Our new buddy Jack started a Villain sleeve with the Heath Ledger Joker piece. A wonderful way to begin a fleshly ode to endearing bad guys. Ledger’s Joker was undeniably maniacal, though many found his logic with regard to how we decide the value of human life a damning mirror to look in:

‘If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.’

This statement rings with a haunting truth to many, especially during a pandemic and after the very public murder of George Floyd by police. It’s certainly aged well. A sentiment for the Bukowski crowd, for sure, something to keep you up at night if you didn’t already know it. THERE IS NO EQUITY-the Joker screams as he tries to give back to the little guy by blowing things up. It would almost be funny if the same thing wasn’t happing on an almost weekly basis by various would-be Jokers in real life.

We don’t have the answers and it’s the power of the Joker to reveal this truth to us in the most unsettling of ways. He is Chaos to the Batman’s Order, entropy in a flailing, made-up, arbitrary system. A wild card in a game without any real rules and we love him for it. For this makes him truly terrifying. Enjoy!