Heath Ledger: The Ultimate Joker

Heath Ledger won the Oscar for the best supporting actor during the 81^st Academy Awards for his role as The Joker in "The Dark Knight". I think they got that one right. He was brilliant. The performance was definitely Oscar worthy, and it is a great honor for a man who died way too early.

His fans supported him in droves and helped catapult this latest Batman movie into the pantheon of Hollywood blockbusters. From what I can guess, probably seeing the film more than once on the big screen. Not to mention buying it for their own personal library to be stored beside other classic Batman films.

But, the fans enthusiasm has started to go a bit overboard. They have gotten together and begun a petition to retire The Joker character from future films, in hopes of honoring Ledger, by making him the last to ever don the green hair and white face paint. As of right now, 30,798 supporters have signed a petition on The Ultimate Joker.com to retire this frightful villain. They want Heath's version to be the final vision behind this mythical comic book character.

I can understand their enthusiasm. It would be an interesting memoriam for this man who gave himself completely to the role. But, I don't agree. Sure, I don't want to see The Joker back on the big screen any time soon. He has made his appearance in this particular franchise and made one hell of an impact. There are plenty of other villains this caped crusader still needs to battle. Others, like The Riddler, I would much rather the higher powers spend their time developing. The Joker has nothing left to contribute to this particular retelling.

That doesn't mean ten years from now, when another birthing of Batman is required to inject enthusiasm into the franchise for another generation; I wouldn't want another actor to recreate him again. Some may not remember, but long before Heath Ledger took this role and made it his own, another talented actor by the name of Jack Nicholson set the bar for this beloved nemesis. I remember a large number of fans claiming "nobody will ever do it better than Jack." They were not entirely correct.

That's the great thing about actors playing roles though. There is always someone who could do it better. Why prevent someone else from trying their hand at a role like that? Had it not been for Jack, we would all picture Joker as the campy comedian played by Cesar Romero. He was great, and his portrayal shouldn't be forgotten. But, we loved Jack's version as well. We feel just as connected to Heath's Joker too, but the tragic death of Ledger makes his performance all the more poignant.

One day though, there will be another actor who can take this character into another new and bold direction. Inspired by Ledger, he is waiting for his opportunity years from now to get his shot. There is a generation of Batman fans to come that deserve that.

I am glad Heath Ledger and his performance was recognized with an Oscar. It is a fitting tribute that would be wasted if it were not used to help inspire someone down the road to do it differently. There should be another Joker; another ultimate Joker. I look forward to that day and you should too.

So let's celebrate the latest Batman movie for what it was. It was a triumphant story of a great masked detective who had for one moment a ruthless villain to defeat. Long Live The Joker! Thank you Heath Ledger. You won't be forgotten