“Suicide Squad” will be hitting theaters in about a month, and it will be filled with tons of fun and intriguing characters. This is the sixth and final part of the six part Meet the Squad series that helps us get to know these characters that will be brought to life.
Part one was on Harley Quinn and Deadshot. Part two featured Rick Flag, Enchantress and Scott Eastwood’s character. Part three delved into Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang and Katana. The fourth part in the series brought us an overview of El Diablo and Slipknot. Finally the fifth part of Meet the Squad introduced us to the team’s founder, Amanda Waller. Now it is time to meet the most interesting character of the film.
One of the most talked about topics that revolve around “Suicide Squad” is the introducing of a brand new Joker. The Joker is an iconic villain and character, and one audiences have gotten to know before. Some fans will claim Jack Nicholson to be the real Joker. Then there will be those who were absolutely blown away by the late Heath Ledger’s take on Mr. J. But whether you consider Jack or Ledger to be the Joker, prepare yourself for a brand new take on this all-time classic baddie.
Come August 5th, audiences will finally get to see what Jared Leto has to offer in the roles full capacity. Leto is known for his method acting style, truly taking on the roles he plays. There are plenty of interesting on set stories from Leto for this film, one that includes him sending his fellow actors dead rats. Safe to say Leto dug down deep to find his inner crazy man for this one.
And that leads us to what we should expect from The Joker when he takes to the big screen later this year. First things first, he will not be an actual member of the Suicide Squad itself. His exact role in the film has not been revealed, which just helps build the anticipation for the film. Everyone wants to know what he will be up to.
It is a good bet that he will have spent time in Belle Reve Prison and/or Arkham Asylum. Whether he will be in one of the two come the start of the film is to be determined. It is possible he is locked up at the start of the movie, only to break out one or two scenes in. This could be a good way to introduce us to how this take on Mr. J operates, as we would get to see one of his plans in motion.
Once he reaches the outside world, it appears he has a very gangster/mob boss type feel to him. He drives a fancy car, he is covered in tattoos and dresses to impress. Director David Ayer has even stated he drew inspiration from drug lords on Instagram when developing the character. The tattoos have garnered the most of the talk, as people are simply not used to the Joker being covered in ink. Ayer has also stated they tell a story, and the Joker’s origin is probably written on his body. It is one of the aspects that make this take of Batman’s greatest foe stand out from the rest.
It is also evident from the trailers that he has himself henchmen. Remember the scene in the first trailer where there are guys wearing fake Batman and Panda heads? Well those guys seem to be the Jokers’ men. I would like to say this seems like a nice little nod to Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight”, who in his first scene robs a bank with his men, all wearing clown masks.
Another thing we have learned about this iteration of the Joker that should not take anyone by surprise: He likes to torture people. That is pretty well summed up at the end of trailer one with his now famous line, “Oh I’m not gonna kill ya. I’m just gonna hurt ya. Really, really bad”. It is this one line that sold me on Leto’s take on the Joker. The delivery was perfect, and just encompasses how insane he is going to be. And that is a quality that any Joker needs to succeed, pure insanity.
The Joker became my favorite villain of all-time following Ledger’s performance, and I was highly questioning when it was announced they would be doing a new take on the character. At that time I had never really seen Leto in any other film, as he is very selective of his roles, and does not do many films. But after one viewing of that first trailer I was absolutely sold. He has that crazy look in his eye, the delivery that makes you believe he is truly insane, and most importantly, the laugh.
He is a safe bet to make it to the end credits alive. We have not gotten the chance to see him square off with Batfleck in a film, and that is surely coming down the road. Affleck vs Leto as Batman and the Joker is set to be an epic clash that will have people buying tickets as soon as they go on sale. But first things first, we need to be introduced to our new Joker in full.
All the glimpses we have gotten have certainly been promising, but how he fits into the big picture is a giant question mark, which is certainly fitting for the character. Will he be the films big bad? Will he simply be operating on the side, only to cross paths with the Squad late in the film? Or maybe he is simply in all flashback scenes. We know he be a part of flashback scenes to help establish Harley Quinn’s origin story, also crossing paths with Ben Affleck’s Batman.
The intrigue is certainly there, and I have no doubt Leto will not disappoint. The early glimpses have been fantastic, and Leto is a solid actor. While his Joker will certainly be different from the ones we have come to know and love, this fresh take is set to impress. Just remember when you go see the film, talking during a movie is rude, and “All that chit chat is gonna get ya hurt”.