Someone bust out the butter, Jared Leto just got toasted. Okay yeah, that was lame but it was pretty funny to see the different faces of the Joker represented in this episode of Teen Titans Go! when Cyborg, Beast Boy, and yes, even Robin decided to mimic the Joker. It definitely goes to show that there’s not nearly as much respect for Jared Leto’s version since when compared to Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, and of course Mark Hamill’s version, Leto kind of lets down. It does feel as though there was a lot of faith going into the Suicide Squad movie that Leto would do something that no one else ever had, which was turn the Joker into a silver-toothed, slicked-back gangster that was more about tattoos and knives than guns and lethal gags. It was a different version, there was no denying this, but it didn’t really fire on all cylinders for a lot of people since it’s become kind of the go-to joke when it comes to the Joker.
Leto, who went so deep into his character that he sent his costars several bizarre ‘presents’ was a little upset apparently that some of his material was cut from the original Suicide Squad, and while some people have been wanting to see the director’s cut, nothing has materialized yet thank goodness. It would appear that someone didn’t mention to Leto that his character wasn’t the main villain or even a part of the squad, and was actually kind of a tagalong for the movie. Nicholson, Ledger, and Hamill were all front and center to be the main villain in their own respective movies, while Leto was kind of a glorified extra, and in the eyes of many people, he wasn’t that great at the job. Some folks liked him and would still like to see more of him, but more likely than not it’s because he’s Jared Leto, and they could care less if he was playing the Joker or someone else in the movie.
The thing about Leto’s version is that he was going for a specific character and kind of went too far to one side without considering that fans actually wanted to see the villain they remembered, at least in some way. What they got was a maniac that was more gangster than a true villain, someone who would drop money on a new tattoo rather than a fancy new bomb or weapon that he could whip out at moment’s notice. Nicholson had the advantage of being charismatic, playful, and absolutely nuts, while Ledge went so dark that people could easily believe he was the evilest of the bunch. Hamill’s Joker was easily just as evil, but with a bit of whimsy to him, that made the character fun. But seeing Leto’s version getting roasted like this, while Hamill’s convinces the gate guards to let the group in, that’s just pure comedy there. One has to wonder if Leto is even aware of it or if he cares, but fans should get a kick out of this no matter which version they prefer since it’s not just the use of the character, it’s the fact that the other Teen Titans don’t approve after Robin fails while in the act.
Who did which character the best has been an ongoing discussion/argument for a while now since the fact is that everyone has their preference and everyone wants to believe that they’re right. Being completely fair here, Leto did go in a different direction and therefore a different version of the character that he could call his own. It was a gamble and with some people, it paid off, but with a lot of others, not so much. Mark Hamill has been the voice of the Joker for a while and it’s likely that a lot of people never knew about it until the idea was made public. It was hard to believe at first that the same guy that played Luke Skywalker was voicing the clown prince of crime, but upon reading the credits it was confirmed. That people have been making fun of Leto’s attempt for so long might not be that funny to some folks but it’s hilarious to the rest of us since the fact is that Leto’s Joker is perhaps one of the most unlikely versions that people would want to see again. Heath Ledger might have been a great pick to continue the character, but obviously, that chance has passed with his unfortunate death. Joaquin Phoenix has stated that he doesn’t even want to consider a sequel unless the script is to his liking, and yet there are talks of a sequel being made. When it comes to the Joker there have been a few men that have made it work, and at least one that hasn’t.a sequel
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