Jared Leto’s Joker doesn’t have a major role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and he only factors into the four-hour epic for a handful of minutes, but based on the rampant rumors and speculation surrounding his involvement, you’d think that he’s right there fighting alongside the titular team for the entire duration.
Of course, nobody gave much thought to the idea of the Academy Award winner returning to the DCEU based on the divisive reception to his performance in Suicide Squad, and that’s without even mentioning that he’d effectively been consigned to the trash pile during Birds of Prey, with a body double used to hammer home the point that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn had kicked him to the curb.
However, almost as soon as it was announced that Leto’s Crown Prince of Crime was returning to the fold for the final round of Justice League reshoots, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was suddenly the DCEU’s golden boy. Reports flooded the internet that he was being lined up for solo movies, the team-up with Harley was back on the table, and he’d finally face off against Ben Affleck’s Batman in a feature film and/or TV show, which was only the tip of the iceberg.
Obviously, as things stand, Leto hasn’t signed on for anything post-Justice League, but insider Daniel Richtman is claiming that Warner Bros. are now more receptive to the idea of him making a full-on comeback than ever before, after the Snyder Cut drew strong reviews from critics and is poised to play like gangbusters on HBO Max. It feels increasingly inevitable that we’ll see him again even if the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse campaign looks doomed to fail, but either way, there’s no denying that Leto hasn’t really been given a fair shake of the stick when it comes to the Joker yet.