. Currently, the future of Joker in this new “Batman universe” remains uncertain, although Keoghan’s portrayal has been praised as solid and full of potential.

Although the concept art above is extremely impressive, Christopher Nolan had reasons to opt for a Joker that was “friendlier,” more contemporary, and closer to the image of an ordinary person. With The Dark Knight trilogy, Nolan created a world close to reality, albeit containing many fictional elements like Gotham City or the Wayne Enterprises. Therefore, Joker’s appearance needed to be as “normal” as possible to maintain consistency for the film.

Moreover, instead of turning the clown into a terrifying force, Nolan wanted to show that Joker’s true terror comes from the fact that he’s just a regular person with a twisted psyche and a deteriorating mind. And Heath Ledger’s exceptional acting prowess was like the final perfect piece for the talented director to achieve his goal.