Yesterday, director Zack Snyder finally revealed what hisdrastically different take on the Jokerwill look like when he appears in the upcomingThe Snyder Cut. Portrayed once again bySuicide Squad’sJared Leto, Snyder’s Joker has been given a “road-weary” look, ditching the infamous tattoos and looking a lot more likeThe Crowrather than the Clown Prince of Crime. As is often the case, fans have some thoughts, and have taken to social media to express them as calming as possible.
The response to the greasy new Joker look has been a largely positive one, with many fans now even more excited for the imminent release ofZack Snyder’s Justice League.
Many are just happy to see the character shed the despised visage ofSuicide Squad. The initial takeJared Letohad on the character, which appeared in director David Ayer’sSuicide Squad, was met with much criticism back in 2016 thanks to his silver teeth and assortment of tattoos, the worse of which being the word ‘damaged’ scrawled across his forehead. Frankly, anything else would look better in comparison.
“Well this was a pleasant surprise! There is no semblance of Jared Leto’s Joker from Suicide Squad at all. Hype levels for the #SnyderCut are through the roof!” said one fan. While another, who sits near-enough alone in liking theSuicide Squadlook, equally cannot wait for this newSnyder Cutversion; “I LOVED Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad and here he is looking scary as hell for theSnyder Cut!”
Of course, it’s not all positive, with one fan believing that the Joker look gets worse and worse with each iteration.
Some have even likened the road-weary look to that of Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the DC supervillain in 2008’s seminalThe Dark Knight.
Along with the newly released images, Snyder has even divulged some details into how the Joker will feature inThe Snyder Cut, revealing that Ben Affleck’sBatmanand Jared Leto’sJokerwill finally come face-to-face. “The cool thing about the scene is that it’s Joker talking directly to Batman about Batman,” Snyder said. “It’s Joker analyzing Batman about who he is and what he is. That’s the thing I also felt like fans deserved from the DC Universe. That is to say, the Jared Leto Joker and the Ben Affleck Batman, they never really got together. It seemed uncool to me that we would make it all the way through this incarnation of Batman and Joker without seeing them come together… The scene explains why Bruce had the Joker card taped to his gun that you see in Batman v Superman.”
The Snyder Cutwill return to theKnightmare realitythat was glimpsed inBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justiceand features a trench coat-wearing, gun-toting version of The Dark Knight. Taking on Parademons in a dirt-drenched city reminiscent ofMad Max, Batman and his small band of freedom fighters are the only thing standing against a tyrannical Superman, who has taken over the world under the world on the orders of the all-powerful Darkseid.
It looks like Batman will swallow his pride and seek out the help of the Joker, who has become the long-haired recluse revealed in the new images. While it is unknown what their interaction will involve, no doubt the Caped Crusader will ask for Joker’s advice in bringing an end to Darkseid’s reign, allowing Leto to make amends and perhaps play the kind of Joker he’s always wanted to.
As Zack Snyder promised,The Snyder Cutwas recently given an “R” rating for “violence and some language,” something which Snyder himself predicted. “Here’s one piece of information nobody knows: The movie is insane and so epic and is probably rated R - that’s one thing I think will happen, that it will be an R-rated version, for sure,” Snyder foretold. “We haven’t heard from the MPAA, but that’s my gut…There’s one scene where Batman drops an F-bomb. Cyborg is not too happy with what’s going on with his life before he meets the Justice League, and he tends to speak his mind. And Steppenwolf is pretty much just hacking people in half. So [the rating would be due to] violence and profanity, probably both.” Knowing that we are returning to the Knightmare and that Batman will be forced to go to the Joker for help, there are no prizes for thinking that this is likely when Bats reaches into his utility belt and brings out a foul-mouth.
The Snyder Cutis expected to follow a similar plot to 2017’sJustice League, while making some substantial changes along the way. A newly released synopsis reads; “In ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.”
Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguefeatures an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash, Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, and J. K. Simmons as James Gordon.
The Snyder Cutwill be a 4-hour long comic book movie extravaganza, giving Zack Snyder the chance to realize his vision.The Snyder Cutis scheduled to be released to HBO Max on August 13, 2025, with a new trailer scheduled to be released on Valentine’s Day. The Joker images were first released byVanity Fair.
