Joker, Joker, Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime has always found ways to torment the Dark Knight. Which is a large part to why he and the Bat are inseparable. They are synonymous. Even when The Joker sets his sights on bigger targets like the entire Justice League, Batman always serves as the spearpoint against The Joker. But more than that, The Joker is a staple to the DC universe, arguably all of comic books. Whenever there is a story that involves Batman, using The Joker is all too tempting. It’s so tempting, within the next few years, audiences will see two separate, unrelated Jokers on the big screen similar to Batman. Matt Reeves and Barry Keoghan’s Joker and a potential DCU Joker will compete with each other on the big screen. Reeves and Gunn have proved they could respectfully adapt beloved characters. There’s added difficulty since they will be adapting two of the most cherished characters in the DC universe. Both men are smart though, smart enough to differentiate The Joker. But how will that look like?
Audiences have only seen Keoghan’s Joker but only got him in very small doses. Not even enough to see him in full detail. Yet, there’s enough to build off of. For one, this Joker is grotesque. Physical injuries to his face, boils on his skin, patchy hair and dissolved fingernails. Physical deformities that fans speculate are side effects of falling into a vat of chemicals. That alone is different from a lot of other appearances from The Joker in books, games, television, and film. So, visually, this version of The Joker already has his own look and will be a drastic difference compared to his counterpart in the DCU. One thing that this Joker already has displayed (and will more than likely have common ground with DCU Joker) is his ability to psychologically attack his victim. In a deleted scene from The Batman, Joker was able to quickly get inside Batman’s head. Joker used the intel Batman gave him as means to put the spotlight on Batman. Even when Batman walked away from the conversation, Joker was still able to read Batman and know the Dark Knight believes the victims deserved their punishments. Later in the film, The Joker was able to tap into a softer, a friendlier side of himself to manipulate the Riddler in believing he’s found a friend. Both scenes are short but illustrates clear to what this Joker could be.
As great as Reeves and Keoghan have set up the Clown Prince of Crime, this version needs to used seldomly. More precisely should never be the main villain to any of these Batman films. Batman has the most famous rouge’s gallery in all of comic books, but The Joker seems to get top billing all the time. This is a chance for other villains that haven’t been called up, deserve a second chance, or need more attention to step into the villain role. But this is also a chance to Reeves to do something with The Joker that hasn’t been done in a saga of Batman films. He could take a play from the Thor and X-Men films. Those movies had the same villain in all three movies; Loki and Magneto respectfully. Joker could be utilized this way. There could be one movie where Batman keeps going back to him in Arkham to get even more insight on the criminal mindset. Maybe another where the main villain of the movie has their sights on The Joker for whatever reason. And it’s up to Batman to keep The Joker alive. If a film goes that way, it could show their relationship in a different lens. It will bring to the forefront to why The Joker is infatuated with Batman and show his further infatuation with him. And with The Joker nagging him and maybe sharing some insight during the ordeal, it could show how Batman hates and respects The Joker. But the most important thing it could highlight is Batman’s no kill code. The villain that’s going after The Joker could be causing collateral damage and that gets Batman enraged. Joker could tease him that by killing him, the hunt will end. Batman will obviously refuse but has to fight demons to come to that conclusion. Regardless, this Joker has shown that with little screen time he was still able to make a big impact. Maybe that could be a recipe that could be used again and again.
For the DCU Joker, it might be the time for him to go full on crazy. Many of the previous live action Jokers have been grounded, have been handled from a more realistic approach. In the books, video games, and animation, The Joker is a character that is larger than life and his actions are bigger than that. He has set his sights on larger targets than Batman by going after the Justice League one by one, he has tricked Superman into believing he was fighting Doomsday while it was Lois Lane the entire time, and has desires to release his Joker Toxin on Gotham to make smiling, devoted servants. Audiences haven’t really had that since Jack Nicholson. But since this part of The Joker’s character has been touched on lightly and his counterpart in the Reeves side of Batman storytelling is more realistic, the DCU Joker has high potential to be more over the top. His character might be similar to the ones fans have seen in the Arkham games and the animated appearances. For a character that has so much flare and allure, it’s been toned down in each iteration. The Joker needs an outing that gives him all the room to show off his full potential. Whether it’s his big, playful, menacing personality or his haunting wailing cackling or his willingness to tempt death, all that needs to be a solid presence for his Joker. Razor sharp playing cards, explosive chattering teeth, Joker Toxin, and acid spewing from flowers should come back. Over complicated, over the top, misleading plans should be there. Bottomline a Joker that isn’t bound by a realistic approach. The Joker is a wild animal and needs to be released.
Regardless if these Jokers do exist at the same time or are separated by a few years, the differences still need to be stark. This is a character that has a lot to offer when it comes to adapting him. The Joker is also a character that seems to fit every and all situations he is in, doesn’t really seem out of place for him. Even though it is the same character, these two interpretations need to feel like two very different characters. One because it would make it more digestible and acceptable for audiences to see two Jokers. And a way to honor The Joker given his versatility.
