The Other DC Superhero Jared Leto Wants The Joker To Battle

The Joker made his official debut in the DC Extended Universe over the weekend with Suicide Squad and while the role has divided fans, we can likely expect to be seeing him again. As it turns out, Jared Leto already has an idea what he'd like to do. While we would expect to see Joker battling Batman, as the two are classic foes, Leto says there's another hero he'd like to go up against as well, Superman.

Suicide Squad gave us the slightest taste of a battle between Batman and the Joker but we never really got a good hero vs. villain face off. While such a thing is certainly likely down the line, IGN recently asked Jared Leto what the Joker would make of the other major hero with DC's universe. It sounds like the actor would love to see Joker face off with the big blue boy scout because the two characters are so different.

Superman seems like a lot of fun though for the Joker. The Joker and Superman would be interesting to see onscreen because Superman's so stoic and morally centred. I think that the Joker would really enjoy that. Superman is just the classic hero and the Joker opposite any her [sic] would be really interesting.

While Superman is no stranger to the Joker within the pages of comic books, since we've never had the opportunity to see that crossover translate to the screen, seeing villains associated with one hero fighting another has been off the table. At first glance, we'd have to agree with Jared Leto. The characters of Joker and Superman are such opposites, that watching them go up against each other would be something special to see. We can imagine Superman not knowing what to make of the insane Joker. Just the shift in mentality could potentially put Superman at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, doing something like this would have to be handled carefully. There's a reason the majority of Superman's antagonists are super-powered alien beings or people who sling magic around: it's difficult to make a normal vanilla mortal appear to be a challenge to the Kryptonian. That's not to say it can't be done. If Superman can go up against a guy who builds evil toys, he can certainly fight the Joker, however, such a thing would need a very strong script in order to not make the entire thing seem outmatched.

With the recent announcement that Man of Steel 2 is now in active, if early, development, we can assume that they're looking at all possibilities for the story. Maybe a fight with the Joker is one of the options on the table. What do you think, should the Joker and Superman cross paths on screen?

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.