The Justice League Snyder cut's Joker reveal is far more effective than Suicide Squad's first look from back in 2015. Despite being filled with big names and packing significant hype, 2016's Suicide Squad ended up a critical failure. Only Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn emerged from the wreckage unscathed. Suicide Squad was criticized for its story, editing and characterization, with director, David Ayer, maintaining that the theatrical release fell victim to creative interference. Jared Leto's Joker became another focus of Suicide Squad backlash, since the iconic villain's presence proved all-but meaningless. Ayer has since lamented that the best parts of Leto's performance were cut from the finished product.
In a fateful twist, Jared Leto will be afforded a shot at redemption alongside another casualty of the DCEU - Zack Snyder. After Joss Whedon oversaw extensive reshoots on Snyder's Justice League, fans campaigned relentlessly until Warner Bros. agreed to release the long-lost cut. This authentic version of Justice League will arrive next month on HBO Max and promises several surprise additions, including a reprisal for Jared Leto as the Clown Prince of Crime. A blurry, black and white first look at Leto in action shows a very different Joker, looking more like the dour Arthur Fleck of 2019's Joker than the bling-tastic thug of Suicide Squad. They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but Joker never did play by the rules.
When the first shots of Leto in Suicide Squad landed in April 2015, the response was violently divisive. While some appreciated this brave, modern slant on the DC villain, others found the design laughable. With grills on his teeth and "Damaged" tattooed upon his forehead, this Joker felt like a teenager trying too hard to look edgy in front of his parents. The design prompted a sense of skepticism among fans, and Joker's awkward placement in Suicide Squad's story only cemented those doubts.
Things couldn't be more different with the Snyder cut's recent reveal. Crucially, the out of focus figure looks far closer to the traditional Joker. His face is a more brilliant, clownish white, and the red makeup around the lips and eyes is back after being subdued for Suicide Squad. Further still, Leto's neatly cropped hair is replaced by the long, unkempt strands worn previously by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix. The 2021 image gives off the foreboding tone one would expect from such a depraved, manic villain, instead of the "no mom, I WON'T take my guns off the living room floor!" kind of vibe 2015's unveiling inspired. These positive changes are reflected in the online reaction so far. Generally speaking, fans appear more excited about the redesign, and there's now a genuine sense of intrigue about what Leto will look like up-close, as well as what role he'll play in the Justice League Snyder cut.
Jared Leto's reinvention as a darker, dare we say more serious, Joker foreshadows a very different version of the character in Snyder's Justice League. It's widely expected that Joker will feature as part of the Knightmare sequence - a future where Darkseid has taken over Earth by corrupting Superman, and only a small resistance remains to fight back. This post-apocalyptic setting brought out a hardened, gun-toting version of Batman, driven to extreme methods by extreme circumstances. If the Knightmare affected Bruce Wayne so drastically, what impact could it have upon Joker? Gone are the villain's days of opulence and gallivanting in nightclubs, and out comes the chaotic, psychological Joker most Batman fans prefer. If Justice League is Jared Leto's second first impression as Joker, he has certainly made it count.
