1. The changing nature of
Villainy
Historical context and the impact on
representations of ‘evil’

2. Film Villains
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Often called the Antagonist
Can be male or female
Use power to hurt others
Often evil, selfish and act like tyrants
They start the conflict in the film and they are
the enemy that the hero has to fight against
by the end of the film.

3. Film Villains
• Name some film villains
• What visual look do film Villains have?
• Who are some of the worst film villains in your
opinion – before the Joker?
• Where do they traditional come from?

4. The Joker
• Does the Joker fit with the traditional film
villain? Why/Why not? Write one paragraph
to answer this question
• Think about what he does, how bad it is, why
he does it and what other characters in the
film say about him.

5. The Joker
• How is the Joker shown in the film?
Costume
Camera
Lighting
Shot Composition
Dialogue
Performance
Actions

6. The Joker as a Clown
• The clown's makeup is a symbol of death and
resurrection. The white is the symbol of death
and is applied first. The colours symbolize
life.
• Why are people afraid of clowns?(Coulrophobia)

7. Character Quotes
• Who said this and what did they mean?
– Copy down the quote
– Say who said and what it tells us about the Joker
and his personality.

8. Character Quotes
• “Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental.
Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his
pockets but knives and lint. No name, no
other alias”
• “Come on, I want you to do it. I want you to
do it. Come on, hit me. Hit me!”
• “With respect, sir, perhaps this is a man that
you don’t fully understand”

9. • “Some men just want to watch the world
burn.”
• “The Joker’s just a mad dog. I want whoever
let him off the leash”
• “You have nothing, nothing to threaten me
with. Nothing to do with all your strength”
• “Some two-bit whack job. Wears a cheap
purple suit and make-up. He’s not a problem.
He’s a nobody”
• “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply
makes you..... Stranger”

10. Why is the Joker so evil?
• Does not care for his own life
– Where do we see this?
• We don’t know who he is or where he is from
– What stories does he tell?
• Agent of Chaos – insatiable desire for chaos
and destruction
– List examples of actions that are about creating
chaos and destruction

11. Why this Villain now?
• The Joker is a product of the time the film was
produced –
• He reflects the present fears in American
culture
• The film shows a possible response to these
fears (Nolans - but does represent commonly
held ideas in America)

12. Real Villains
• List the names of real life villains in our world.
• List the qualities and actions that made them
villains.

13. Terrorism
• What acts of terrorism have made the news in
the last few years?

14. What does the Joker Represent?
• “The film shrewdly positions the Joker as the
super hero movie equivalent of a modern day
terrorist”
– What actions done by the Joker are like terrorist
action?

15. The Agent of Chaos
• “He presents an enemy unbound by any
scruples; striking out for no rational reason;
hell bent on causing civilization-threatening
destruction”
• What normally motives villains?
• How are we shown that the Joker has no
motives?

16. American Society
• There is a link between the film and what is
happening in America
• Al Qaeda = Joker
• Treatment of Prisoners of War = Interrogation of
the Joker
• CIA Actions = Batman
• View of the War in Iraq = The way Batman is
treated at the end of the film
• George Bush = Batman?
• Jesus Christ = Batman?

17. The Dark Knight Vs Batman 1989
• List all the ways that Jack Nicholson’s Joker is
similar to Heath Ledgers Joker
• List all the ways that Jack Nicholson’s Joker is
different to Heath Ledgers Joker
• Explain why Heath Ledgers Joker is worse