20 Of The Best Comics Superhero Costumes

Jack Nicholson as the Joker (Image via Warner Bros.)

5. The Joker

I am well aware that the Joker is not a superhero. At least, he definitely should not be a superhero in any sense of the term. However, his getup is just too cool not to mention, so let’s just let this exception slide, all right? Cool.

Now, you’ve got the sloppy, indistinct Heath Ledger joker costume, which was fine for its realistic setting. You’ve got whatever Jared Leto was doing in the Suicide Squad movie. Of course, there’s also the Cesar Romero version from the 1960s Batman television show, equally groovy and campy.

However, the best version requires that we look, once again, to the Tim Burton Batman films. In the first Batman movie by Burton, Jack Nicholson begins as a standard gangster who suffers a terrible chemical accident. Somehow, that accident turns his face bright white, his hair green, and forces his mouth into a ghastly grin.

It also warps his fashion sense. Post-accident, the newly minted Joker wreaks havoc in a purple hat and suit jacket. He also usually sports a bright orange or green silk shirt with some styling neckwear, such as a flashy bow tie. Oh, and we couldn’t possibly forget those green and purple plaid pants straight from your 90s mom wardrobe.

That particular costume managed to combine the cartoony strangeness of the world, a vintage callback to early 20th century gangsters, and a chilling menace. It’s weird, for sure, but somehow pitch perfect.