Heath Ledger's Joker Gets A Batman Suit & It's The DC Costume We Wish Had Been In The Dark Knight

Summary Heath Ledger's Joker reimagined as Batman in new Dark Knight merchandise, a unique twist to iconic DC movie characters.

Hot Toys releasing limited edition Joker in Bat costume collectible, sparking interest among fans of The Dark Knight trilogy.

While Ledger's Joker never put on Batman suit in film, idea adds depth to iconic hero-villain dynamic, enhancing storyline.

Heath Ledger's Joker is imagined as a very different Batman through new The Dark Knight merchandise for the iconic DC movie. While Hollywood has seen superhero franchises like the DCEU movie timeline and the Marvel Cinematic Universe come to life, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy became a defining series of films that helped the comic book movie genre get pushed forward. Even though Christian Bale's Batman never took part in a shared universe, The Dark Knight movies were crucial for the DC icon, becoming some of the most financially successful superhero films of all time.

One of the biggest players in The Dark Knight who defined Nolan's trilogy, which still holds up to this day, is the performance by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, with many calling his iteration the definitive cinematic portrayal of the DC villain. More than a decade after his passing, Hot Toys is coming out with a new collectible featuring Ledger's Joker with a very different look.

The figurine pitches the idea of Ledger's live-action version of Joker getting his own Bat costume, which is visually differently designed from Bale's suit in The Dark Knight. Hot Toys states that this exclusive is of a "limited quantity of 3,000 units available only in selected markets."

Related Dark Knight Rises Sequel: Why Nolan Never Made A 4th Batman Movie Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is among the best trilogies and superhero movies ever, but why didn't he make a fourth Batman movie?

Why Giving Heath Ledger's Joker A Batman Costume Could Have Been Perfect

Close

While The Dark Knight has one of the strongest comic book movie stories without needing any new adjustments or tweaks, the idea of having Ledger's Clown Prince of Crime donning a Batman costume would have made perfect sense for the plot. Leading up to The Dark Knight movie ending, the storyline saw the Joker with various disguises as he went about conducting his criminal plans. There was even a point where the Joker dressed up as a policeman, and the audience subsequently got to see the iconic villain without the make-up for one scene in The Dark Knight.

But having Joker put on a Batman suit would have been a pinnacle point, especially as this would have likely led to Bruce having a strong reaction to seeing someone like him using his symbol. A major theme in The Dark Knight is the idea of Joker trying to make Batman believe that they are two sides of the same coin. As such, the concept of seeing Joker in a Batsuit would have also added another layer to the idea of the villain being a dark mirror of the DC hero, making this concept an even more poignant part of the movie.

As cool as it would have been to see the Joker with a Batman costume, the fact it isn't part of the actual film doesn't stop The Dark Knight from being one of the best superhero movies of all time. It will definitely be interesting to see how new franchises like James Gunn's DC Universe explore the Batman and Joker dynamic in that continuity, and to what degree they draw from this popular corner of on-screen history. But until that happens, the DC audience can relieve the entire The Dark Knight trilogy through Blu-Ray/DVD and through streaming.

The Dark Knight Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Christian Bale once again embodies the man behind the mask in The Dark Knight, reuniting Bale with Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has been making headway against local crime—until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City. To stop this devious new menace—Batman's most personal and vicious enemy yet—he will have to use every high-tech weapon in his arsenal and confront his beliefs if he hopes to stand a chance against the Clown Prince of Crime. Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 18, 2008 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Cast Nestor Carbonell , Morgan Freeman , Ritchie Coster , Cillian Murphy , Chin Han , Gary Oldman , Eric Roberts , William Fichtner , Aaron Eckhart , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Christian Bale , David Dastmalchian , Michael Caine , Anthony Michael Hall , Heath Ledger Franchise(s) Batman Sequel(s) The Dark Knight Rises prequel(s) Batman Begins Expand

Source: Hot Toys/Instagram