Since arriving in the pages of DC Comics back in 1940, the Joker has been brought to life on screen by such names as Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Heath Ledger. Those performances are considered classics by fans the world over. Relative newcomers to the role include Jared Leto's "damaged" portrayal and Joaquin Phoenix's tortured iteration in the feature film Joker; time will tell how their versions of the Clown Prince of Crime are received. But for many, the voice of the Joker that plays in their heads when reading comics belongs to the one and only Mark Hamill of Batman: The Animated Series fame.

Hamill, known for his leading role in the Star Wars saga before the debut of B:TAS, made the Joker his own under the voice direction of Andrea Romano. He brought a now-iconic sound (and laugh) to the character, one that has enjoyed nearly two decades of TV shows, spinoffs, feature films, and video games. But we wanted to revisit the character's best moments from the original series that started it all. Those moments feature the first-ever appearance of beloved sidekick/love interest Harley Quinn, plenty of glimpses into the Joker's fragile psyche, and some of the most insane(ly fun) schemes ever cooked up by the Ace of Knaves. We've gathered up all of the appearances of the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series below (plus a little more for bonus content and honorable mentions) to rank them from worst to best. Enjoy!

Honorable Mentions: 'The New Batman Adventures'

Let's spare a moment to talk about The New Batman Adventures, shall we? This animated series followed up on Batman: The Animated Series and arrived before Batman Beyond. But it came with a pretty drastic redesign for all of the characters involved, notably the supervillains. It wasn't the first time that fans reacted to a more cartoonish take on DC Comics characters and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but TNBA deserves at least an Honorable Mention for these Joker (and Joker-adjacent) moments:

“Beware the Creeper” – Episode 23

• This features the first (and last) appearance of The Creeper in a story that tells the villain’s origin story; it also features Harley Quinn covered in pie filling, if you’re into that sort of thing

“Joker’s Millions” – Episode 7

• Penguin is introduced in this new series in an episode that finds a down-on-his-luck Joker inheriting $250 million from a deceased mob boss, only to discover that it was all a prank. Could the Joker be nabbed for tax evasion, of all things? Nope, but a spurned Harley Quinn does take him to task for his betrayal.

“Mad Love” – Episode 24

• Harley Quinn gets her origin story here, along with a depressingly damaged confirmation that her infatuation with the Joker is bone-deep.

“Old Wounds” – Episode 18

• Joker is relegated to the background for this episode which focuses on the rift between an adult Robin and Batman before Dick Grayson took on the mantle of Nightwing, but he still shows up for a bit of chicanery.

Honorable Mention: 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'

Another Honorable Mention must be made for Joker's part to play in the B:TAS feature film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This masterful work that actually got a theatrical release (which made 10-year-old me very happy that Christmas) and a relatively dark noir crime story to go with it. Essentially, Batman tracks down a new vigilante in Gotham just as Bruce Wayne is faced with the recent re-appearance of an old flame. (Coincidence?) The Joker factors into both the past and present problems facing the Caped Crusader in a story revealing a peek at the supervillain's life before taking on his Joker persona. But it's the knock-down, drag-out, and surprisingly bloody and brutal fight between Batman and the Joker (and the title menace) that makes this movie one of the best big-screen moments for the supervillain.

13) “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne” – Season 1, Episode 29

While there were technically 14 appearances of the Joker throughout the run of Batman: The Animated Series, one of those--“Fear of Victory” Season 1, Episode 19--only features the character in his cell at Arkham, laughing and commenting on the goings on that have nothing to do with him. Hamill still got a laugh or two in, proving that even in a bit part, the Joker is a scene-stealer.

So with that mention out of the way, we turn to "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne." Known more for introducing the first (and only) appearance of Hugo Strange in the series, the Joker is somewhat of a background player in this episode. The plot centers on the not-so-good doctor's discovery of Batman's identity and his attempt to sell that prized information to the highest bidder. Too bad that Batman and his alter ego of Bruce Wayne are too smart for Strange whether his secret identity is exposed or not. But this is one of three ensemble stories that sees the Joker playing a role but not pulling the strings. So for that reason only, it's last on the list of the charismatic character's moments in B:TAS.

12) “Almost Got ‘im” – Season 1, Episode 3512)

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes of the series, but when it comes to Joker, it's not among his best. Though a part of the criminal gang here, this episode is another example of a fantastic Rogues Gallery and less of a Joker-centric story. The plot centers on a group of familiar super villains who gather to play cards and tell tall tales about the times they almost killed (or at least unmasked) Batman. This fantastic framing tale reveals a somewhat hidden conflict late in the episode. It's just not a Joker-centric story. It does however feature a great final plot punch from Joker and Harley Quinn, which is what Batman (in disguise) needed to figure out in order to rescue a kidnapped (catnapped?) Catwoman.

