Will The Joker Be In Batman v Superman?

Earlier today, Ben Affleck was reportedly seen in Toronto, where production on Suicide Squad is located. This has led to speculation about whether Affleck is shooting a scene for Suicide Squad, which would line up with previous reports about Batman making a small appearance in the film. If that’s the case, though, it might not be the only DC Cinematic Universe crossover that’s being shot. They may be killing two birds with one stone by filming a scene for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featuring Jared Leto as The Joker.

According to Latino-Review, there was a flashback scene recently added to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which will show Leto’s Joker beating Batman’s sidekick Jason Todd to death. If true, this means that we could see Joker killing the second Robin and some point during the story - which may be triggered by the Robin memorial display case that was reportedly briefly glimpsed in the teaser trailer. Although filming on the 2016 blockbuster wrapped in December, there’s still 11 months until the film hits theaters, so it wouldn’t be difficult to sneak a flashback into it.

With 2016 set to kick off the grander DCCU, Warner Bros appears to be taking steps to tie their films together. The previous Suicide Squad rumors surrounding Batman suggested he would appear on security footage shot by the U.S. government, with Amanda Waller questioning Joker about the Dark Knight, since he’s apparently the only known person to have had contact with him. It’s possible that after seeing Leto play the Clown Prince of Crime, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder decided to add a scene with him into the movie to lend context to the Robin suit in the Batcave and indirectly set up Suicide Squad. In the comics, Jason Todd was killed by Joker in the 1988 storyline "A Death in the Family," and although he later came back to life, his death left an enormous impact on the Batman mythos.

There’s been a lot of Joker talk over the past several days after director David Ayer Tweeted a picture of Leto as the Clown Prince of Crime last week. While reaction has been mixed about his appearance, the character is set to be one of Suicide Squad’s most important characters. In the midst of all the rumors surrounding heroes and villains who may or may not appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there have barely been any hints until now about Joker appearing, but that’s hardly surprising considering that Leto wasn’t cast as Joker until last November, when filming was nearly complete.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will hit theaters on March 25, 2016, while Joker will definitely make his DCCU debut in Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016.