With one week to go until the release of Suicide Squad I thought I’d write a piece on one aspect of it to really get excited about. Suicide Squad is the third installment in the DC shared cinematic universe and has a lot more riding on it than initially intended due to the mixed reception of Batman v Superman. More than most it will attempt to balance ample amounts of comedy, action, drama, tension, thrill, and fun. It is also set to be a variety of important things within this genre - the first super villain ensemble flick, the cinematic debut of Harley Quinn (The Joker’s partner in all things criminal and an icon in her own right), and last but by no means least it will bring the newest interpretation of The Joker himself.
My thoughts on this topic are greatly influenced by the phenomenal contribution of Mark Hamill who has voiced the character since 1992 across critically acclaimed animated series, animated features, and video games. His distinct voice comes to mind when I think of the Joker, the navigation of the emotional spectrum, the impressive variety of facial expressions, the cackling laugh, the presence the character commanded, the gags, the threats all defined the sadistic, theatrical, comical entity that is The Joker for me, hard to believe it all came from the once mopey young jedi. This character could make you laugh, feel sorry for him, and fear him. He was also done in a way that he was an impressively competent foe for Batman and still immensely entertaining. My favorite stories including The Joker are Hush, Mask of The Phantasm, and Under the Red Hood.
Jared Leto is walking on hallowed ground. Heath Ledger in my opinion contributed some seriously impressive acting and a compelling performance but in my opinion he was not the definitive cinematic Joker. Is his praise due to his accurate portrayal of how the Joker should be or is it just his acting in general? However by altering this character to be realistic the true essence of their unhinged chaos is tampered with. I prefer when the heightened fantastical aspects of these characters are preserved but Ledger’s Joker was a perfect fit for Nolan’s ultra-realistic Gotham. Leto himself states that he views Ledger’s performance as perfect and if there wasn’t so much variety and history available with The Joker that he wouldn’t have taken the role. Leto has expressed gratitude for being given the opportunity and has immersed himself in the role and says that it is the most fun he has on any set. He has also shown immense respect for the past performances on screen, the extensive impressive 75+ year history of writers and artists, and most importantly what it means to the fans.
After all he is the most iconic villain in pop culture. Here are two reasons why I think that is the case. Some people state that a character’s actions are only intriguing and compelling if we know their reasoning. I think that the exact opposite is why The Joker is so compelling, he doesn’t need a reason to perform atrocious acts of violence, he doesn’t need a reason to bring a city to its knees, he doesn’t need a reason to have such a fixated obsession on Batman. That’s the sick joke, he just does it for no reason at all. We don’t know if he acts out of anxiety, ego, rage or all of the above, he’s insane. You are left anxious to see what he will do next and this really heightens the unpredictability factor.
The second reason why The Joker is so compelling as a character is thanks to the protagonist he provokes. Much like how a hero is only as good as their villain, sometimes the villain is only as good as the hero. Batman is one of the most interesting characters of contemporary drama and is ultimately just a man seeking justice and order through diligence, strict training, and integrity. It’s pretty obvious that The Joker is the complete opposite. The unhinged ruleless and chaotic nature of his character complements Batman’s order and integrity perfectly. I cannot think of many other hero-villain pairings who contrast each other so well.
The Joker can be interpreted many ways and that is the beauty of his character for a villain. He can be incredibly dark and grim or pixie-like and silly. He can be the sympathetic sad clown, a methodical serial killer, a crime boss gangster intent on ruling Gotham, or an anarchist. The last one is a really interesting way to go with the character. My favorite however is the unhinged gleeful psychopath with an unpredictable mix who can encompass all of the above and so much more. Much like Hamill’s Joker in the beloved animated series who could go from funny and compelling to threatening and intimidating in an instant. The Joker provides great range for an actor and this should not be wasted.
