Gail Simone, the Birds of Prey comic writer, isn’t a fan of Jared Leto’s Joker. There have been a handful of actors to take on the Joker over the years, starting with Cesar Romero in Adam West’s ’60s Batman TV series. Jack Nicholson was the next big actor to take on the role in 1989, followed by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Eight years after Ledger’s Academy Award-winning performance, the Joker was recast again in 2016 with Leto taking on the role.
While Leto is also an Oscar-winning actor, his version of the Joker was less than well-received by fans. Fan backlash started soon after Joker’s official look was revealed for Suicide Squad, which showed the Joker with several tattoos (including the word “Damaged” on his forehead) and a set of grillz. Upon the release of Suicide Squad, the character was even more heavily criticized, partly because of how little the Joker was in the film. Fans weren’t thrilled with this version of the Clown Prince of Crime, and they weren’t the only ones.
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After responding to a fan on Twitter, Simone briefly talked about Leto’s Joker saying, “I don’t love it, it’s okay.” Simone started working on the Birds of Prey comics in 2003 and would later work on other DC heroes like Wonder Woman and Batgirl. Simone has an extensive career in the comic industry, but she is most known for her few years working on Birds of Prey.
With the reception of Suicide Squad‘s Joker, it seems highly unlikely at this point that Leto’s Joker will return, especially now that Joaquin Phoenix’s movie has received glowing reviews and won two Academy Awards. Joker is said to be a standalone film outside of the DCEU, so it’s possible Leto could return at some point. That being said, the back of Joker was only briefly seen in Birds of Prey, and Leto didn’t even play the character. The Suicide Squad director, James Gunn, also recently reported that Leto wasn’t his favorite Joker, which further supports the claim that Leto won’t appear in the sequel.
While Leto’s Joker received a lot of hate, it can be a bit unfair to judge Leto’s performance based on how the character was designed and written for Suicide Squad. Leto has proven himself as an actor through films like Requiem for a Dream and Dallas Buyer’s Club, the latter of which won him an Academy Award. Because Joker was barely in Suicide Squad, DC didn’t have an opportunity to develop the character or even let Leto’s acting ability shine, and Joker’s role in Birds of Prey (not played by Leto) didn’t add anything to his character arc. Because of this, many people’s views of Leto’s Joker are probably on par with Simone.
Source: Gail Simone
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