The newest Joker in DC live-action films is Joaquin Phoenix, playing Arthur Fleck. He first appeared in Joker (2019) and returned in Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), the sequel that pairs him with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. That makes Phoenix the most recent actor to headline a DC Joker release, with Barry Keoghan's brief Arkham cameo in The Batman (2022) as the other recent screen version.
Who is the newest Joker in DC right now?
When people search for the newest Joker DC has put on screen, they usually mean the Phoenix version, because it is the latest one to carry a full feature film. Two things separate it from earlier Jokers:
- It is a standalone story. Arthur Fleck exists outside the main DC continuity, under the DC Elseworlds banner.
- It is a character study, not a Batman rivalry. The Joker here is a struggling comedian in a decaying Gotham, not a criminal mastermind facing the Bat.
Both films were directed by Todd Phillips, which keeps the tone and visual style consistent between the two.
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The other recent Joker: Barry Keoghan
Matt Reeves cast Barry Keoghan as an early, unsettling version of the Joker in The Batman. He appears in a short Arkham Asylum scene, and a longer conversation with the Riddler was released separately as a deleted scene. This version belongs to the Reeves film universe, not to Phillips' Elseworlds films and not to the rebooted DC Universe slate.
Where the latest Joker fits in DC's lineup
DC has several live-action timelines running at once, and each one can have its own Joker. A quick way to keep them straight:
- Elseworlds films: Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux.
- Reeves universe: Barry Keoghan's Joker in The Batman and its planned sequels.
- Older continuity: previous film Jokers, still widely watched but no longer the newest version.
The newest Joker in DC comics
On the page, DC has kept the character busy with solo titles rather than one fixed look. Recent runs such as The Joker and Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing follow the classic green-haired Joker and lean into black comedy and crime thrillers. Because comics reset and relaunch often, the "newest" comic Joker depends on the issue you pick up, while the newest film Joker stays tied to whichever movie released last.
Quick answers
- Is the newest Joker part of the main DCU? No. The Phoenix version is labeled DC Elseworlds and stands apart from the shared universe.
- What is the newest Joker movie? Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), a direct sequel to the 2019 film.
- Will there be another Joker film? Nothing has been confirmed for the Phoenix version, and DC has not announced a replacement lead.
If you want the shortest version: the newest Joker in DC films is Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, with Barry Keoghan as the most recent alternative take.