Yahoo News Here's how Phoenix and Leto can BOTH be The Joker
Move over Batman, the DC Extended Universe has a new leading man to rule the roost. As the Clown Prince of Crime rises to the top of Warner Bros' upcoming slate, the studio could be laughing all the way to the bank with two movies focusing on The Joker.
You might be forgiven for thinking the circus was coming to town with the latest announcement that Joaquin Phoenix will take the lead in a gritty Todd Phillips and Martin Scorsese Joker origin movie set in the '80s. Fans are rightly confused about how the Phoenix and Jared Leto eras of the Dark Knight's darkest foe can coincide – or whether Gotham City simply isn't big enough for a pair of Jokers.
Phoenix admits that stepping into a purple suit and painting a smile on his bleached face is a task that "scares the f**king shit" out of him.
But the big question is: what happens to Jared Leto's tattooed terror? With Suicide Squad alumni Margot Robbie and Leto set to star in their own Harley Quinn and Puddin' spinoff, there are hopes that This is Us' Glenn Ficarra and John Requa can redeem Leto's controversial entry into the DCEU.
David Ayer's movie was famously plagued with problems, and although proving a hit at the box office, Suicide Squad is an often-maligned movie for the already rocky DCEU.
Leto himself was a cause for concern on the set of Ayer's movie and seemed to go off the deep end when gifting Margot Robbie a live rat as a token of The Joker's love. While this type of method acting may have worked for Heath Ledger – to the star's detriment – it didn't really add to Leto's sidelined performance as The Joker. There is of course one way to "fix" Leto's Joker.
The Jason Todd/Tim Drake option
A dark shadow hung over Suicide Squad thanks to the tragic fate of Jason Todd. His Robin suit was pictured in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and it was later confirmed that he had met his maker at the hands of Harley and The Joker. A popular theory circled that Leto's Joker isn't THE Joker, and that Suicide Squad was taking a leaf out of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The 2000 cartoon saw Tim Drake kidnapped and (presumed) murdered by The Joker, but instead he suffered a mental breakdown and took on the mantle of The Joker himself.
Fans asked David Ayer if Leto's Joker is actually Jason Todd, but he shot down the theory as the "most ridiculous rumour" he'd heard. Which is not to say that's canon fact, beyond the reach of a retcon. The other big option is that Leto's Joker could be Tim Drake.
With Ayer being shown the door to the DCEU and Zack Snyder gone the same way, what does it matter anyway? The Leto = Todd theory could rise from the ashes like Jason himself in either of the Joker standalones or Suicide Squad 2.
The "Two Jokers" option
The other option is that the two branches of DC movies continue to move forward with two Jokers. As Fox's Gotham beautifully told us, The Joker is just an idea. Similar to The Walking Dead's "We're all Negan", there could be any number of mad men out there willing to become Batman's No.1 enemy. Comic books are littered with multiple characters taking on the same mantle. Peter Parker and Miles Morales have both co-existed as Spider-Man, Thor Odinson and Jane Foster have both lifted Mjölnir, and even Bruce Wayne was once replaced by Dick Grayson as the "official" Batman.
The "Two Continuities" option
Also, let's remember that DC comics once exploded into a whole universe of alternate possibilities thanks to its Elseworlds line. Although the MCU is tightly constrained by the rules of having everything under one umbrella, it doesn't necessarily mean that the DC bigwigs should have to follow suit. Remembering back to the heyday of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, no one was bothered how Anne Hathaway's Catwoman didn't lead on from Michelle Pfeiffer's acclaimed performance or how Christian Bale wasn't a rubber-nippled George Clooney. If the DCEU (or whatever it is anymore) expects to survive, now might be the time to diversify.
Whatever happens, it is likely a last-chance saloon for Leto's Joker. Although the 46-year-old may have had a bum rap thanks to Suicide Squad, the Harley and Joker spinoff will undoubtedly either redeem the character or doom Leto to a quiet phasing out from the DCEU.
Warner Bros. is cleverly trying the idea of multiple Jokers with the assumption that one will come out on top. Whether it's Phoenix's gangster-inspired Mr J or Leto's ghetto-grilled villain, it's likely that a single Joker will get the last laugh. If we were gamblers, we'd flip Harvey Dent's coin – but guess that Phoenix will win this round.
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