Jared Leto's new Joker look still isn’t winning over ‘Justice League’ fans
Jared Leto‘s controversial role as Joker is making a return for Zack Snyder‘s recut of Justice League. Earlier this month, the director unveiled the first teaser of Joker’s villainous return to the screen.
Now, DC fans are finally getting the first full look at the Gotham City villain. However, it looks like the fandom still has mixed feelings about Leto’s character.
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Since Jared Leto’s debut as Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, DC fans have remained divided over his portrayal of the villain. As we all remember, Suicide Squad was recut post-filming and led to the elimination of a lot of Leto’s screen time.
Over the years, reports have emerged that Leto’s scenes were cut because Warner Bros. officials didn’t care for his portrayal of Joker. However, director David Ayer has largely disputed this. In fact, Ayer has shared various glimpses into Leto’s cut scenes and there are even rumors swirling Ayer could release an Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad.
Although the Ayer Cut has not been officially confirmed, DC fans will get the chance to see Leto return as Joker in Zack Snyder’s recut of Justice League. The reported four-hour film debuts on HBO Max on Mar. 18.
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Earlier this month, Snyder teased Joker’s return on social media. The blurry photo didn’t reveal much, but it did confirm Leto is getting a whole new look in the new Justice League. In fact, many fans are comparing Joker’s long hair to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
Amazing character you created. Honored to have our worlds collide. @DavidAyerMovies @JaredLeto pic.twitter.com/6FubzkPh4Y
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) February 2, 2021
Now, Justice League fans are getting their first official look at Leto’s new Joker. The redesigned character is leaving his face tattoos behind for a sinister new look. In the photos, the Gotham City villain is dressed in what appears to be a butcher’s uniform, alluding to the dark and twisted storyline that may play out in The Snyder Cut.
[Photos via Zack Snyder]
According to Vanity Fair, Joker appears in the new Justice League during a sequence set on a ruined Earth after the alien tyrant Darkseid invades the planet.
“It’s a dream sequence, a psychic vision, experienced by Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne that reveals what will happen if the superheroes fail to stop the onslaught. Joker is sort of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, supplying motivation through terror.”
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For Snyder, this scene is particularly intriguing because it’s the first time Leto’s Joker and Affleck’s Batman appear together.
“The cool thing about the scene is that it’s Joker talking directly to Batman about Batman,” Snyder says. “It’s Joker analyzing Batman about who he is and what he is. That’s the thing I also felt like fans deserved from the DC Universe. That is to say, the Jared Leto Joker and the Ben Affleck Batman, they never really got together. It seemed uncool to me that we would make it all the way through this incarnation of Batman and Joker without seeing them come together.”
According to Snyder, the Joker scene in Justice League will also answer a question that many DC fans had after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – why was Joker’s card taped to Wayne’s gun? The new scene will also touch on the theory that Joker actually killed Batman’s partner Robin.
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“I’d always wanted to explore the death of Robin,” Snyder continues. “And if there ever was going to be a next movie, which, of course, there probably won’t be, I wanted to do a thing where in flashbacks we learn how Robin died, how Joker killed him and burned down Wayne Manor, and that whole thing that happened between he and Bruce.”
Naturally, the new photos of Leto’s Joker have sparked quite a few different reactions from Justice League fans. Although some believe this redesigned villain will be the redemption Leto has been searching for, others aren’t convinced.
New Jared Leto joker looks like a wannabe Heath ledger joker
— #EndSARS?? (@TheMuseMuze) February 9, 2021
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Jared Leto Joker will blow us all away in #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague https://t.co/BupC8oLevz
— Mark Philips (@sadiomane14) February 9, 2021
Jared Leto is an ELITE Joker. There I said it. Go back to work. That’s my take. https://t.co/TvV5jjZRfe
— FLEXIBULL (@wallstreetyoga) February 9, 2021
Jared Leto’s Joker is so underwhelming ?
— Aricia (@omgaricia) February 9, 2021
Jared leto….. The joker again? pic.twitter.com/2Sj03EQNYh
— Fran is tired (@FranIsBroken) February 9, 2021
Zack Snyder will give justice to Jared Leto’s role as Joker#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague #JusticeLeague
— drea (@dweaaa_chuaa) February 9, 2021
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JARED LETO JOKER THAT DOESNT LOOK LIKE SHIT??? pic.twitter.com/kUgr85sEGt
— ry (@EMPlREANTS) February 9, 2021
Ok, hear me out, from an outsider…Jack Snyder’s version of the Joker for Jared Leto is much more eye catching than Suicide Squad’s version. I’m extremely excited to see this version/cut
— champa bay babe? (@krismarie926) February 9, 2021
? STOP HAVING JARED LETO PLAY THE JOKER!!
— Michelle Richardson (@MRichNews) February 9, 2021
We were so close to putting Jared Leto’s Joker behind us forever and now this.
— Philip Whitman ?⚔?? (@philwhitman757) February 9, 2021
As for Suicide Squad fans, you’re in luck. The Suicide Squad is set to arrive on Aug. 6. Late last year, Warner Bros. confirmed that all of its 2021 films are simultaneously getting released in theaters and on HBO Max. This is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has heavily impacted the film industry.
What are your reactions to Jared Leto’s new look as Joker? Do you think Leto should be in Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Let us know in the comments below.