Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Jared Leto was a controversial pick for the Suicide Squad (2016) version of the Joker from the beginning, which was only made worse when word of his on-set antics became headlines. No, director David Ayer is acknowledging that the most mocked part of this version of the iconic Batman villain was, to be blunt, a pretty bad idea.
To be fair, Jared Leto had some pretty big shoes to fill as the Joker. He was the next actor to portray the character in a live-action film after Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for playing the Clown Prince of Crime in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008), often considered the finest version to date.
Even so, Jared Leto’s Joker was considered something of a try-hard attempt to re-envision the Batman archenemy as a tattoo-covered club owner with dental jewelry and a self-consciously “edgy” attitude.
That’s where David Ayer takes the blame.
Related: Dave Bautista Reportedly Wants To Join the DCU To Portray Batman’s Greatest Villain
Jared Leto, the Joker, and Tattoos
In a recent Twitter post, Suicide Squad director David Ayer took responsibility for the most notorious conceptual idea for the Jared Leto Joker, a forehead tattoo that reads, “DAMAGED.”
I own the tattoo idea 100%
It was my choice. Original idea is it would say “Blessed” and not “Damaged”
Now having said that — I regret that decision. It created acrimony and division.
Not every idea is a good idea.
And I’ll just be in the corner here while the internet… https://t.co/8no7KQy1Oe
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 16, 2023
David Ayer seems to be deflecting blame from oft-maligned filmmaker and DC Extended Universe architect Zack Snyder, saying, “I own the tattoo idea 100%. It was my choice. Original idea is it would say ‘Blessed’ and not ‘Damaged.’ Now having said that — I regret that decision. It created acrimony and division. Not every idea is a good idea. And I’ll just be in the corner here while the internet slaps me around for this post.”
Notably, David Ayer has previously released test footage for the Jared Leto Joker that indicated that the tattoo was indeed supposed to read “Blessed,” though it is unclear when and why that was changed.
Related: It’s Morbin’ Time as Jared Leto Scales Berlin Hotel Facade
Future of the DCEU
To date, Jared Leto is the only actor to have played the Joker in more than one live-action film, which puts him ahead of Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Heather Ledger. Leto’s version of the character was included in newly-shot footage for Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) and presumably was intended to appear in further installments of the now-defunct DCEU.
However, his record will soon be matched by Joaquin Phoenix for Joker: Folie à Deux and possibly Barry Keoghan in the upcoming Robert Pattison Batman sequel.
But, for now, at least someone has taken responsibility for one of the more embarrassing parts of the DCEU and done it with extreme grace. Well done, David Ayer.
Who played the best live-action Joker? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!