With Jared Leto's Joker set to return in Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League, it's all the more important that Suicide Squad's Ayer Cut be released. Suicide Squad, although it has some very passionate defenders, proved to be quite a divisive film upon its 2016 release. Critics hated it, and fans ended up split, some finding it a fun, thrilling time and others feeling the story and central villain were decidedly lacking. Either way, the film ended up hauling in a gargantuan total at the box office.
Another point of contention was Jared Leto's take on The Joker. Leto is an actor with a generally positive reputation as far as his abilities go, and many were wondering if he'd give Heath Ledger a run for his money. Instead, Leto's Joker was criticized for his disappointing laugh - an always important element of the character - and his Hot Topic-esque new look. Joker's haphazard characterization was also bashed, which makes sense, since it came out later that much of his material had been cut, and Leto shared the opinion that it had been changed for the worse.
After years of fan demand, the Snyder Cut of Justice League is finally set to release on HBO Max in 2021, and it's been revealed that Leto's Joker will now be part of the film. With that in mind, it's vital that the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad be shown to the public.
Joker in Justice League Makes Suicide Squad's Ayer Cut More Important
It's not clear as of yet how exactly Jared Leto's Joker will be used in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and what the size of his role is in the new cut of the film. But with this appearance, Leto will become the first actor to ever play Joker in two DC films, cementing the importance of his version of the character in DC movie lore. With that in mind, it's vital that fans be allowed to see Leto's entire Joker performance from Suicide Squad, so that his take on the Clown Prince of Crime can be properly judged alongside those of Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix.
While it's possible the added Joker material from Suicide Squad won't be required to understand Joker's role in Justice League, it certainly would do nothing but enrich the experience of DCEU fans, and especially those who watch Zack Snyder's Justice League. At this point, it also doesn't even really make sense for Warner Bros. to keep sitting on the Ayer Cut. Ayer has made it known that it would require very little work to complete his cut and get it ready for showing to audiences, and it would contain enough new and altered content that it would basically be a new movie, much like the Snyder Cut. In the age of Coronavirus production delays, HBO Max could use all the big releases it can get.