The Joker Thread - Part 1

[J.Drangal]

Isn't the pattern on Ben Oliver's Joker shirt from that Kubrick movie ? That one with Tom Cruise riding a tiny bike while listening to Beethoven or something.

 

[RokMeAmadeus]

I've seen some people say there's not enough of a "clown" element to this Joker, but I feel like his voice is the most clownish sounding yet. The way he says "you're so much moar fun" and other little bits like that for example. I thought the almost sort of New Yorkish sound to it was a good choice.

 

[Eddie Dean]

His nose look like clown nose too

 

[Jekecy]

View attachment 54326
I can’t seem to find just this artist’s Joker drawing, holy.

They took some liberties in cleaning up his scarring, but how I wish this is close to what we ultimately get once Joker is fully formed. It's damn near pitch perfect.

One of Barry's strengths is how unnerving he can make his eyes look. This drawing in particular accentuates how much he would resemble a Great White with the chalk skin.

 

[AndyTrevino]

Part of me hopes he doesn't change too much just because this look is so distinctive. Although I will say that the discourse around Reeves' Elephant Man comment is making me feel bad about liking it NGL

 

[Boom]

I've not seen whatever discourse you're talking about. Be as it may, I wouldn't concern yourself with the opinions of people that seem like they're outraged for the sake of being outraged.

Psychological trauma born out of some type of physical deformity or disfigurement is a classic archetypal trope that has been around for centuries. This is nothing new.

 

[Marvel united]

He also said in the full version of that same interview that he was also heavily inspired by The Elephant Man, which clearly took precedence here. I'm actually getting a bit more frustrated the more I see that that particular part of the interview being removed from the video version on IGN has led to a lot of confusion among fans.

The idea for the Gwynplaine influence wasn't that this Joker would look like him, but rather that this Joker was born with a congenital disease that forced him to constantly "smile." From there, the other key influence (The Elephant Man) clearly took precedence in making a version of Joker that leant far more into body horror than fans are used to.

I think everyone assumed Reeves was referring to Gwynplaine because that's what made the most sense

My question is, why is Reeves trying to turn the Joker into a twisted version of the Elephant Man story? Why not do this with Mr. Freeze, or Clayface, or Killer Croc, or Firefly, or any infinite number of Batman's villains where such a heavy source of inspiration would make sense? The Joker is a mischievous clown at his core, not a character from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It's like if Rob Zombie reimagined the Joker

 

[Marvel united]

They took some liberties in cleaning up his scarring, but how I wish this is close to what we ultimately get once Joker is fully formed. It's damn near pitch perfect.

One of Barry's strengths is how unnerving he can make his eyes look. This drawing in particular accentuates how much he would resemble a Great White with the chalk skin.

This is so much better.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I think everyone assumed Reeves was referring to Gwynplaine because that's what made the most sense

My question is, why is Reeves trying to turn the Joker into a twisted version of the Elephant Man story? Why not do this with Mr. Freeze, or Clayface, or Killer Croc, or Firefly, or any infinite number of Batman's villains where such a heavy source of inspiration would make sense? The Joker is a mischievous clown at his core, not a character from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It's like if Rob Zombie reimagined the Joker

Deformity doesn't work for Freeze or Firefly super well lol.
I'd argue if Rob Zombie reimagined The Joker it would just be more of the "keeewwwwwl" smudgy face paint design.

 

[Boom]

 

[Sawyer]

I’m still not really, entirely on-board with the design. And that’s saying something considering how quickly I’ve taken to what Reeves has done with the other characters. I’ve loved the Batsuit on Rob since Day 1, I totally get the “Year One” proto costumes for Catwoman and Riddler, I was ****ing bowled over as soon as we got our first look at Farrell as Penguin, but this… I don’t know.

It almost feels like an attempt to out-do or out-extreme what came before. I liked what Reeves said after the movie hit about The Man Who Laughs being inspiration, but actually seeing it in action, he looks more like Mason Verger. I’m not laboring under the idea that this version of Batman is one that parents were ever going to be taking their young kids to, but it’s still a lot.

 

[AndyTrevino]

See, that's exactly why I like it. It's bold. I should've known in hindsight that we were always going to get a super grotesque Joker at one point or another

 

[Marvel united]

Deformity doesn't work for Freeze or Firefly super well lol.
I'd argue if Rob Zombie reimagined The Joker it would just be more of the "keeewwwwwl" smudgy face paint design.

