Suicide Squad

[Slash Man]

^That picture gives me hope

This new picture actually does more for me. Mainly because we can only see the classic Joker makeup and not the new... additions. Interestingly, the vertical tattoo on his right cheek doesn't seem to be there. I'm praying that the tattoos were just for he ad campaign.

[Travesty]

The tattoo is on his left side.

[Slash Man]

Not sure if it was a tattoo, or something else, but there was a line on his right cheek (not the 'J') that isn't visible in the more recent picture:

[The Dark Knight]

I still hate the look, and Ledger's Joker is much better. That speaks volumes as to how much I dislike this version. They dropped the ball big time, especially after how glorious and comic-like Affleck's Batman is. Leto looks like a common thug who worships the Joker in a prison punk band, themed on Marilyn Manson.

The tattoos will be covered with a jacket at some point, but that's not the point. The Joker looks down upon the commoners, and has an air of elitism. I don't think he'd stoop this low, or become like the other plebs in jail.

Unpredictability in the Joker character isn't a solid reason for this look, either. He could hit the gym and become a walking tank, wear a t-shirt and sandals but it'd still be a pathetic aesthetic choice for the character.

I am sick and tired of 'the performance is king' comments. Yes, sure, I am aware of that. But why in the hell can't we have both a good looking design coupled with a good performance?

A big swing and miss for me.

The mocking memes will keep on coming because this deserves nothing but scorn.

[Catwoman]

Maybe the tattoos are just some promotional sh*t designed to throw us off? Hopefully?

[The Laughing Fish]

Maybe the tattoos are just some promotional sh*t designed to throw us off? Hopefully?

Best case scenario is we see flashbacks of him pre-tattoo and capped teeth.

The tattoos will be covered with a jacket at some point, but that's not the point. The Joker looks down upon the commoners, and has an air of elitism. I don't think he'd stoop this low, or become like the other plebs in jail.

I once said that the Joker in most media was a narcissist who takes great pride in his appearance, and I used that argument as a justification to criticise Ledger's Joker. Let's face it: Joker would never tolerate having scars on his face, or get upset if someone called him a 'freak', or admit that his jokes were bad. He definitely would NOT resort to looking like a thuggish, serial-killer horror film character. And I stand by that opinion. But, to be fair, I don't think he'd resort to having tattoos on his body either. He may not have scars this time, but Joker still has that Gothic aesthetic about him that I don't appreciate like last time.

In either case, Ledger and Leto's appearances undermines the debonair appeal of the character. But if I have to choose the lesser of the two evils, I'd go for Leto's look any day. At least Leto here looks more of a clown than Ledger did, and if Doc is right, the bleached hair and skin alone is better than Ledger. I know I immediately compared Leto to Marilyn Manson, but I honestly remember that I mistook Ledger as someone from one of those "nu-metal" bands i.e. Slipknot or Mushroomhead. I remember being shocked to discover he was Joker when I read a news article. Yet, people loved that look. Well, they don't have to like this new interpretation, but if they embraced TDK's radical look then I don't think they should be too critical of this one.

The other element that I thought about is the potential issues related to being too close to the comic; Jack made his deal for "any derivative Joker" (ie: based on his) to net him money. Since he was so close to the comics, maybe with Ledger & Leto (and even the guy in the intro to the Birds of Prey show, who's lower half-face always looked fleshtone...) they have to be different enough from the comic look just so Jack won't have a leg to stand on in court if he wanted some extra bucks.... food for thought.

I find that really disheartening to hear. That explains why Hollywood is constantly trying to do something different to the character all the time. I like Nicholson's Joker like everybody else here, but he has no right to trademark the character's look, regardless if it says on the contract or not.

[Slash Man]

Yeah... I like that Jack still stands behind his portrayal, but since the beginning, there's been a lot of greed involved with licensing and such. Sideshow was one of the rare companies that got to use his likeness for their Joker (to great effect). Previously, he'd only let it happen with some outrageous fee. Back in '89, I forget the sculpter, but an artist was creating Batman & Joker statues to great demand. He came up with the idea to give them a bronze finish, but Jack would only oblige if all 500 were hand-painted. Needless to say, the public didn't see those statues. Anyways, I don't think Jack can claim ownership to the classic Joker design in live action. Only when it's specifically his likeness (and he will milk it for what it's worth). Was the classic Joker design ever on the table for Ledger, or was that always too "unrealistic?"

Back to Leto, what's everyone think about the no eyebrows look? The only instance I can think of off the top of my head is Batman: The Animated Series. And that was pulled off well with the dark outlines. In real life, it should make for some interesting expressions.

[The Dark Knight]

Seriously, if anybody looks like a punk rocker, it's Leto's hands down.

Why the f*** does he need to tattoo his body with 'ha ha ha' and playing cards? To show he's really into that stuff, and hey, I'm really the Joker? It's a try-hard design. If I saw this guy holding a guitar, I'd really think he was a back-up guitarist for some cheap and nasty band who snorts coke in between badly sung songs.

I'd rather the Joker look like a horror movie, serial killer than that.

Leto's version is a joke for all the wrong reasons.

[Catwoman]

Question for the powers that be (That's you, Lex). Can we have a Suicide Squad section now that the filming has started and we've got our first official character pic?

[The Joker]

After observing some of the reactions to the official image of Leto as the Joker, alot of people are really focusing on the tats and capped teeth. Outside of that, and whatever people's preference for the Joker's appearance is these days (which has really gotten incredibly uneven over the years; as Ledger's facepaint, dyed hair, and massive scars on his face is A OK. Along with Leatherface Joker from Nu52 having it's fans, but tats and metal capped teeth somehow becomes a major deal breaker?), Leto's Joker looks very much like Joker to me. A look that evokes a sense of being incredibly intense, and excessively insane. A look that's pretty much has become the norm whenever the Joker appears in the books these days. Up to one's own personal perspective if that's for better or worse.

Actually, for me, the teeth become less and less of an issue the more I look at the image. Honestly, it makes sense. If this is a Joker thats already faced off against Batman, possibly more than just once, he would have definitely lost a few teeth and needed replacements by this point. The tattoos, however, are the real stickler. Personally, I could have done without them, and generally prefer a much more 'posh' appearance, but really, alot will come down to Jared Leto's performance. Which I think he'll be great. Course people have their favorites, but Romero, Nicholson, Hamill and Ledger have all owned the role of the Joker. No doubt Leto's Joker will be in their company as well.