Unlike people a few years (or decades) older than me, my first introduction to Mark Hamill wasn’t through Star Wars but instead Batman: The Animated Series. The legendary actor’s take on the Joker in the all-time great cartoon will always be my favorite version of the Clown Prince of Crime, as well as my go-to Hamill performance. Well, now I have another role to add to the list of great and unforgettable voice performances from Luke Skywalker: The Flying Dutchman in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
Going into the new 2025 movie, I somehow avoided all the news that Hamill was going to be playing the villainous, ghostly pirate trying to trick SpongeBob SquarePants. Little did I know before walking into the movie that I’d be seeing one of the funniest kids movies of the year, but also Hamill’s best villain role in years. Let me explain…
Mark Hamill’s Take On The Flying Dutchman Was Out Of This World
I recently stumbled upon an interview Mark Hamill gave on Kelly & Mark Livetalked about how much fun he had playing the Flying Dutchman (he replaced Brian Doyle Murray, who had voiced the role for years) in the new SpongeBob movie, and his comments make total sense. I kid you not, Hamill’s performance is out of this world and one of the most bonkers and hilarious things I’ve experienced all year.
Whether it’s when he’s trying to escape the underworld by tricking the gullible SpongeBob into switching places following an absurdly long and difficult challenge, or when he’s being a real jerk to his ghostly crew, the character is just all kinds of ridiculous. You can tell Hamill was having fun, and it makes the performance that much more hilarious.
The Performance Is Up There With His Joker From Batman: The Animated Series
Don’t get me wrong, I love everything that Mark Hamill has been doing in recent years (his work in multiple 2025 Stephen King movies was outstanding), but his Flying Dutchman was above and beyond my favorite thing he’s done in years. In fact, I’d put this right up there with his version of the Joker, he’s played for well over 30 years now. The inflections in his voice, the personality he adds to the character, and the sense of enjoyment and fun that comes through his performance are just something.
While the spectre doesn’t rob any banks with oversized guns, get away from Batman after the Batmobile lost its wheels, or get in the head of Caped Crusader like “Mr. J” in the Arkham games, SpongeBob’s foil is devilish, cunning, and just so dang entertaining. A movie, especially one with a hero’s journey, is only as great as its villain, and Hamill’s Flying Dutchman does just that.
Near the end of the movie, Mark Hamill is dressed up like the Flying Dutchman in one of the most genuinely insane and entertaining sequences I’ve seen all year. No, it’s not super off-putting like the live-action scenes in The Plankton Movie, but instead like a real-life Scooby-Doo chase that left everyone in the theater in stitches.
Go see The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Not only is it a great way to spend time with your kids (and watch the amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey), but also your opportunity to experience one of Mark Hamill’s best performances ever.
