This is why that Batman and Joker 'Justice League' scene had to happen
On Mar. 18, Zack Snyder‘s highly-anticipated recut of Justice League is premiering on HBO Max. So far, fans have had a few glimpses into the new film including that scene between Ben Affleck‘s Batman and Jared Leto‘s Joker.
Now, Snyder has revealed the real reason why that particular scene had to happen in The Snyder Cut.
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In case you haven’t heard, Jared Leto’s Joker is officially back. The controversial villain is making a return in the new Justice League alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman, who has faced scrutiny of his own. Earlier this month, Snyder teased Leto’s return with a cryptic photo before completely unveiling Joker’s sinister new look in the Justice League recut. Although Leto’s Joker has ditched his tattoos and short hair, many fans still aren’t convinced about the villain’s return.
Then, this week, DC fans got their official look at the upcoming film in an action-packed trailer. In the thrilling visual, viewers finally get a glimpse of Batman and Joker coming face to face.
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Now, Zack Snyder has revealed the real reason why that scene needed to happen. During an interview with I Minutemen, Snyder says that Batman and Joker’s conflict is central to the DC universe and, more specifically, his DCEU. Ultimately, Leto’s return gives fans a small taste of that conflict he originally envisioned for Justice League.
“It was important to me that Batman and Joker have a scene together,” Snyder says. “Let’s be honest, Batman and Joker are kind of the-that conflict is central to the universe. Frankly, it was a conflict that I had planned for the Knightmare sequence. And so, you know [I] was excited to like, get the opportunity to do it, to have a little taste [of] that. So, I thought it was important for fans to see their Batman and this cinematic universe’s Joker coming to some small conflict.”
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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.”
For Snyder, this scene is particularly intriguing because it’s the first time Leto’s Joker and Affleck’s Batman truly come 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.”
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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.
“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.”
The Snyder Cut of Justice League may not be the only time we see Leto play Joker in the future. Currently, rumors are swirling that David Ayer could release an Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad. As we all remember, Suicide Squad was recut post-filming. This led to the elimination of a lot of Leto’s screen time.
Over the years, reports 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, leading to many fans requesting that a recut of the film be released. Additionally, Leto finally addressed that rumor he gave Margot Robbie a dead rat on the set of Suicide Squad in a telling new interview.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres Mar. 18 on HBO Max.
What are your reactions to Batman and Joker having a scene together in Justice League? Let us know in the comments below.
