Joaquin Phoenix's uncomfortable portrayal of the Joker has been met with widespread acclaim - from an eight-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival to five-star reviews and an incredibly successful opening week in cinemas.
But while many have been impressed by Phoenix's turn as the lowly comic Arthur Fleck and his transformation into the homicidal supervillain, few have gone as far as mega-fan Ash.
The store manager from Walsall has gone and got a massive tattoo of Phoenix's painted face on his leg. Quite the statement, and Ash was more than happy to part with £150 after the artist gave him a special deal.
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So what inspired the 32-year-old to pay such a lasting tribute to the DC villain?
Ash told LADbible: "I'm a big Batman and Joker fan and already have a Killing Joke sleeve [referencing a 1988 graphic novel which influenced both the new Joker movie and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight]."
He continued: "I had been super excited to see the new movie since it was announced.
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"I had a session already booked on the weekend the movie was released and I went to see it with Moz (the artist), so I told him that if I really liked this film I'd let him do a portrait on me.
"The film is absolutely incredible, so I was more than willing to get the portrait done."
He added: "The movie totally blew me away, definitely the best movie I've seen for a really long time, Phoenix smashed it out of the park but everything about it is incredible. I've already seen it three times."
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The role of the Joker famously comes with a lot of expectation - any actor thinking of taking it on will inevitably be compared to the late Heath Ledger, whose performance as the maniacal clown in 2008's The Dark Knight is legendary.
But whereas others have failed to escape the Australian's shadow, Ash says Phoenix's performance surpasses that of his predecessor.
He said: "Heath Ledger's portrayal in the Nolan movies really cemented it for me though, but for the record, I think Phoenix was the better Joker.
"I just feel like the Ledger Joker and the Phoenix Joker had two completely different stories to tell and portray. I don't want to take anything away from Heath Ledger, but Phoenix absolutely sold every scene, you just feel more emotionally connected to him and what he is going through.
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"He does it so well, that despite knowing what he will become you can't help but root for him, which is kinda crazy to think but that just tells you how well he portrays it."
High praise indeed.
And Ash hasn't finished celebrating Phoenix's performance yet, not by a long chalk. He has already got two more portraits planned in the next few months - both of them Joker-themed, which he says will chronicle Fleck's entire demise.
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He explained: "I'm gonna get two more portraits done from different stages of the movie, hopefully portraying his slow descent into madness.
"I'll get one from near the beginning of the movie where he's dressing as a clown for his job and then I'm going to get one from where he's stood atop the police car smiling with blood smeared across his face in the shape of a smile. Such a great scene."
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Featured Image Credit: LADbible/Warner Bros.