Warner Bros.
With “Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice” and “Suicide Squad,” Warner Bros. is taking its first large leap into the interconnected cinematic universe recreation, the place all of its superhero motion pictures will share the identical world and tie collectively one way or the other.
When “Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” come to theaters subsequent yr, we’ll be launched to a totally new version of the Joker played by Jared Leto.
With each movies fairly far off, we do not know an excessive amount of about both movie.
Positive, we know an aged Batman and Superman shall be duking it out in “Batman v Superman,” and that a few of DC’s villains shall be gathered into a crew to work for the government in “Suicide Squad.” However there are nonetheless a whole lot of questions, lots of which circle across the Joker.
Naturally, followers have been pouring over the few trailers and pictures we have gotten to this point, and a loopy conspiracy concept has emerged concerning the Joker.
Followers suppose this iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime harbors a twisted secret, and that he is probably not the character we predict.
What follows is mere hypothesis, however for those who’re the kind of moviegoer who likes to enter these items figuring out as little as doable, then beware – if any of that is proper (and it in all probability is not) then it could possibly be a large spoiler.
This is the way it goes:
What if the unique Joker that fought Ben Affleck’s Batman (who, after we meet him in “Batman v Superman,” has already waged a 20-year struggle on crime) was useless, and the man Leto is taking part in is definitely the Darkish Knight’s sidekick Robin – twisted and damaged to develop into a brand new, second-generation Joker?
Critically.
Why would the Joker ever be Robin?
That is query! There are some things you could know. First: Whereas Batman has virtually all the time been Bruce Wayne, there are a number of individuals who have taken on the position of Robin to battle at his aspect. The primary and finest recognized was Dick Grayson – he outgrew the position to develop into his personal hero, Nightwing.
The Robin we wish to speak about is the one who takes Dick’s place after he left, an indignant teenager named Jason Todd. He will get killed by the Joker in a controversial storyline from the late ’80s, “Batman: A Demise within the Household.” The 2 clearly have a really well-connected previous.
Warner Bros/DC Leisure
Jared Leto because the Joker, and Jason Todd as Robin.
So, this concept concerning the Joker being Jason Todd has been floating round, in some kind or one other, for at the very least three months on Reddit’s fan theories page.
At first, it appeared to come back out of a way of fan denial, rejecting the notion that Jared Leto’s shirtless tattooed getup depicted the “actual” Joker. When the primary official image of the Joker was revealed in April, many followers were upset with it.
In spite of everything, it did not appear to be the earlier incarnation of the Joker followers noticed on display in 2008’s “The Darkish Knight,” or any version of the character fans have come to know.
Followers determined it might solely be a pink herring, the actual Joker would not appear to be that – and the theorizing bent over backwards to justify this. However that was lengthy earlier than San Diego Comedian-Con, earlier than we received have a look at “Batman v Superman” and “Suicide Squad” in new trailers. As soon as we did, issues received attention-grabbing.
An image from the “Batman v Superman” trailer showed off a defaced Robin costume that Bruce Wayne retains on show in what appears like a memorial to his fallen comrade. Understanding what you do concerning the Joker’s connection to Robin, the picture despatched followers right into a frenzy considering the Joker could possibly be in each “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v Superman.”
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Various Reddit customers over on r/FanTheories have actually taken to the concept Robin could possibly be the Joker in earnest, however few articulated it higher than Jason-G169, who provided essentially the most complete model of the concept but.
In response to Jason-G169, when you think about a variety of issues – just like the doable that means of the Joker’s tattoos, or a couple of cryptic strains of dialogue – a creepy narrative begins to emerge.
The idea, as proposed by Jason-G169, hinges on a couple of key factors:
- The Robin swimsuit on show within the “Batman v Superman” trailer.
- A line Bruce Wayne delivers to Alfred as footage of the Robin swimsuit seems on display: “20 years in Gotham, what number of good guys are left? What number of stayed that method?“
- The Joker’s radically totally different look in all issues “Suicide Squad.”
- This picture, which seems sans context within the “Batman v Superman” trailer.
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The phrases within the picture might definitely tackle a double that means. Not solely will we see Wayne Tower get destroyed within the “Batman v Superman” trailer however within the DC universe, Batman places the blame of Jason Todd’s demise on himself as effectively.