11) “Trial” – Season 2, Episode 4

Another group effort, this episode features the most villains in one story, led by the Joker as self-appointed judge. That's great enough on its own merit. However, the episode is much more about the exploration of vigilantism told through the eyes of an anti-Batman lawyer who is forced to defend him (and save herself in the process) to a jury of criminals. The Joker gets to lead the Rogues Gallery in a crazy episode that’s the best of the bunch when it comes to villainous ensembles.

10) “Harlequinade” – Season 2, Episode 5

Now we're getting into the Joker focus a bit more ... after a brief stop in Harley Town. The next few episodes are ranked here because they focus more on Harley Quinn than Mister J. That's not a bad thing, just not the aim of our ranking. But as far as firepower is concerned, it doesn’t get much bigger than this episode since Joker gets his hands on an atomic bomb which he uses to hold Gotham ransom.

Batman and Robin temporarily team up with Harley Quinn (to hilarious results) to track him down and prevent nuclear destruction, though it’s not an easy partnership. This episode also features Harley’s hyenas and the Joker flying a bomb-dropping biplane, so he earns high-flying style points for that at the very least.

9) “Harley and Ivy” – Season 1, Episode 47

Though a fantastic Thelma and Louise riff, this episode is obviously more about the title duo than the Clown Prince of Crime. It does, however, reveal Joker’s mercurial nature, one that results in him kicking Harley out of his gang, for a time. Ultimately, the “Queens of Crime” prove to be much more successful than he’s ever been which obviously does not sit too well with his fragile ego. Pointedly, "No man can stop them,” so it’s Renee Montoya who ultimately arrests them and lands the supervillainous duo back Arkham. Even there, however, Harley still has hope for patching up her relationship with Mister J, much to Poison Ivy's displeasure.

8) “The Man Who Killed Batman” – Season 1, Episode 49

Now were at the Joker-centric episodes, right? Well, not exactly. First we have to give some props to Sid the Squid. "Who?" you ask, incredulously. Exactly.

Batman isn’t really the main feature in this episode but rather the newly created character of minor mobster Sidney Debris, a bumbling little nobody who somehow manages to "kill" Batman. Word of his incredible achievement spreads throughout the criminal underground, from mob bosses to supervillains. Eventually, the Joker takes Sid the Squid along on his heists to see if Batman is really dead, expecting his nemesis to show up and stop his crime… but he never does. It's ultimately revealed that Batman was laying low and following Sid's misadventures in order to get to the root of a drug ring. Batman eventually nabs Sid and sends him to prison, but the man’s totally coincidental reputation formed by almost killing Batman, making the Joker look like a fool, and even busting Rupert Thorne makes life there rather easy for him.

7) “Be a Clown” – Season 1, Episode 11

At long last, we've reached the Joker episodes in earnest. These seven gems see the insane clown and his posse carrying out all sorts of wacky antics and schemes, making these the best of the bunch.

This episode offers a great peek into the damaged psyche of the Joker. He is so insulted by a comparison to Batman, made by the mayor, that he impersonates another clown in order to bomb the birthday part of the mayor’s son, Jordan Hill. While that doesn’t go to plan, young Jordan sneaks away with the disguised Joker in order to learn how to become a clown and magician himself while getting out from under his father’s oppressive rules. Jordan soon becomes an unwitting pawn in Joker’s plan to capture and kill Batman in a series of deadly traps in a rather fitting amusement park setting.

It also gave us the gift of the batman-thumbs-up.GIF

6) “Joker’s Wild” – Season 1, Episode 42

Not to be confused with this NSFW version of The Joker's Wild, this story features another great example of the Joker's easily disturbed ego. When businessman Cameron Kaiser co-opts the Joker’s likeness to open a new casino, the Joker takes umbrage … and revenge. But it turns out that the casino is a scam; the owner intended to enrage the Joker so that the madman would destroy the casino, allowing Kaiser to cash in on the insurance payout and wipe out his debt. As you might expect, Batman sees to it that both criminals are put in jail, but "Joker's Wild" is one of many instances in which the unstable Joker is easily goaded into doing crimes.

5) “Christmas with the Joker” – Season 1, Episode 38

The only holiday themed episode of the series (with a slight nod to the April Fools Day episode) finally gets us to the Joker just being the Joker. Causing mayhem, sowing chaos and discord, kidnapping notable names around Gotham in order to put together a Christmas-themed caper for the Dynamic Duo to embark on; you know, Joker stuff.

