DCEU: We Deserve More of Affleck's Batman and Leto's Joker

We all saw the Justice League trailer for the upcoming Snyder Cut on HBO Max. One of the high spots of the trailer is the end with Jared Leto’s Joker. But it may be something we don’t get more of other than his brief cameo in this film. Unless fan demand puts him back in, there’s a good chance that’s all we will get.

When it comes down to it, Jared Leto’s Joker deserves more screen time than the studio is willing to give. Looking back on every iteration in the past, the “dynamic duo” often refers to the pairing of Batman and Robin. However, for movie-going purposes, the even more dynamic duo or pairing is Batman and Joker. Every actor who has succeeded as Batman or Joker has had a convincing adversary in the other role.

Adam West had Caesar Romero. Michael Keaton had Jack Nicholson. Kevin Conroy had Mark Hamill. Christian Bale had Heath Ledger. Every on-screen Batman and Joker is portrayed with the perfect balance between good and evil. The one exception of course was Joaquin Pheonix’s Joker, but to be fair, his portrayal was a prequel, before the “Clown Prince of Crime” days.

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With rumors of Ben Affleck returning for an HBO Max series, it would be a perfect opportunity for Jared Leto to return as well for an on-going story between the two. Believe it or not, Leto and Affleck never appeared on screen before the Justice League addition. Sure, you remember Batman saving Harley Quinn from a sunken car in Suicide Squad, but the Joker was never in the picture.

Maybe HBO Max can take a gamble on Ben Affleck as Batman and go back to the days of old where Batman was more detective than a crime fighter. If they can take Gotham PD and make it about the failed police force in Gotham, then turn around and make a Bruce Wayne-led show about the darker crimes in Gotham they might be on to something.

It wouldn’t be hard to set the tone for a Batman show that went outside the typical vigilante-isms. Borrowing inspiration from movies like the Saw franchise, or Dexter on the small screen, Jared Leto’s Joker could wreak havoc on Gotham. Since we already have a Batman/Gotham origin story from Fox’s Gotham they would have to take a much darker approach. Since they’re already on HBO Max, they’d be allowed to take more risks as well as be more adult-oriented.

In order for Ben Affleck’s Batman to get over the top, it’s time to invest in him and Jared Leto as an on-screen duo. Neither got a fair shake in the DCEU and since HBO is investing in the multiverse approach, they deserve a second chance. Can Affleck’s Batman and Leto’s Joker turn their roles around given enough screen time?