During Saturday’s DC FanDome event, Zack Snyder revealed the teaser trailer to his Director’s Cut of Justice League also known as fan-driven “the Snyder Cut.” HBO Max will stream this retooled version (that will end up being over four hours long) sometime in 2021, which means that Joss Whedon’s theatrical version won’t be officially erased but virtually so. Yet Snyder has been perfectly upfront about how his cut won’t affect the DCEU, continuity-wise, and it will be “an entirely new thing.” So, what does all of this mean if fans believe that they’ve found evidence of the Joker in the teaser trailer?
No, really. People are pointing towards a Joker Card and more as proof.
JOKER CARD JOKER CARD JOKER CARD JOKER CARD JOKER CARD pic.twitter.com/7iMyXLaWxy
— |Blake| The Villain (@Enemies_Allies) August 22, 2020
Joker in Justice League? #SnyderCut pic.twitter.com/PzHTQhESEU
— ChrisV2099 (@ChrisV2099) August 22, 2020
It’s 100% fact that Joker is in this universe. We need to get @JaredLeto in this role again.
Floating Joker card. #ReleaseTheAyerCut pic.twitter.com/Q3eobqDWk7
— ReleaseTheAyerCut (@RTAyerCutSS) August 22, 2020
A joker card is what flies across the screen https://t.co/QyRZwmN7sG
— Battman
(@BatmanFiles) August 22, 2020
Joker card on Batman’s gun in the #SnyderCut trailer!!
now seems like a good time to #ReleaseTheAyerCut too! because obviously it can’t make much sense that Joker is in Justice League UNLESS you also release David Ayer’s hard work that deserves to be seen as well#DCFanDome pic.twitter.com/qr6fmM1LSs
— Beb loves Loki (@hometoharryx) August 23, 2020
The card appears in a nightmare sequence, but let’s consider the possibilities here:
(1) Zack Snyder can do whatever he wants and is simply nodding towards the greatest supervillain of Gotham for the heck of it;
(2) Zack Snyder can do whatever he wants and is messing with everyone;
(3) Zack Snyder can do whatever he wants and actually decided to include the Joker.
If the third option wins, then we have to start thinking about this question: which Joker?
Well, Jared Leto still technically qualifies as the current version of the DCEU Joker unless stated otherwise, and no one has gone there yet, although James Gunn has clarified that he won’t be in The Suicide Squad. That’s a blow, but still, he hasn’t been replaced in the role (even while bouncing over to Sony to play Morbius the Living Vampire). Yet there may be other possibilities.
Unavoidably, we must remember that the Snyder Cut isn’t bound to DCEU constraints. So, that means that anyone is possible in the Joker role, including the ghost of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, or maybe Snyder will make Lakeith Stanfield’s dreams come true. Or we could see the the entire refreshed cast of The Suicide Squad become the Joker. Or maybe Brad Pitt? What I’m trying to say here is that anything is possible.
What we do know is that the trailer definitively gave the audience Superman’s Black Suit in motion, plus more of Darkseid and an upgraded Steppenwolf. Yes, Batfleck, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are on board, but Snyder made it clear that we’ll see more of Cyborg and The Flash in his cut. Is there also room for the Joker? Sure, why not.