DC Comics is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker.
What better way to celebrate than by revealing the first official look at the next incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime?
Director David Ayer shared the first image of Jared Leto as the Joker via Twitter on Friday evening. The Oscar-winning actor will play the famed villain in next year's "Suicide Squad" film.
Leto will be the first person to play the role of the Joker since the late Heath Ledger in 2008's "The Dark Knight."
What do you think?
This is different than any iteration of the Joker we've seen before.
Here are a few ways the character has looked on screen in the past.
Cesar Romero popularized the the iconic green hair, white makeup, and red lips on screen in the '60s television series, "Batman."
Jack Nicholson went through a long makeup process to show off the Joker's wide grin for Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman."
AP Photo / Warner Bros.One of the most famous versions of the character is Mark Hamill's (yes, that Hamill) version of the wise-cracking clown in "Batman: The Animated Series."
Warner Bros./Batman: The Animated SeriesHarley Quinn's first appearance in season one, episode 22 of "Batman: The Animated Series." The Joker is known best for wearing his iconic purple suit and for his bleached-white skin. He looked pretty similar in the "Batman: Arkham" video game series.
YouTube screencap
Heath Ledger brought an entire darker look to the character in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," dying his long locks a shade of green. The Joker never looked more ragged, sinister, and chaotic.
Warner Bros.
In recent years, the Joker character featured in the DC Comics has taken on a similar darker edge.
In the Batman storyline, "Death of the Family," the Joker wore a mask of his own face strapped onto him. It's the most twisted version of the character yet.
DC ComicsHere's another look at Leto's Joker.
@DavidAyerMovies/TwitterThere's a lot to unpack here.
He's different from any Joker before for a few reasons:
1. He's shirtlessThe only instance I can recall seeing the Joker shirtless was during a gag on the animated series where he was wrapped in a towel ready to take a bath.
2. He doesn't have the bleached-white skinA huge part of the Joker's origin story is that he fell and/orjumped (depending on the story) into a barrel of chemicals that permanently dyed his skin white, made his hair green, and turned his lips ruby red.
3.He's covered in tattoos.The tattoos covering Leto's body are all iconic symbols representing the Joker. The classic "Ha Ha Ha" writing, which became a big part of marketing "The Dark Knight," the wide grin, and the deck of cards alluding to his calling card. There's a J on his face for Joker, or Mr. J, as his girlfriend Harley affectionately refers to him. Another tattoo on his hand looks like it may be chattering teeth. There's also a skull mask wearing a jester hat. Is he the court jester of death? One more tattoo near his stomach looks like it may say Joker.
It's not clear whether this will be the final look for Leto or if the tattoos may just be to promote the 75th anniversary.
"Suicide Squad" will be released August 5, 2016.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/jared-leto-joker-first-photo-2015-4
