Jared Leto Joker Justice League-min
[Photo by Zack Snyder]

Zack Snyder explains Jared Leto's Joker look change in 'Justice League'

In just over two weeks, Zack Snyder‘s new cut of Justice League officially premieres on HBO Max.

Now, the director has revealed even more secrets regarding The Snyder Cut. In particular, Snyder has opened up about the true inspiration behind Jared Leto‘s new Joker look. As well, he explained that DC fans may not get the ending they are hoping for in the new Justice League.

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The Snyder Cut of Justice League finally hits HBO Max on Mar. 18. Over the past few months, various behind-the-scenes details and theories regarding the reported 4-hour film have emerged. In particular, there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Jared Leto’s controversial return as Joker.

So far, Zack Snyder has shared plenty of teasers surrounding Leto’s Joker. Last month, Snyder confirmed 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 Suicide Squad-era tattoos and short green hair, many fans still aren’t convinced about the villain’s return. More recently, a new photo of the Gotham City villain depicts him in a biblical light, a potential hint at what’s to come in the new Justice League.

Now, Zack Snyder has revealed the real reason why Jared Leto ditched Joker’s Suicide Squad look in Justice League. In a new interview with IGN, the director shares that he took inspiration for Joker’s new look from one specific source. As well, he seemingly confirms more Justice League films probably won’t happen.

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“What inspired [Joker’s] look was the sort of post-apocalyptic world that I’m a huge fan of,” Snyder tells IGN. “And, really, the idea was that as the movies progressed, the next movie – if there ever was one, and it doesn’t seem like there ever will be – but if there was, it would exist primarily in that world with them trying to set it right.”

Snyder further explains that DC fans may not get the Justice League ending they are hoping for. As it turns out, the HBO Max film ends on the ultimate cliffhanger. Why? Well, it appears those Justice League sequels may not even happen in the future.

“Well, it was meant to be two more movies,” Snyder says. “It hints, as you would, at a potential other world. I’d plant the seeds as I had wanted to of what would come in the later films. That’s in there, but as far as those stories that would be to come – if ever that happened, which it does not look like it would – but I think it’s easy to speculate based on that and we can talk about that for quite a while. It is a cliffhanger…the movie ends in a massive cliffhanger, yeah.”

This new section contains Justice League spoilers.

Last month, fans finally got a glimpse of Leto’s Joker in the thriller new Snyder Cut trailer. In the visual, viewers see Ben Affleck‘s Batman and Leto’s Joker come face to face in an eerie new clip. Soon after its release, Snyder revealed the real reason why that scene between Batman and Joker needed to happen.

According to Vanity Fair, Joker appears in the new 4-hour 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 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.”

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. [Also] 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 requests for a recut of the film. 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 the changes made to Jared Leto’s Joker look in Justice League? Let us know in the comments below.