Batman 75 Year in Review: New Joker in Town

Batman’s 75th Anniversary celebration draws to a close, so we here at Caped Crusades intend to fill these twilight days talking about the year that was. A lot of big Batman moments happened this year, so let’s review them as many as we can before the festivities fade from our memory.

Just like the return of the Joker to the comic world in Endgame, we have a new cinematic Clown Prince of Crime. In a controversial turn, DC has moved on from the tragic loss of Heath Ledger, but followed the logic behind his casting with recently lauded actor Jared Leto.

After his big Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club, Leto is about to embark on a new chapter in his roller coaster of a career (wow, just like Ben Affleck). He’d been making interesting, challenging choices like Mr. Nobody and the aforementioned film, trying to move away from the teen heartthrob vibe he’d been given early on. After the avant guard performance that earned Ledger the Oscar in The Dark Knight, it seems that this role is one taken far more seriously by actors now.

Much of the misgivings about Leto weren’t as much about his casting as his inclusion alongside Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad.

Here is part of my argument against:

"Harley is going to be in Suicide Squad and I think that’s fantastic. Finally, we will see an atypical female protagonist on the big screen who is fun, funny and tailor made for an irreverent action flick. The problem is in including the Joker. Not only is he a Big Bad-type villain who would be done an injustice (no pun intended) by sharing the spotlight, but with him there Harley is instantly pushed to the back burner. She is relegated to – at best a reactionary character – and at worst – a sidekick of the Joker. Her independent persona and character development outside of Joker’s shadow is all for naught."

In any event, I certainly hope they’ve gotten this right. If not, fans may be dreading future Batman films again.