Ledger most likely wouldn't have wanted to be the cause for the death of a character that is, as good as his performance was, so much more than him.

Maybe we should retire gay cowboys too.

They should have been retired before they were shown.

I ll bring my point from a slightly different perspective...

1989. Tim Burton's Batman. A certain brilliant performer called Jack Nicholson slammed into the minds of crazed Bat-fans THE milestone performance as the gleeful maniacal madman who is arguably the most famous character in comicbook-dom.

Then followed the animated series. Portrayals which showed all the vivid personas of the same character. But that is a different story.

19 years later, before TDK released...how many of us thought of even drawing any sort of parallels between Nicholson's Joker & Ledger's Joker?

Let's be honest here.

Did anyone even DREAM about doing such a comparison?

No.

Fanboys expected a competent act by Ledger at the most, because we ALL felt Nicholson's shoes were very, very big to fill.

And everyone knows what happened after TDK released...

Heath raised the bar. He took his Joker to the next step.

Today, people vote for Heath's Joker over Jack's Joker.

Thats what he has done. His achievement. He has raised the bar, the level.

Can it be matched? I say yes.

Can it be topped? I say, YES.

If it was impossible to top Jack (according to all), and YET he was topped...then its certainly possible to top Heath.

Actors may die, but characters never die. They stay immortal.

Its just a question of the next big performance - the one who will fill Heath's shoes and take it to yet another level.

The level the madman has acquired in almost 70 years of comicbook history. Bring THAT madman to life, and we will have the winner. He will be The Joker. Our Joker.

Although, I wouldn't want them to bring Joker back in this series of films. Maybe mention him or something, but I think that particular portrayal of the Joker was nailed by Heath, and even if there was an actor who could do a better joker, I don't know if they could do his joker. Also, I hate bad continuity.

Well sure noones going to do 'his' Joker, that would be tasteless. But in a decade it's almost a certainty that we'll see another Joker on screen. Atleast I hope there will be, the Joker is too enertaining to leave behind.