The Joker's presence in Zack Snyder. Now confirmed to land on HBO Max in 2021, Zack Snyder's Justice League has already sprung a few surprises, with Superman in his black suit, the return of the Knightmare timeline, and the arrival of Darkseid. Fans are predicting even more revelations in the finished 4-hour miniseries, from Green Lantern's debut to the death of Lois Lane, but one character hardly anyone expected to rock up was Jared Leto's Joker.
Leto debuted as Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime in the ill-fated 2016 The Suicide Squad sequel. Fortunately, DCEU Joker will reportedly be included in the Snyder cut, and while the extent of his role remains under wraps, fans are delighted that Leto's villain might finally receive a proper cinematic outing.
But Joker isn't the only beneficiary of Jared Leto's return in the Snyder cut. The super-streamlined 2017 Justice League afforded very little time to Bruce Wayne as he grieved the loss of Clark Kent. In Bruce's determination to get Superman back up and running in time to fight Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is glossed over. With a much wider scope and 4 hours to fill, Zack Snyder's Justice League will be able to spotlight this aspect of Ben Affleck's character more effectively - and Joker can play a vital role in that process.
The Snyder cut trailer previously teased Joker's arrival when one of the villain's trademark playing cards floated by like ominous tumbleweed in the Knightmare future. This suggests Leto will feature as part of this post-apocalyptic dystopia sequence, rather than in the present timeline. The DCEU's Knightmare revolves wholly around the theme of grief - what happens to Superman if he loses Lois Lane? Batman's "loss" in this future is being forced to watch Clark Kent transform from a bastion of justice into a ruthless villain, but the Caped Crusader's grief in the DCEU runs far deeper. Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne is underpinned by one huge tragedy in his distant past - the death of Dick Grayson at the hands of the Joker. By introducing Joker into the Knightmare, the Snyder cut is mashing-up Bruce's grief-ridden past with his equally grief-ridden future.
Where the Justice League's theatrical cut danced around Bruce's emotional reaction to Clark's death and his lingering trauma over Robin, Jared Leto's Joker can help resolve both plot threads in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Batman's overarching story in the DCEU is evolving from a jaded, angry vigilante who works alone and brands criminals, to a hopeful and cooperative hero striving for justice. In the 2017 Justice League, this development just sort of happens after Bruce makes some new friends. But through Batman confronting his old nemesis in the Knightmare timeline and laying to rest the ghost of Dick Grayson, while simultaneously mourning the death of Superman and preventing Clark turning to the Dark Side, Zack Snyder's Justice League can add far more emotive depth to Batman's arc through a more complete and satisfying narrative.
