The Joker Is as the Joker Is
The first image of the new movie Joker has hit the Internet, and responses are mixed…though mostly mocking. The picture is pretty extreme, and I’m not sure how I really feel about it, but it’s clear they went in an entirely different direction than Heath Ledger’s Joker. That was probably the best idea.
On a surface level, I don’t like it, mostly because I’ve never understood the appeal of grills. Why do you want to put metal on your front teeth like that? It looks painful and stupid. But on the other hand, I’m willing to give this Joker a chance. The Joker is one of those characters who can be re-interpreted in any number of different ways. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s an established part of the character that he’s constantly changing his image.
And in the dark and gritty DC Cinematic Universe, perhaps this is what the Joker looks like. I don’t really have much faith in the DCCU, but maybe they’re going somewhere where this. I’m willing to wait and see.
But I do find it kind of funny that this Joker was revealed at the same time as the Internet is collectively mocking a similarly proposed and rejected take on Spider-Man.
————-
Posted on April 25, 2015, in Batman, DC, Movies and tagged Jared Leto, Joker, Suicide Squad. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Henchman-4-Hire 
I hate that design, the reason? The tattoos, I have no problem with the Joker having tattoos, I actually think that’s a neat idea, but the ones in that picture are extremely boring, like all those HAHAHA, it simply lacks imagination, I have a friend who is a tattoo artist, key word ARTIST, she can do things that if put on a canvas I wouldn’t be surprised to find in a gallery.
Joker is insane, but one of his qualities is that he has a lot of creativity yet they decided to go with the most generic “crazy person” design possible.
Jared Leto better bring his A game for the movie to change my mind, because he already started at a disadvantage, at least for me.
Check out the AVClub’s take on the tattoos. As always, it’s hilarious.
http://www.avclub.com/article/jared-letos-joker-definitely-down-clown-218545
I’ll be honest, I don’t like it. I have faith in Jared Leto as an actor. That being said, I just can’t dig this look, the little ‘J’ on his check, the ‘damaged’ on his forehead, its just not fitting. I wouldn’t mind those teeth if his original ones were punched out by batman, but if they are grills they need to go. My personal hope is that the tattoos are those fake stick on ones that kids get. And he gets them to fit into prison, and then when he gets out he washes them off as he chuckles to himself.
But they speak to who he is as a person! I guess…
I’m also really struggling to image this guy as Ben Affleck’s Batman’s greatest enemy.
Fortunately, you may not have to! He’s going to be a Suicide Squad action hero first!
I’m not a fan. But I do remember how much everybody thought Heath Ledger would suck, and we know how that turned out.
But honestly the DC movie universe certainly doesn’t seem interested in making anything of that caliber any time soon, so I’m still pretty down on this.
My memory is garbage these days, so I don’t remember how I felt when I first learned Heath Ledger had been hired as the Joker. But I think I liked how he looked. And, of course, loved his performance. I’m willing to give this Joker a chance.
There is a funny cartoon video going around of The Joker as he’s getting his ink done, and he’s telling the artist everything he wants, in a completely non-jokerlike manner. It’s quite humorous, and it makes the tattoos seem even more silly.
Link us!