Suicide Squad has finally released after fans have been waiting for what seemed ages. We checked it out and have a review for you here, but there is still one question that has been haunting the minds of fans ever since a certain character was first revealed: just who is the Joker?
Now, we all know that the Joker is one of Batman’s greatest nemeses, sitting high in the pantheon of his Rogues Gallery. We also know that he’s Harley Quinn’s beau. But, thanks to some makeup and costume design choices, many fans began to wonder if this version of Joker was actually the real deal.
The weird “J” marking on his left cheek, the odd laugh, the more modern style, and the fact that Robin’s suit could be seen in several trailers led many to believe that this might in fact be Jason Todd. It would make sense, right? The Joker never actually kills Jason, only makes it appear that way as he goes on to drive Jason mad, eventually leading him to become a much darker type of vigilante than his mentor. What if, before becoming the Red Hood and picking up those two pistols, he went on a stint as a Joker wannabe for a little while? It would help explain the descent into madness and even give more background other than he was just kept in the dark and tortured.
Unfortunately, fans’ imaginations got the best of them. While some signs seemed to point in that direction, it turns out that the Joker is nothing more than that. The team that brought us Suicide Squad decided to redesign the classic villain into a form that more suited the action film. This isn’t the maniac of yore who wore clean suits complete with nifty little vests. This chaos seeking menace is guns, drugs, sex, and rock & roll, but still the very same villain at his core. We still don’t know exactly who that man is, but rest assured that this is him and not some weird conspiracy.
It’s a huge divergence from the tried and true, yes, but with great versions pulled off by the likes of Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger, and Jack Nicholson, could you blame them for attempting something new?