All of it comes collectively like so:
- Batman, at one level, labored with a Robin, Jason Todd, that the Joker then killed (therefore the memorial, and that newspaper clipping).
- Batman lays apart his cape and cowl not lengthy after Todd is killed and retires, solely to come back again to handle the risk that Superman presents after his battle in “Man of Metal” ranges elements of Metropolis – together with a Wayne Monetary constructing (because the trailer suggests).
- The Joker is useless (that is the largest leap within the concept).
- BUT, earlier than the Joker died, he kidnapped Robin and tortured, tattooed, and brainwashed him. This may assist clarify the Joker’s wild new look – the false enamel and the infamous “Broken” brow tattoo. (Extra on this later.)
- There’s now a brand new Joker, and it is the previous Robin, Jason Todd.
It is not a nasty little bit of conjecture, however a whole lot of it hinged on cues that could possibly be interpreted any variety of methods.
Followers are fairly prepared to purchase this concept although as a result of Robin has turned out to be the Joker earlier than.
2000’s animated “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” – probably the darkest Batman story ever informed – options the Joker kidnapping a fair youthful Robin, Tim Drake (Jason Todd did not actually exist within the Animated Collection) and tortures the boy till he is a mirror picture of the Clown Prince of Crime. Years later, when Drake is grown, he returns as a second-generation Joker terrorizing Gotham Metropolis.
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The Joker reveals to Batman what he did to the younger Robin, Tim Drake.
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He appears just like the Joker and sounds just like the Joker, however that is truly one in all Batman’s former Robins.
However then one fan observed a small element that appears to attach Robin and the Joker. Keep in mind that defaced costume we introduced up earlier from the “Batman v Superman” trailer? And the primary official picture of Jared Leto because the Joker? Comic Book Resources noticed this update by Redditor DeathByRequest that observed one thing eerily related concerning the two.
reddit.com/consumer/DeathByRequest
Each The Joker and the Robin costume appear to have been shot twice in the identical locations.
What’s loopy about this concept is that a lot of the materials supporting it would not come from the “Suicide Squad” trailer, however the “Batman v Superman” one. This makes it all of the extra interesting, as it is a sudden twist within the DC mythology that makes the film universe pivot in a probably attention-grabbing (but excessively darkish) method.
There are a selection of doable causes for doing this, essentially the most interesting one is straightforward – it riffs on two fan-favorite tales. The primary, “A Demise within the Household,” the comedian e book story the place Joker kidnaps and brutally kills Jason Todd, and Batman is unable to cease him. The second, the animated collection wherein Tim Drake turns into the Joker we simply talked about.
Jim Aparo/DC Leisure
The Joker beats Jason Todd inside an inch of his life earlier than leaving him to die in an explosion.
Batman followers are form of misanthropic in direction of the Boy Surprise.
There are additionally different, real-world justifications for this little bit of speculative concept, however they’re principally the product of fan reasoning, and nothing very stable. The considering is that it is simpler to make a brand new Joker a whole pivot from Heath Ledger’s iconic efficiency – which, undoubtedly, casts an extended shadow – if he is technically not the identical character.
After all, there isn’t any purpose to suppose Zack Snyder and David Ayer aren’t assured sufficient filmmakers to simply make their very own bizarre Joker and let that be that. Filmmakers try this kind of factor on a regular basis.
Nonetheless, the concept is not good both.
Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is a little bit of an enormous wrinkle, particularly since our deep dive into the “Suicide Squad” trailer exhibits that the movie seems to be taking liberties of its personal on the subject of her origin.
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Harley’s entire deal is that she was a psychiatrist named Harleen Quinzel who tries to deal with the Joker however finally ends up being seduced and twisted by him. The trailer is fairly clear that it is Jared Leto’s Joker that does this – and that the 2 go on crime sprees with Batman looking them down lengthy earlier than what appears just like the titular Suicide Squad is assembled.
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Whoever Jared Leto’s Joker winds up being – and it’s totally probably that he is simply the Joker – we’re certain to be taught extra because the advertising and marketing for each movies continues.
“Batman v Superman” is in theaters March 25, 2016. “Suicide Squad” hits theaters August 5, 2016.