There is no mandate on the definitive Joker, that requisite is specific to each story he serves. The tone and his role within the story all affect how the Joker should be depicted. Christopher Nolan kept many familiar superficial elements of The Joker but I just did not experience a definitive cinematic Joker when I watched The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger did not strike me as someone who was actually insane. He conducted an elaborate bank robbery, several methodical murders, elicited sheer panic throughout a city for the purpose of social experiments… This sounds more like The Riddler. The duality of order and chaos, and the difficulty of choice also reminds me of Two-Face. It’s all clear now Ledger’s Joker swapped characterizations with the villains of Batman Forever…
Ledger’s Joker was more akin to someone who was strange, unsettling, and odd instead of truly insane and this was compelling. However to me he seems pretty chilled most of the time as if he was merry after a few drinks. The Joker should appear as if he is coked out of his mind on stimulants unable to contain his thoughts and ideas, again unlike the purposefully weighted speeches and stories Ledger would tell. He was occasionally jerky with his expressions but was mostly timid and reserved. He was soft spoken with added sniveling and whimpering and as the feature progressed it showed gleeful glimmers of an impressive cackle but never mounting to anything as impressive as Hamill’s. Ledger was menacing but he is only truly intimidating when he had inserted a knife into someone’s mouth. He was not really funny, more so drole with witty quips. His face actually isn’t the most expressive and I believe that is the fault of the over expressive face paint (panda eyes and wide grin).
Not once do I really believe that this Ledger's Joker requires a straight jacket. His plan is also conducted so elaborately to the point that convenience is required and this is either over-looked or overly criticized in films. Convenience is required at times in films but when a step-by-step plan hinges on it at multiple points there are problems with the plot, much like with Captain America: Civil War. When we are introduced to Ledger’s Joker during the bank robbery he is silent for practically the whole scene, a true charismatic psychopath wouldn’t be able to do that I don’t believe. When he introduces himself to the mob he states that he is not crazy? At the final confrontation he easily gains the upper hand on the experienced Batman thanks to his incompetent use of those sonar goggles (sorry that’s a criticism of the hero). Regardless these all accumulate to form a character that is very distant to the depiction, which epitomized The Joker thanks to Mark Hamill.
I cannot fault the interrogation scene however, that was pretty incredible.
What I hope to see from The Joker is essentially Hamill’s animated series version reincarnate with some amazing acting and a changeable voice to go along with his changeable mood. This is my proposition on how The Joker should be portrayed and what I hope to see from Leto. This is all based on opinion and largely influenced by the amazing Joker I was gifted with as a kid watching the animated series and a few amazing graphic novels.
I want to see an unrealistic character with realistic consequences if that makes sense. The Joker is truly insane, regardless of the origin which he states is usually multiple choice he believes everyone is one bad day away from where he is but that has been shown not to be the case. Therefore the Joker’s unique level of twisted insanity is unique. He he commands our attention due to his intensity. He wants to put on a show but not for our entertainment, more so for his insane narcissistic ego. His style should reflect this, much like the rock star punk gangster look they’re going for does. This man would actually require a straight-jacket.
The Joker’s plans can be so varied and I would actually compare them to a child’s. He usually has pretty straightforward objectives, pull a prank on Batman, steal money, break someone’s spirit or elaborately ridiculous plans on a much bigger scale. And yes he will throw a tantrum if he is denied his desires. His demeanor and presence is theatrical. While Ledger’s Joker was an introvert, the true Joker couldn’t be more extroverted, socially adept instead of socially inept. He should be the centre of attention regardless of his mood, which can be changeable at a rapid rate. The best incarnations of the Joker in my opinion can switch up their mood, attitude, and presence in a second changing from comical joyous buddy who actually will make you laugh to an incredibly intimidating psychotic murderer. He cannot contain himself, he is dramatic, narcissistic, egotistical, demented. With his personality comes incredibly animated expressions, he’ll get up in your face whether he’s joking or threatening. The Joker should be loud and snappy with uncontrollable hysterical laughter on the regular, cackling is ideal and Hamill did it best. I’m intrigued to see what Jared’s musical background will bring to the table.
