The Joker is in the Snyder Cut but what is he up to really?
The Snyder Cut is well underway and as the weeks go by, more information on what to expect from the 4-hour remake of DC’s Justice League continues to emerge. A couple of days ago, Joker’s new look was revealed for Zack Snyder’s version of the Justice League. Snyder, who was initially in charge of the 2017 version of Justice league before Joss Whedon took over, has previously expressed his desire to explore the emotional connection between the Joker and Batman. But neither Whedon nor his predecessor made any plans for Joker in the 2017 Justice league movie.
The director wanted to give fans what they truly deserve but in his own manner he felt it was ‘uncool’ for fans to come all this way without getting to see Batman and Joker together on the screen. Joker’s addition to the Snyder Cut also pays up the BvS Easter Egg that he put in years ago.
The Joker’s New Look
But after HBO Max decided to sponsor the release of the Director’s cut, Snyder has apparently thrown the Joker into the mix. Releasing exclusive photos to Vanity Fair, Zack Snyder gave fans a first glimpse at the new-look Joker. Clad in hospital garments, The Joker cast the appearance of one who just escaped from an insane asylum. According to Snyder, The Joker would meet Batman in the Knightmare sequence, warning him of the impending terror certain to follow if they failed to defeat a possessed superman.
Watch: Justice League Snyder Cut (2021) ‘Batman Visits Joker’ Clip | HBO Max
“The cool thing about the scene is that it’s Joker talking directly to Batman about Batman,” Snyder said. “It’s Joker analysing 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.”
While it seemed certain that the Jared Leto Joker and Ben Affleck’s Batman would never cross paths – save for the near miss scene in Suicide Squad – it looks like Zack Snyder has found a way to make it work in his anticipated Justice League version. In fact, thanks to a common enemy, they mind end up being on the same side – albeit for a short while.
Spoiler Alert!
In the Knightmare sequence of Snyder’s cut, Batman will run into Joker in a decimated Earth that has been invaded by Darkseid and his Apokolyptic army, who intend to help Superman rule the planet. The Knightmare sequence is a sort of dream/vision of the future which Batman sees. The Joker consequently warns Batman about the importance of stopping Superman. At this stage, it is unclear to what extent the Joker’s actions or words would affect the overall movie plot.
The Joker’s inclusion had a lot of fans excited because it meant Jared Leto would get the chance to do a much better representation of the Clown Prince of Crime. His depiction of the character in 2016’s Suicide Squad was criticised greatly, even though the movie did do well at the box office. This was mostly due to the wild variations that were made to the character.
Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad looked very different from the previous ones. Unlike the Joaquim Phoenix and Heath Ledger Jokers who wore huge make-up and hideous fake smiles, Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad had more of a gangster, crime boss demeanour. That will now change with the post Apoklyptic world of Zack Snyder. The real reason why he is wearing a surgical gown and has a colourless face and smudged lips and eyes might only be known when Zack Snyder’s Justice League releases.
Changes from Mr J to Joker
From short, fringed, extra bright green hair to unexplained tattoos, a lot of fans found it very difficult to relate with Suicide Squad’s version of Joker. Recently, David Ayer, who directed the Suicide Squad movie revealed that there were more scenes involving the Joker. But they were removed post-production as a result of management interference. In a recent tweet, Ayer explained a deleted scene where the Joker has an extensive conversation with some members of the Suicide Squad. According to Ayer, there was a whole vision for Suicide Squad’s Joker that wasn’t allowed to make the final cut.
However, while redemption could come for Leto’s Joker in the Snyder Cut, the newly released set photos show very conspicuous changes in his appearance. Very noticeably is the absence of his gangster tattoos. A change most fans would be glad to see, although it isn’t clear how he got rid of them after Suicide Squad.
The Joker is also sporting a longer dark shade of his hair, which was previously short and bright neon. It’s not clear if they got rid of his metal teeth too since there hasn’t been an image of his smile yet. However, with Zack Snyder taking all the liberty he has into reinventing his version, it’s very likely he would want to apply his own variations to the character.