In this episode, Joker takes over Christmas celebrations by staging a series of holiday-themed missions for Batman and Robin to solve, and he does it with style. First off, he escapes from Arkham by riding a giant rocket that's been hidden within the facility's Christmas tree. Robin attempts to teach Batman that “It’s a Wonderful Life” after all and get him to relax for the holidays, but that plan is interrupted by the Joker's shenanigans. (You've got to give the embodiment of chaos props for being able to coherently put together such a solid theme; he should have been a party-planner.) Ultimately, it all ends rather jovially (it is a Christmas episode after all) and the holiday-themed caper is an absolute blast to watch any time of year.

4) “Joker’s Favor” – Season 1, Episode 7

It may surprise you to learn that it's not always Batman who nabs the Joker in the end; sometimes (okay, one time) it's an absolute nobody. Mild-mannered Charlie Collins unknowingly insults the Joker, but since the supervillain spares Charlie a gruesome death, he asks him for a favor, one he'll cash in on years later. That favor? To hold the door for the Joker's new assistant as she wheels a cart; that's it! Obviously there's more to the ploy here, but the main point of this episode is that the Joker uses Charlie like a pawn in his greater plans, willingly sacrificing him and enjoying the power play in the process. But the tables get turned on the Joker.

Charlie manages to alert Batman, who in turn saves him, but it’s this “miserable little nobody” who gets the last laugh at the Joker (though Batman’s famous laugh can be found here, too). This episode is both a grand example of the Joker's more malicious and manipulative nature (and his ability to show patience when it suits him) and also a rare moment of someone standing up to the Joker to beat him at his own game. It's fantastic.

FYI: Harley fans, here’s the first-ever introduction of the now-classic character in any medium!

3) “Make ‘em Laugh” – Season 2, Episode 12

Sometimes the Joker just wants to make people laugh. In his last appearance on the original series, he gets just that.

When new supervillains begin showing up in Gotham committing bizarre crimes, Batman and Robin deduce that they’re actually other comedians brainwashed by the Joker as revenge for kicking him out of a comedy competition at an earlier time. If you've been following along, it should be obvious by now that Joker has both an incredibly fragile ego when it comes to suffering slights great and small, and also a real talent for cobbling together themed crimes.

Eventually, the Joker ends up getting the laugh he desired, though not in the way he intended as he's got is head stuck in a comedy competition trophy and is pantsed in front of a bunch of cops, guns drawn, who start laughing immediately. What more could you ask for?

2) “The Laughing Fish” – Season 1, Episode 46

The top two episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, as far as the Joker is concerned, feature his most ridiculous (and fitting) crimes ever. In perhaps the most insane plot the Joker ever cooked up on the series, he distributes a toxin into the waterways that turns all fish into his Joker-fish, mutating their appearance into his uncanny likeness.

Why? Because he wants to copyright them and get rich off the patent …

That's so over-the-top and ridiculous that it's both hysterically funny and completely batshit insane. And that's exactly what this version of the Joker was all about.

1) “The Last Laugh” – Season 1, Episode 15

But the best example of the Joker's true nature was in this April Fools' Day episode (which also happens to include the series’ debut of the Batboat).

The holiday celebration (which must be a Gotham thing because, honestly, who does this?) is cause for Joker to flood the city with laughing gas, courtesy of a garbage barge steered by a submarine beneath it. This episode, bonkers enough as it is, also features the Joker’s robotic henchman Captain Clown, who’s as terrifying as he is strong. He's one of the few great henchmen introduced over the course of the Joker's reign but, sadly, he's gone too soon, crushed into a small cube by an industrial trash compactor. (Any live-action movie that includes Captain Clown in the future 100% deserves an Oscar.)

This episode also strongly suggests that Batman might just have a sense of humor after all as he toys with the Joker throughout the story. So "The Last Laugh" isn't just a great portrayal of everything that makes the Joker the Joker, it also shows that Batman and the Joker are two sides of the same coin. One is almost all chaos and insanity while the other is almost all ironclad law and justice ... but each of them have a little bit of the other within their own personalities: The Joker gets upset when people (mostly Batman and Robin) don't play by the rules he sets up in his capers or when his own henchmen and Harley Quinn don't follow his orders to the letter, while Batman obviously has a flair for the theatrical and pageantry. "The Last Laugh" lets each of them keep one foot in their own world and one foot in the other's, making it the best of the bunch for Joker's appearances in Batman: The Animated Series.