Heath Ledger's Joker Inspired Jonathan Majors' Work On Ant-Man And Creed III

We're only two months into 2023, and Jonathan Majors is already having quite a successful year. In the Sundance-selected "Magazine Dreams, he delivered a provocative and phenomenal performance. Later this week, Majors joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villain Kang the Conquerer in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Kang is a variant of the He Who Remains character he played in "Loki." Playing multiple versions of the same character is undoubtedly challenging, but one that Majors was ready to rise to. The time-traveling conqueror isn't the only antagonist Majors will be portraying this year, either. Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut "Creed III" has Majors in the role of Adonis Creed's next opponent Damian Anderson, a childhood friend from his past who's back with a grudge and a score to settle.

Back-to-back antagonist roles in two of the year's most anticipated movies are no small task. While there's sure to be pressure to live up to the demands, it's clear that Majors enjoys playing the bad guy. Interestingly, a significant source of inspiration for Majors' work in the two films is what could be considered the gold standard of villainous performances: Heath Ledger's iteration of the Joker in "The Dark Knight," who earned a posthumous Oscar for best supporting actor. Ledger's performance resonated with Majors so much that he sought to bring a similarly visceral performance to the upcoming "Creed" and "Ant-Man" films.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jonathan Majors expressed his admiration for Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker. Specifically, how the actor's looks, which had caused a stir among fans when he was first cast, didn't stop him from becoming immersed in the character with his physicality and mannerisms. Majors said: "Okay, first of all, he's gorgeous. He's got that f***ing jawline, and he didn't give a f***. He threw his body around. He was so full." Ledger's Joker was a highlight of "The Dark Knight," and the sometimes unsuspecting demeanor of the clown prince of crime is just one of many layers in a mesmerizing performance that makes so many look back on it fondly.

Majors is very clearly one of those people, and now that he has his chance to leave his mark on the same genre of film in the role of a villain, the actor described his newfound aspiration to strive for the same level of acting: "I went, 'I'm coming for that. I'm inspired.' It takes a lot, you feel me? To be inspired." As Kang the Conquerer, Majors will be going up against Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in "Quantumania," and then the entirety of the Avengers in the aptly titled "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." Filling the shoes of Josh Brolin's Thanos is no easy feat — thankfully, Majors seems to understand not just what makes a villain, but also what makes comic book movies so compelling to audiences, as evidenced by his essay on "The Dark Knight."

In his essay on "The Dark Knight," published by Variety, Jonathan Majors called Joker "one of the most complex characters to ever grace the silver screen." Moreover, Majors praised the film for its balance of being an entertaining blockbuster and a thought-provoking story. While the actor may not be behind the camera for the upcoming movies he's starring in, we, as viewers, can at least take heart that he will channel his understanding of complex roles and stories into the characters of Kang and Damian, respectively. On top of that, Majors has chosen to play two characters who have a uniqueness that makes them stand out as villains — Kang has multiple versions of himself in the MCU, and Damian has a complicated history that makes him more of a morally gray character than anything actually evil.

After being awestruck by Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight," Majors now has his chance in the spotlight to bring to life characters who are arguably just as complex. Watching Majors strive for something more meaningful in his performance in these two big blockbusters inspires hope that these big-budget films can still have some heart and go beyond their commercial value. And with early buzz for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" already praising the actor for his performance as Kang, all that's left is for Majors to go two-for-two in what will hopefully be a knockout performance in "Creed III." Sometimes, it's okay to root for the bad guy.