Jared Leto's Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League has a drastically different look than he did in Suicide Squad, and here's a look at every change. Considering how divisive Leto's Joker performance in Suicide Squad proved to be, it's a bit strange how warmly the idea of his return in the Snyder Cut has been received. To be fair, that's probably at least in part due to just how beloved The Joker is as a character, but another factor is likely the feeling that fans didn't get to see his full version of The Joker previously.
It's now well-known that Leto's Suicide Squad Joker performance was heavily truncated due to Warner Bros. executives meddling with the final cut of the film, to the point that many DC fans now support releasing "the Ayer cut," now that Snyder got to make his Justice League. Until if and when that additional Suicide Squad footage is seen, Leto's role in Justice League may well be the only other chance to get a look at his Joker going forward.
Another big factor though is that Leto is an Oscar-winning actor, and many thought he could've done better with The Joker if given a more traditional take on the character to work with. Now it looks like such an opportunity may be coming, albeit with Snyder at the helm and not David Ayer.
Joker's New Hair in Justice League
In Suicide Squad, Jared Leto's Joker sported a very short, slicked back hairstyle that was colored a bright, neon green. It was cut a bit shorter than average for most Jokers, and also a brighter green than most as well, although most Jokers do have at least some green tint to their hair. In Zack Snyder's Justice League, Leto's Joker now has a long mop of dark hair that many are comparing to The Crow, and is also a bit reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix's messy Joker hair. It also brings to mind Leto's Michael Morbius in the trailers for Sony's Morbius movie. Since Joker appears to be locked up in some kind of prison cell in Justice League, it makes sense that his hair has grown out.
Joker's New Make-Up in Justice League
In Suicide Squad, Leto's Joker make-up was seemingly very minimal, in the sense that the skin on his entire body appeared to be chemically bleached white, a departure from other movie Jokers. He also didn't have the large mouth scars or permanent grin of prior Jokers. While the state of the rest of his body in Justice League is currently unclear, Leto's Joker now looks to have far more standard white clown make-up on his face, although not in the way Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, or Joaquin Phoenix's Jokers applied it. Instead, his make-up is, again, quite reminiscent of Brandon Lee's make-up in The Crow. Considering Joker's locked up status and that he's no longer a powerful crime boss, it makes sense that his make-up would be darker, more dour, and less flashy.
Joker's Missing Tattoos in Justice League
Easily the most controversial aspect of Jared Leto's Joker look in Suicide Squad was his prominent tattoos, on both his face and body. This gave Joker, especially when shirtless, an appearance more akin to a bruising street thug than the psychotic Clown Prince of Crime fans were used to. Most talked about was the word "Damaged" on Joker's forehead. All those tattoos now appear to have vanished in Justice League. Outside of him getting laser tattoo removal at some juncture, their absence is mystifying, and when asked, Zack Snyder didn't offer an explanation. However, the tattoos being gone is unlikely to be mourned by many, regardless of the in-universe reasoning.
Joker's Possibly Missing Teeth in Justice League
While the photos released so far make this change hard to confirm, it does appear that Joker's metal teeth might've been jettisoned in Justice League as well, which again, is a feature unlikely to be missed by most DC fans. The photos released so far don't highlight Joker's mouth, so it's possible they're still present in some form, but since Snyder got rid of the tattoos, and changed almost everything else about Leto's Joker look, it makes no sense for him to keep the teeth intact. If he's going to make a clean break from how Joker was portrayed in Suicide Squad, it makes sense to do it all the way, minus getting rid of Leto of course.
Joker's New Style in Justice League
Fitting his portrayal as a tough guy crime boss in Suicide Squad, Leto's original Joker wore gaudy jewelry and flashy suits for most of the running time. The looks at Leto's Joker in Justice League are the total opposite of that, with Joker looking disheveled and humbled, and wearing some kind of dirty white smock. Since Joker is likely imprisoned, one can assume that he's wearing attire forced on him by his captor, presumably Superman's forces since he's in the Knightmare timeline, although that's not confirmed. Another possibility is that he and Batman are simply holed up somewhere Superman isn't likely to find them, hence the minimalist look of the place.
Joker's New Character in Justice League
While this isn't an element of Joker's new external look in Zack Snyder's Justice League, it's worth mentioning that the nature of his character sounds very different in this film as well. Snyder has teased that the scene sees Joker and Batman having a discussion about why Batman is who he is and does what he does, and that Joker is trying to motivate Batman through the terror of what's to come, seemingly confirming that they're begrudgingly on the same side, or at least both targets of an out of control Superman. That sounds miles away from the self-centered, violently unhinged Joker seen in Suicide Squad. For Joker to want to motivate Batman, he's clearly in a desperate place, and has been through some things that changed his outlook on life, and possibly death.