Suicide Squad - Comic-Con First Look [HD]

[Ryujin]

To address this specific part separately, I have to point out that you appear to be assuming that the Joker was never in prison before becoming the Joker. If the Joker was a regular but eccentric criminal before whatever caused him to become the Joker happened, then being affected by or caring about prison culture makes some sense.

Also, I have a personal theory that the damaged tattoo is not something the Joker did, but is something that others did to him at some point in his past. That tattoo's gentle cursive quality doesn't fit in with the rest of the more jagged and angular tattoos on the joker.

Yes, pretty much. I'm also assuming that The Joker would divorce himself from his life previous to his "rebirth" as much as possible. That was another thing that appealed to me about Ledger's performance; the constant retelling and reinvention of his scar's origin, as he told it to different characters through the movie.

 

[MechaPilot]

Yes, pretty much. I'm also assuming that The Joker would divorce himself from his life previous to his "rebirth" as much as possible. That was another thing that appealed to me about Ledger's performance; the constant retelling and reinvention of his scar's origin, as he told it to different characters through the movie.

I think Ledger's Joker did that to screw with people, not to distance himself from his past (each telling was dramatically quite good and added to each scene were it occurred though).

Also, I am hoping that the current DCCU is giving some thought as to the origins of their Joker. One of the things that bothered me about Ledger's Joker was the sort of out-of-thin-air-edness of the character. The notion that a real and ordinary person can somehow become so twisted and unhinged as to become the Joker is a terrifying concept that Ledger's Joker sidestepped in favor of the nebulous background that allowed for the differing scar stories just to screw with people.

 

[Ryujin]

I think Ledger's Joker did that to screw with people, not to distance himself from his past (each telling was dramatically quite good and added to each scene were it occurred though).

Also, I am hoping that the current DCCU is giving some thought as to the origins of their Joker. One of the things that bothered me about Ledger's Joker was the sort of out-of-thin-air-edness of the character. The notion that a real and ordinary person can somehow become so twisted and unhinged as to become the Joker is a terrifying concept that Ledger's Joker sidestepped in favor of the nebulous background that allowed for the differing scar stories just to screw with people.

And that's part of what I liked about it. Did he consciously do it to mess with people? Did he do it to hide his real origins? Or was it because he really believed each and every new story that he told, because he was just that screwed up? That was all left nebulous and any of the above, or none, could be the truth. In the end we knew that he was damaged goods, but not just how damaged he was.

The fall into a chemical vat as his origin is the most consistent origin story, though there have been others. Apparently in at least one of them he doesn't even remember who he was before he was The Joker. That would be consistent with Ledger's portrayal.

 

[Morrus]

I think Ledger's Joker did that to screw with people, not to distance himself from his past (each telling was dramatically quite good and added to each scene were it occurred though).

Also, I am hoping that the current DCCU is giving some thought as to the origins of their Joker. One of the things that bothered me about Ledger's Joker was the sort of out-of-thin-air-edness of the character. The notion that a real and ordinary person can somehow become so twisted and unhinged as to become the Joker is a terrifying concept that Ledger's Joker sidestepped in favor of the nebulous background that allowed for the differing scar stories just to screw with people.

It shouldn't, but it does still amaze me how different peoples' preferences are. For me, Ledger was better because he had no origin. Like Boba Fett, some characters are better the less you know. Not everything has to be explained.

 

[MechaPilot]

It shouldn't, but it does still amaze me how different peoples' preferences are. For me, Ledger was better because he had no origin. Like Boba Fett, some characters are better the less you know. Not everything has to be explained.

Please note that I am not saying that they have to explain his origin to us, I only said that they should be giving thought to it. If they come up with an origin, even if they don't tell it to us, it gives them a place to start from to keep the character consistent with himself, which is especially valuable if he will appear in more than one film (which I am hopeful will be the case if Leto's Joker turns out as well as I think and hope he will).

I think seeing the origin of Leto's Joker would be interesting, but it's not something I need. And I really only want it if they can find a way to present it that is just awesome; though I suspect that would require an R or NC-17 film to properly pull it off given exactly how twisted the Joker is (and those ratings make it unlikely that it will happen because of how they restrict the potential audience).

 

[MechaPilot]

The fall into a chemical vat as his origin is the most consistent origin story, though there have been others. Apparently in at least one of them he doesn't even remember who he was before he was The Joker. That would be consistent with Ledger's portrayal.

I'm not sure what the most consistent origin is; there are only two times that I have seen the Joker's origin presented: 1) in the Nicholson/Keaton film, and 2) in this online video about how the Joker is immortal.

Edit: originally had the wrong video. It is corrected now.

 

[Ryujin]

I'm not sure what the most consistent origin is; there are only two times that I have seen the Joker's origin presented: 1) in the Nicholson/Keaton film, and 2) in this online video about how the Joker is immortal.

The origin as presented in the Keaton Batman is pretty close to the original, going back to the Silver Age comics. I had heard about the immortality thing, specifically that the last two people alive at the end of the universe would be John Constantine and The Joker, but didn't know the source. I put this down to being another bad idea, like "The Death of Superman", meant to drive sales.

 

[MechaPilot]

The origin as presented in the Keaton Batman is pretty close to the original, going back to the Silver Age comics. I had heard about the immortality thing, specifically that the last two people alive at the end of the universe would be John Constantine and The Joker, but didn't know the source. I put this down to being another bad idea, like "The Death of Superman", meant to drive sales.

I don't know if I consider it a bad idea or not yet. I'm still letting it settle in. I do like the notion that there will always be a Joker, that he cannot be killed, and I think the notion of seeing a Joker in different eras (perhaps the Victorian era Joker was who Jack the Ripper was).

I also think that it doesn't generate sales as much as a non-immortal Joker would. People flocked to buy the death of Superman comic because they thought he was really dead, not because they thought he was coming back.

 

[MechaPilot]

Like Boba Fett, some characters are better the less you know. Not everything has to be explained.

I am probably going to take some crap for this, but here goes anyway.

I like Star Wars, quite a bit. I generally prefer Star Trek, but I have a genuine love for both franchises because each one gives me different things: Star Wars essentially gives me fantasy in a sci-fi environment, but Star Trek uses sci-fi to tell morality tales.

With that preface out of the way, I have to say that in my Star Wars fandom I have never really cared for Boba Fett. Looking back at the original trilogy, he never impressed me with any of the capabilities that he is shown as having, and he never engaged me as a character (plus, for a supposed bad-ass he dies a pretty cheap death in Jedi, and yes I know the Star Wars EU elaborates that he didn't actually die there). While the prequels added to his characterization, they also didn't do so in a way that engaged me.

I get that a fair number of Star Wars fans like or adore Boba Fett, but I've never seen the allure based on his appearance in either the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, or all six movies as a whole.

 

[trappedslider]

The origin as presented in the Keaton Batman is pretty close to the original, going back to the Silver Age comics..

I hate to tell you this but the Joker has never had a set in stone origin story. The origin given in the Keaton movie however is the most commonly told one. He's even the trope namer for Multiply choice past.

http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Joker#Origin

"They've given many origins of the Joker, how he came to be. That doesn't seem to matter—just how he is now. I never intended to give a reason for his appearance. We discussed that and Bill [Finger] and I never wanted to change it at that time. I thought—and he agreed—that it takes away some of the essential mystery."

– Jerry Robinson, the Joker's creator

"Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another ... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"- Joker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(comics)#Origins