The debate of who is the best on-screen portrayal of the Joker has been long, back and forth and only gotten more complicated with the addition of Joaquin Phoenix to the list. Perhaps the even more passionate argument, who is the worst Joker, has been a little more simple and agreed upon after Jared Leto’s take in Suicide Squad.
Maybe it was the tattoos, or maybe it was the uncomfortable laugh, but Leto’s version of Joker failed for many and sees itself at the bottom of many Best Joker lists. It was also in part due to the butchering of the Clown Prince’s relationship with his loyal-to-a-fault partner Harley Quinn. It was misconstrued by the creators of Suicide Squad in a way that saw the Joker as loving, not the hardened criminal who only ever uses Quinn when he needs her, a dynamic that’s so raw and intriguing to watch in other adaptations.
It’s problematic to be upset that a relationship was conveyed as supportive and loving as opposed to abusive and wrong. But, to do Joker and Harley right, he can’t be loving toward her. Seeing him pining after her and expressing his love through grandiose rescue missions just feels wrong, especially to die-hard comic fans and fans of the characters as they’re found in other mediums in general.
The latest DC cinematic universe entry, Birds of Prey, and or Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), is a movie that tries to right the wrongs of Joker and Harley from Suicide Squad but in a way that feels cheap and not at all sincere. The film chose to go down the story route in which the two break up and Harley becomes independent. It’s a great comic storyline to adapt, but it’s not exactly as impactful or empowering when the Joker treated her so well in the last movie the two were in.
Instead of the relationship understandably deteriorating because of its abusive nature, the writers chose to simply say that after Joker went through the effort to break his beloved Harley out of prison at the end of Suicide Squad, he suddenly dumped her. No true explanation, just bad writing that plays and feels like a total cop-out. It’s almost as if they did it just to quell the complaints so they can continue to capitalize on the public’s love of these characters while they make more mediocre movies.
Birds of Prey itself isn’t necessarily a bad movie. It’s loud, uniquely colorful and fun at certain points. But there’s always the sense that DC is just trying too hard, trying to be too edgy, too funny, trying too much to crawl their way out of the huge shadow of the MCU. Which, from Justice League to Suicide Squad and now to Birds of Prey, results in choppy storytelling, comedy that doesn’t always hit and this awkward expectation for audiences to love characters and groups being showcased even though they were never actually properly introduced. The female anti-heroes and villains in Birds of Prey seem to only come together in the film because the writers said so. None of it really makes sense or flows naturally.
The destruction and poor salvaging of the Joker and Harley Quinn characters are just pillars that represent all the problems of the DC cinematic universe. Rushed stories, trying too hard to appeal to fans and not taking the time to build characters in a way that at least honor the comic origins, it’s all still prevalent in Birds of Prey. This is really disheartening, seeing as the concepts they’re trying to adapt could be amazing and something to actually rival Marvel.
DC needs to take the time to step back and restructure the way they’re building their supposed competitor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Either that, or the world is just going to keep getting Harley Quinn movies that don’t feel quite deserved and versions of the Joker that look like a poorly planned Hot Topic cosplay of a character that’s usually beloved in the world of comics.
Jackson Horvat is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
