The Good And The Bad About Jared Leto’s Joker In Suicide Squad

There you have it, folks. The new look of the Joker for Suicide Squad. Ever since it was revealed over the weekend, opinions on it have been divided right down the middle. Some people think he looks psychotic and interesting, and dig how the shot is clearly an homage to the iconic Killing Joke Joker illustration. On the other hand, some people think he looks like he is squarely aimed at the Hot Topic target demo and that he too closely resembles Marilyn Manson than the Joker we all know, love and fear. The reality is, we cannot pass any judgement here until we have heard the voice, seen the walk and see how Jared Leto chooses to play the clown prince of crime. For now, all we have to go on is a visual, and in terms of character, that is a fairly shallow way to judge. But screw it, since when do I care about being shallow? Join us as we take a look at both the good, and bad, about this new version of everyone's favorite comic book villain and examine him from both sides of the fence. The Bad: Joker Manson Um, where is the smile? This version of the character looks more like some anarchist punk rocker who is trying too hard than any version of The Joker we know. People are making the justifiable Marilyn Manson connection as well, and it does fit here. Are we getting a punk rock Joker? Are we getting a biker Joker? Is this just a younger take on the character? The problem is for many that this look feels like it is squarely aimed at the YA demo (which, um, it is), but this upsets diehard fans who have been fans of the Batman and The Joker for decades. Also, they aren't totally attempting to bury the actor's good looks, which is what they did with Heath Ledger and is part of the reason that his performance worked so well The Tats Come on, self-aware tats? REALLY? I spent a good time thinking about these tattoos and I have come to one of two conclusions. One justifies them, and one makes me hate them even more. On the one hand, they are nods to the former actors who have played The Joker. Death on his chest could be Cesar Romero, who played him first, and the smile on the arm could be an homage to Jack's Joker. As for the HaHaHa font, it could be a cinematic nod to Ledger's genius portrayal. The other conclusion I've come to is that these tattoos are simply here just to show us how crazy Leto's Joker is, which is lame and comes off as the filmmakers trying too hard. While I will begrudgingly admit that I like the "Damaged" tattoo on the forehead, the other ones just don't it for me, unless they are homages, which they probably are not. Regardless, the idea of a Batman villain having self-aware tattoos REALLY annoys me. It's like having Bane with a tattoo on his chest that says "BACKBREAKER," or a Riddler covered in question mark tats. That Grill (And Lack Of Smile Scars Or Makeup) The mouth is what most people are getting hung up on, and with damn good reason. Is that a grill? And are those just silver teeth, or fillings that have lost control? Either way, while it does look pretty creepy, it doesn't remind us of the mouth of the Joker, which is one of his most defining characteristics. To strip that away completely or redefine it might be a huge mistake here. There have already been some funny memes made of that face on the cover of a rap album and such, and as of now, the character's mouth kind of looks like what you would get if you mated Marilyn Manson with Eminem. Seriously. We know that Jared Leto is beautiful and all, but this is kind of ridiculous. The Good: Psycho Factor When look at the above pic of The Joker taken from some recent Batman comics, you can totally see Leto's new Joker in it. He's skinny, psychotic looking, hell, even the shaved sides and the suspenders almost give him a neo-Nazi look (which is pretty fucking scary). If this is the Joker they plan to use, or that Leto plans to channel, we really could be in for a treat. Nicholson's Joker was nutty but zany, and Ledger's was drugged-up and psychotic. So, what if we got a Joker that was more like Alex from A Clockwork Orange? That kind of feels like it might be where they are going here, and if they can pull it off, it may work a lot better than that first photo is leading us to believe. Leto's Joker looks like he is capable of some twisted shit, and that is all I really want out of the Joker. I want the filmmakers to scare me and unsettle me and I want the Joker to look like insanity feels. As I mentioned above, we're going to have to see some footage of the character in action before making any definite conclusions, but so far, I think that they may be onto something really insane here. This Joker Is Pretty Similar To What We're Seeing In The Comics Right Now The Joker is a man who has had many looks over the years, and though we may see Leto's new Joker and not instantly associate it with the Joker that we're all familiar with (big crimson smile, scarred or not), it's important to know that this is the exact visual direction that the character has been taking in the comics as of late. The Joker we saw on the pages now carries with him a much more refined and pretty look, much like what Jared Leto is sporting, minus the grill and tats. While many think that Leto's pose was a nod to the Killing Joke Joker (seen below), I think it is clear to see that visually, at least, that is NOT the Joker we are getting here. Jared Leto Can Actually Act No matter what a character looks like, it all comes down to how well the actor can convince the audience that they are watching a real, unhinged individual and not an actor just playing crazy. That is why we all ate up Heath's Joker, because we know it was real and we knew that he REALLY went that dark in his own life to tap into that. Do we think Leto can do the same? Let's look at the former work that he's done and decide. Mr. Nobody, Fight Club, Dallas Buyer's Club, Requiem for a Dream, Chapter 27, Girl Interrupted, American Psycho....I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Leto has a very solid and varied body of work behind him. Some may hate him for how cocky he is, and some may hate him for his band and how damn theatrical they try to be. Some may even hate him because he is pretty. Regardless of whether you're a fan of his or not, you cannot say that he is a bad actor. He's impressed time and time again with his performances and as of now, it would be unfair to judge how we will do as the Joker based on the look alone. Simply put, we must wait to reserve our judgement until we hear what kind of cackle he speaks with, or if he walks hunched over or upright. We need to wait to see his physical mannerisms, and how he moves across the screen. There's so much that is still unknown that at this point, we just don't know how his version of the character will turn out. That being said, I think that, despite a few questionable attributes, they're off to a good start with Leto's Joker and if nothing else, the filmmakers certainly have our attention. Tell us, what do you think of Jared Leto's Joker for Suicide Squad? Are you a fan of the direction that they're going in so far? Sound off below!