10 Biggest Mistakes In The DC Extended Universe We Can't Forgive
3. Toning Down The Joker
When Jared Leto's Joker was revealed for the first time, the response was overwhelmingly negative. It's not hard to see why given some of the creative decisions Suicide Squad director David Ayer made with the Clown Prince of Crime, but looking beyond those, the Oscar-winning actor was never really given the chance to show what he could do.
Fearful over the response to Suicide Squad after Batman v Superman's darker tone failed to strike a chord with fans and critics, Warner Bros. ordered heavy reshoots, brought in a number of outside editing companies, and essentially tore Ayer's film to pieces. In the jumbled aftermath, most of Leto's scenes as The Joker ended up on the cutting room floor.
Between that and the decision to make a standalone Joker movie without him, Leto was understandably livid, and that was the end for his version of the villain. It's crying shame fans didn't get to see what he could do in the role, while they were also robbed of the chance to see this Joker match wits with Batman.
It ultimately led to a pretty awkward use of a stand-in in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey too...