Zack Snyder’s Justice League brings back Jared Leto’s Joker, but his new scene doesn’t quite fit with the film’s version of Batman. Leto’s return was one of the most publicized aspects of the Snyder Cut, though the character wasn’t slated to appear in Snyder’s original version. The new Knightmare Joker scene was filmed during Snyder’s brief reshoots in 2020, and while his addition has been celebrated by many, it isn’t without its problems.
After a reduced role in Suicide Squad that was still widely panned for its odd interpretation of the character, Jared Leto’s Joker was effectively written out of future DCEU projects. He’d always been a presence in the background of Snyder’s films, however, with Batman v. Superman alluding to the villain having killed Robin sometime in the past. When given the opportunity to finally bring Letos’s Joker face-to-face with Ben Affleck’s Batman during the Justice League reshoots, Snyder jumped at the opportunity.
Joker’s Snyder Cut cameo is successful in several ways, but it also does an overall disservice to the version of Batman seen in the movie. The new Joker’s look is seen as an improvement over Suicide Squad, and his sadistic taunting is certainly in line with more traditional portrayal. However, the overall effect Joker’s addition has on Batman isn’t necessarily to the Dark Knight’s benefit. Zack Snyder’s Justice League fixes Batman in some important ways, fleshing out his arc of atonement and putting him more in the older mentor role than that of leading man. Snyder’s Batman is still more prone to fatal violence than most iterations historically have been, but his development in this cut yields a more measured, thoughtful Bruce Wayne who seems to have come to terms with the mistakes he’s made in the past.
Yet, when Batman is brought up against Joker directly, all that development seems to temporarily vanish. His utter rage and lack of control in the face of Joker’s taunting may seem appropriate given his long history with the deranged killer, but it feels out of place after the Snyder Cut spent four hours building a more wizened Batman. The fact he would bring Joker along as part of his Knightmare team also seems out of character, especially since Joker offers little in a direct battle against Superman. Deathstroke even asks Bruce if he regrets bringing Joker along, to which he responds, “What do you think.” It’s an odd decision and one that isn’t really justified in the movie.
There are, of course, some reasonable explanations for this feeling of disconnect in the Joker scene. From a strictly technical perspective, COVID-19 safety protocols prohibited Leto and Affleck from filming together, which could have hurt the overall chemistry of the scene. It’s also fair to assume Batman is significantly altered by the events of the Knightmare future, which may unhinge him a bit, but that doesn’t stop the scene from hurting Batman’s overall arc. Zack Snyder’s Justice League crafts a compelling version of Bruce Wayne who has somewhat come to terms with his own demons to become the leader the other heroes need – his confrontation with the Joker disappointingly contradicts that arc right before the credits roll.
