Jared Leto’s Joker Receiving Mostly Accolades, And A Few Screams

Images of Jared Leto as the Joker have surfaced online, and most people like it. Some are still scared.

Us Weekly is reporting that Leto is taking quite a liking to the character and role for the upcoming movie Suicide Squad, a film in which a secret arm of the Federal government employs supervillains to assist in certain black ops missions. As of now, the cast for the Suicide Squad spinoff includes Leto as the Joker, Cara Delevingne as the Enchantress, Margot Robbie stars as Harley Quinn, Will Smith is starring as Deadshot, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and Scott Eastwood in an unnamed role.

When it was first announced that Leto would play the Joker in the movie spinoff, no one questioned Leto would do the role justice. But, no one saw this. The menacing tattoos, crazed look in the eyes, the teeth and smile, the facial expression. Leto has captured the pain and misery that is the Joker’s, and portrayed it in the picture. Leto is menacing, and scary. It should make for interesting interaction with the other members of the cast.

Credit Suicide Squad writer and director David Ayer for capturing the image and posting it. Well done to you, sir.

According to Forbes, Leto’s picture of the Joker evokes an almost vampiric, evil intent. Strip away the makeup and you still have not the intent of evil, but true evil himself. It’s as if Leto’s image was designed to devour your soul as you look at the picture.

Then, you have Leto’s teeth. Mostly silver, the teeth seem like they are ready to tear into the viewer, as if the viewer was lured in as a fellow predator and winds up as prey. Even with as evil as the picture looks, it’s almost as if the Joker is smiling wide, kind of a “cat got the canary” look and feel. Only the Joker, one would think, could gain such pleasure from pain.

Then, there’s the comparison between Leto’s Joker and the late Heath Ledger’s magnificent portrayal of the iconic villain. Ledger seemed to reach back to the past to bring a childlike quality, almost a pureness to his evil. Sometimes fumbling to commit his crimes, like a child learning how to walk. Once his teeth were cut, it was back to business as usual. Leto’s picture seems almost like he’s polished, ready to do evil.

What impression, if any, did the new Leto/Joker picture leave on you?

[Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly]