Suicide Squad: 11 Key Influences You'll See In Jared Leto's Joker

10. Grant Morrison

Though a lot has been said of the aesthetic influences on Leto's Joker - with The Killing Joke coming up most frequently, but it's far more appropriate to consider those nods as mere additional cues added to a foundation look that comes from somewhere else entirely. The lean, wiry frame, shirtless menace and slicked hair juggalo look are ported almost exactly from Grant Morrison's Batman R.I.P. In that comic arc - which wasn't universally loved, but which had some truly inspirational moments - The Joker was given a similar side-billing (licence to be the story's wildcard), just as he is in Suicide Squad, and the emerging message basically ends up being that nobody puts the Joker in the corner. If Leto doesn't channel that to steal the movie, there's something wrong. Crucially, he was also treated like a rock star; made to look like Marilyn Manson in every scene, and clearly that presentation appeals to Leto, since he approached Morrison for tips, as the writer told Comic Heroes magazine:

"It looks quite interesting. called me to talk about his approach to the character and I steered him in a few directions. I'm keen to see if anything other than slicked back hair and the Marilyn Manson vibe made it into his performance."