Why wouldn't it? Garfield Lynns (Firefly) is already "deformed" so to speak. He's a a burn victim who grew up in an orphanage being made fun of/laughed at. That's actually the perfect fit for Reeves is trying to do with Joker.

And as for Freeze, they could easily work some type of tragic element of deformity into his backstory.
Maybe Nora was the only who loved him and this adds another element of tragedy. Maybe the suit is tied to Freeze having some type of physical disability.

There are a lot routes you can go without turning the Joker into almost a literal rotting zombie. I just find the design utterly repulsive, and tasteless. Just disturbing for the sake of disturbing

 

[Art Vandelay]

Come on, "tasteless"?

Fair enough if you genuinely don't like it, but be honest, you have a bit of an axe to grind.

 

[AndyTrevino]

Firefly is actually disfigured or scarred

 

[Marvel united]

Come on, "tasteless"?

Fair enough if you genuinely don't like it, but be honest, you have a bit of an axe to grind.

With the design, yes. I've see a lot of people digging on Leto, but I actually think this is cut from the same cloth, the same school of thought as Leto's design-- whereas instead of having "damaged" literally tattooed on his forehead to convey his insanity, the Joker now looks like a literal rotting corpse to convey that he's "scary". It's just so over-the-top, so overdone, there's no subtlety at all.

And I can't help but feel immensely disappointed knowing that Reeves' take on the Joker is going to be the defining one for a long time.

 

[antsman41]

With the design, yes. I've see a lot of people digging on Leto, but I actually think this is cut from the same cloth, the same school of thought as Leto's design-- whereas instead of having "damaged" literally tattooed on his forehead to convey his insanity, the Joker now looks like a literal rotting corpse to convey that he's "scary". It's just so over-the-top, so overdone, there's no subtlety at all.

And I can't help but feel immensely disappointed knowing that Reeves' take on the Joker is going to be the defining one for a long time.

[insert eye roll gif]

 

[Marvel united]

Aside from the look, the performance itself isn't really working for me. It's like a kid trying to do his best imitation of Heath Ledger's Joker. I know Barry Keoghan hasn't been given the opportunity to fully flesh out the character, but I'm not impressed with what I've seen of him so far.

I can honestly say that the movie Itself was amazing, but that Joker scene was the only bad scene in the film (IMO)

 

[Boom]

With the design, yes. I've see a lot of people digging on Leto, but I actually think this is cut from the same cloth, the same school of thought as Leto's design-- whereas instead of having "damaged" literally tattooed on his forehead to convey his insanity, the Joker now looks like a literal rotting corpse to convey that he's "scary". It's just so over-the-top, so overdone, there's no subtlety at all.

And I can't help but feel immensely disappointed knowing that Reeves' take on the Joker is going to be the defining one for a long time.

Batman's final speech in the movie was about scars and how they can either destroy us or transform us.

The design was obviously intended to invoke some level of terror, no doubt, but I think it's also meant more to directly play on that concept. Except here, he is both destroyed and transformed by his physical deformity.

I would hardly equate this to Leto. Keoghan's Joker was born looking this way and had to suffer whatever consequences as a result of it. It shaped him. Leto's Joker decided to walk into a tattoo parlor one day and turned out to have remarkably ****ty taste in ink.

 

[Mindreaper21]

I honestly would have had Joker less scarred and with more hair. This is kind of like taking OG Michael and turning him I to Zombie Mike. However, it can still work out.

I wasn’t counting on this Joker needing makeup, but in this case, I would. I feel like if he did that then it would make the scars and teeth more prominent, give him a bit of a classic look and I can see him in a suit.

I feel like this would give him more of a flamboyant demonic Joker look and not just like he tried to put on lotion with a lawn mower. I’m also still feeling a scene where he kills people in a Venetian jester mask at a fair then takes it off to reveal that grotesque face of his.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I wouldn't mind if they slightly tweaked the design to make him look a bit paler in the sequels honestly.

 

[WayneMB]

he's pretty pale already. Pattinson was made to look pale as hell in the film and joker appears to be pale white when compared to pattinson sitting opposite of him.

 

[Ryan]

Personally I thought the performance was good but it's pretty hard to judge from only a few minutes. As for the appearance, I don't mind the congenital disease approach however it did seem a bit over the top with the extensive scarring on the back of his head and the bald patches. Perhaps he'll heal a bit or grow some of that hair back by the next film.

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[BattleAngel]

Now I'm in the rare few who LOVE the faceless Joker...
...but then again, he only looked like that because he CUT OFF HIS OWN FACE lol. (Or rather had it cut off for him)
...As a starting look, yikes.