The Suicide Squad director James Gunn explains why he didn’t want to include Joker in The Suicide Squad. The Clown Prince of Crime joined the DC Extended Universe back in 2016 when Jared Leto appeared in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Despite minimal screentime, the look of Leto’s Joker became quite impressive, as did Ayer’s movie.
Meanwhile, this led Warner Bros. and DC Films to move in a different direction with the franchise’s future, which included bringing Gunn into the fold for a sequel. Because of the response to Jared Leto’s Joker, his DC Extended Universe future became incredibly murky. Audiences last saw him in the main DCEU continuity freeing Harley Quinn played Margot Robbie from prison at the end of Suicide Squad, but Birds of Prey confirmed the couple’s breakup.
However, there were reports that WB and DC were interested in a Joker solo movie starring Leto even after Joaquin Phoenix’s but that project hasn’t gained any traction. Some hoped that Joker would once again be in The Suicide Squad, but James Gunn left him out of the movie. It’s been months since The Suicide Squad’s release, and Gunn’s DCEU movie received great reviews.
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In a recent interview with Desde Hollywood through Comicbook, the writer and director again addressed the decision to leave Joker out of the movie. James Gunn mentions the excellent work others have done in adapting Joker and wanting to elevate obscure characters as reasons why The Suicide Squad didn’t feature the Joker.
Meanwhile, based on Gunn’s opinion about Joker, fans shouldn’t expect him to appear in future DC projects he’s involved with either. Joker wouldn’t fit with Peacemaker based on what is known about the HBO Max DC series. WB and DC haven’t confirmed that Gunn will return to direct a sequel to The Suicide Squad, but it is expected to happen eventually. When it does, fans probably shouldn’t hold out hope for a Joker appearance there either.