Jared Leto’s Joker proved to be hugely divisive when he debuted in Suicide Squad, so it wasn’t as if his impending return in Zack Snyder’s Justice League was going to instantly win over all of the doubters, detractors and naysayers. Everyone seems to agree that getting rid of the tattoos was a wise idea, but until we see the Clown Prince of Crime in action, it’ll be hard to gauge whether or not we can consign his bizarre Juggalo/pimp hybrid to the history books.
The good news is that the Snyder Cut is only five weeks away from arriving on HBO Max, and the director has been going out of his way to put over Leto’s Joker at every available opportunity. Based on the images alone, it’s certainly going to be a darker take on the character than we’d seen before, but a lot of folks can’t shake the fact that the actor’s new aesthetic looks more than a little familiar.
In fact, countless fans have taken to social media under the shared impression that Justice League‘s Joker appears eerily similar to Brandon Lee’s Eric Draven from 1994 cult classic The Crow, as you can see below.
Jared Leto already had hia chance and blew it, now he looks more like the crow and less like the Joker, Heath Ledger will always be the best Joker IMHO https://t.co/Zk4aa0HMjD
— Itzely (@ely_rp83) February 10, 2021
Jared Leto’s new Joker looks like a bootleg, trying-too-hard Crow. Freakin terrible.
— CYBΞRHUNTΞR (@_cyber_hunter_) February 10, 2021
It's Jared Leto as The Crow as The Joker! https://t.co/a9N9mOfLGi
— Bartzissey (@Bartzissey) February 10, 2021
Well…Joker in #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague doesn’t look as idiotic as he did in suicidesquad…
but it’s STILL Leto.
& he still can’t f’ing act.
Terrible in everything he’s ever done.
Can’t fix the stink of a pile of wet shit by painting it like “the crow”.
NFI how he gets work. 🤮 pic.twitter.com/yBttHs7pMg— Blunty (@BluntNate) February 10, 2021
Looks more like the crow to me, imo Leto isn't a guy for joker. pic.twitter.com/kmaV0XxAPx
— 🦂Dan™️ (@ArtThouLividSir) February 10, 2021
i can now see why people would say jared leto ripped off joker's look from brandon lee in the movie 'the crow'. https://t.co/T2TEVmpzva
— polly (@fpol_) February 10, 2021
All I see when I see those new Joker pictures of Jared Leto is The Crow. #SnyderCut pic.twitter.com/VjfW2ESHuA
— HannahLWilkerson (@HLeighWilkerson) February 10, 2021
😂 Nice one guys! Tried to transform Leto’s Joker into a darker figure but end up copying the Crow lol
— Michael (@mjmgop) February 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/PeachMamba/status/1359288644259962887
Jared Leto’s new Joker look is giving the crow. I think I like that 🤔
— Gale Weathers' Yellow Pantsuit ⓻ (@mikachuisfine) February 9, 2021
It’s a strange coincidence that Snyder dropped the first real look at the Joker from Justice League just a few days after The Crow found itself trending in celebration of what would have been the leading man’s 56th birthday had Lee not died in a tragic accident on set, right when his career was looking like it was about to take off. Leto never plays anything close to the same character twice, though, and knowing his preference for going full Method, we’ll no doubt be seeing a completely different spin on the Jester of Genocide next month.