The Joker is not just a silly clown some iterations depict him as the most feared being in Gotham, even more so than Batman himself. His reputation precedes him; many other criminals steer clear of his instability. In order for this to be believable it is not just the fact that he will kill you without hesitation and take over your mob that frightens you, his presence has to be threatening. He should be able to command fear and respect with a single glare and grimace. He should be depicted as rougher and crazier than past incarnations, a truly scary monster. The opposite of that is also true; he can be incredibly charismatic and amicable and really make you laugh with his gags while still keeping you on edge. This is shown whether he’s entertaining his hostages, trying to pull a prank on the bat, or simply on one of his rambling monologues.
The Joker should be constantly chit chatting his ideas and plans not Deadpool style to us but just to himself. I also want to see some traditional Joker gadgets like his bang gun, electric joy buzzer, acid squirting flower, razor sharp playing cards, and exploding marbles. They sound ridiculous but it can be done well.
The Joker’s face can be incredibly expressive. Actors playing him may have the opportunity to express every emotion on the spectrum from joy, sadness, fear, envy, hatred, anger, malevolence, confidence, shamelessness, contempt, and even pity. Regardless of what emotion he is conveying the Joker is intense and physical. He truly is maniacal, chaotic, and unhinged.
Finally he does not rely on convenience or coincidence for his plan to succeed. He is a joyful, confident, and competent sheer force of chaos.
I’m sure that the plot of The Dark Knight is more suited to allow Ledger an impressive role as the sole antagonist for most of the movie as opposed to what Leto will be afforded in this ensemble flick. I hope that I am surprised and with the amount of time he is given he excels. This will ultimately be an introduction not an origin to this character within this shared cinematic universe and I hope we get to see much more of him.
Batman and The Joker’s history is also integral to presenting the truly definitive cinematic Joker. Unfortunately investing time on the origin of a character, hero or villain, is usually wasted time unless their origin is important to their arc in the story or if its truly meaningful to their character (The Dark Knight spends too much time setting up the mob conflict and introducing us to The Joker that ultimately we only get to see 3 real interactions with Batman. Ledger’s Joker is surprisingly not on screen all that much for what has become his movie. This is a testament to his performance but really the definitive Joker stories always include a fully-fledged Joker from the start. He just is. Meanwhile Harvey Dent’s spiraling descent into madness is earned in that story). This Joker will already be present and a menace in Batman’s life for a number of years and may have truly done some diabolical things. How they portray The Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship will also be interesting. I’d say a lot of people might find this aspect shocking. I trust that they will convey their ‘complicated’ relationship with respect of the source material.
Jared Leto was genius casting. I haven’t seen him in too many things but what I have seen he completely assumes the role. He was brilliantly frustrated and expressive in Panic Room and eerily compassionate in Dallas Buyers Club; both are good practice for this role. Leto is usually quite reserved from what I gather and is pretty quirky. The respect, which he played the character of Rayon and how he prepared for it, really impressed me. An actor must be prepared to fully immerse oneself to give a truly animated, theatrical, comical, and terrifying performance to achieve an amazing balance between intimidating force of chaos and funny clown. Jared Leto’s rock star background will also assist his showman presence in commanding our attention and exuding his attitude. He himself has described his performance as A Beautiful Disaster.
We are in store for drastic change in comparison to Heath Ledger’s Joker, I have faith that it is for the best and complete confidence that Jared Leto has the ability to pull it off in this immersive role.
I look forward to seeing Leto’s first encounter with Batfleck and hopefully they can develop several stories integrating their conflict. Hush, Under the Red Hood, Mask of The Phantasm, Death of the Family, The Killing Joker are just a few examples that would be amazing to see in live action.
This is my first article on CBM so thanks for reading the whole thing if you did and I'd appreciate any feedback.
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