The Flash appears to be significantly altering the timeline of the DCEU, and it should use this soft reboot as an opportunity to give the franchise a new Joker. The DCEU’s Joker, played by Jared Leto, debuted in 2016’s Suicide Squad and was generally seen as an underwhelming iteration of one of the most dangerous villains in DC Comics. Based on set photos and announcements from the upcoming Batgirl, the DCEU’s post-The Flash timeline will have Michael Keaton replace Ben Affleck as Batman, but the new DCEU should also create a new version of his greatest nemesis.
The Flash will be the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo outing, featuring the return of Ezra Miller and Ben Affleck as Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne, respectively. The film will involve Barry Allen’s time-traveling abilities as well as the DC multiverse. These abilities will result in The Flash visiting Earth-89, where Michael Keaton will return as the continuity’s Batman for the first time in 30 years.
The Flash will feature Ben Affleck’s final performance as Batman, with Keaton reprising his role as the Dark Knight yet again in Batgirl, though perhaps not the same version of Batman seen in Burton’s films. The DCEU’s Joker, meanwhile, is seen as one of the continuity’s most disappointing characters by many viewers, despite a more menacing and comic-accurate appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Following The Flash’s timeline alterations, the DCEU should either significantly alter Jared Leto’s version of The Joker, bring back one of The Joker’s previous actors, or simply cast a new one as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Jared Leto’s performance as The Joker in Suicide Squad is often criticized as lacking the menace and nuance that the character requires, being a poor copy of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight. Despite this, Leto’s brief performance in Justice League was received far better by viewers. With a continuity shakeup after The Flash, the DCEU could redeem Leto’s Joker without recasting him, changing the character’s history and portrayal while giving Leto a second chance.
With Keaton becoming the DCEU’s new Batman, another option would be to bring back Jack Nicholson as The Joker, giving him a vaguely similar history to his Burton film counterpart and essentially the same style of performance, allowing him to clash with Batman once more. Joaquin Phoenix could also become the DCEU’s new Joker continuing off of his 2019 solo film. Given the standalone nature of the film and the effects this might have on Keaton’s Batman, however, this option seems unlikely.
The DCEU’s timeline reboot also presents the opportunity to bring in a completely new actor to the role of Joker. While Jared Leto may be open to reprising the role, the DCEU may opt to introduce another actor as Batman’s nemesis. While Michael Keaton will be the DCEU’s Batman after The Flash’s timeline reboot, he appears to be a different version of the character, so a new version of The Joker would be appropriate.
