Joker
You know those obvious choices I mentioned earlier? Well this is (of course) the main one. There is not much point writing in about this subject without mentioning the Clown Prince of Crime so lets just have it.
With Jared Leto’s imminent portrayal of the classic villain coming first in Suicide Squad with some rumours of a cameo appearance in Batman v Superman there is a very good bet to be made that come the time of Bat’s next solo outing he will be the guy terrorising Gotham. Where as no one wants to see another Green Goblin in the latest reboot of Spider-Man over at Marvel, there is no doubt everyone wants to see what Leto’s Joker will look like up against Affleck’s Batman. What will their chemistry be like? What will the dynamic be between the two? The inside scoop is that the latest depiction of these two characters will see them as seasoned vets, having done battle with one another for many a year, if this is really the case that will provide a fascinating fresh take on their relationship that we have never before been privy too on the big screen.
There are so many classic stories to be told with regards to Joker. Over the decades he’s gotten up to all kinds of trouble, making life hell for his most cherished toy in many different and equally twisted ways. One of the more horrifying Joker stories is the Death of the Family a grim and fascinating series of events where Joker cuts off his own face and kidnaps Batman’s closest friends which include Robin, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl and more. If WB’s plan is to highlight Leto’s Joker in a big way, do something new in regards to Batman’s cinematic history, really freak out the audience and include Margot Robbie’s soon to be iconic portrayal of Harley Quinn, then they would be hard pressed to find a better option than this particularly unnerving tale .
Whatever path DC and WB decided to take story wise, Joker’s history is chock-full of classic narratives that would look amazing on-screen and if the early buzz about Leto’s portrayal of the Ace of Knaves is to believed then seeing him in Batman’s near solo future is all but guaranteed. Whether he can actually live up to Heath Ledger’s definitive version however will remain to be seen.
Originally published July 2, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
