Suicide Squad: 5 Things Critics Got Right, 5 Things They Got Wrong
6. The Joker Does Not Need To Be There
RIGHT.
Some critics have called Suicide Squad out for not giving The Joker enough to do. That is fair, as The Joker is not connected to the present day plot in a meaningful way. He is just kind of there.
The Joker may have been a casualty of the film's reported troubles in postproduction. Jared Leto has alluded to deleted scenes for his character, so perhaps Warner Bros. will once again go the route of an Ultimate Cut to make some things make more sense.
As it stands, Leto is very good as The Joker. He's even better in the scenes Joker shares with Harley Quinn, as Leto and Robbie have outstanding chemistry. There just is not quite enough there to justify The Joker's presence outside of Harley's origin story flashbacks.
Fortunately for the film, audiences love The Joker enough to not care if his place in the narrative is a bit flimsy.