Jared Leto as The Joker in Suicide Squad (2016)

Jared Leto's Joker remains one of the most polarizing superhero performances of the decade, igniting debate more for his method acting stunts—sending used condoms and dead rats to castmates—than for his actual 7 minutes of screen time. His heavily tattooed, grill-toothed interpretation was widely ridiculed online and, according to a 2016 Screen Rant reader poll, received a 38% approval rating, far below the 94% for Heath Ledger's Joker (#2 on this list). The performance's notoriety overshadows its actual substance, making it a case study in misguided artistic commitment rather than a transformative villain portrayal.