Justice League: Zack Snyder Confirms Darkseid & Joker Roles In Knightmare Sequence

Zack Snyder's Justice League will usher in an all new version of the 2017 film, rearranging the project into a four-hour epic. 

The Snyder Cut will arrive on HBO Max on March 18, 2021, as revealed by several of the film's official posters. The film will look to reincorporate scenes left on the cutting room floor, in addition to following up on threads set up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. One of these plot lines is the iconic Knightmare sequence, which seems to be getting some sort of continuation in the director's cut.

One of the brand-new additions to the Snyder Cut is the return of Jared Leto's Joker, who reprises his role from 2016's Suicide Squad. New images have surfaced of the Clown Prince of Crime's new look, with the Joker now sporting much longer hair. The return of the iconic Batman villain will supposedly explore an interesting detail from Batman v Superman, that being the Joker card on the Dark Knight's gun.

Now it appears that the Joker's role will go beyond this, influencing another significant aspect of the four-hour extravaganza...

JOKER'S KNIGHTMARE SEQUENCE

In a report from Vanity Fair, details were revealed surrounding Jared Leto's role as the Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Leto wears a hospital gown and surgical mask in the recently released pictures, which director Zack Snyder calls "a remnant of his escape into the wild when the world fell." The Clown Prince of Crime will also be wearing a bulletproof vest adorned with "tons" of police badges, which Snyder says are "his trophies.”

The report also details some more spoiler-filled details from Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Joker will appear in a dream sequence/vision that Bruce Wayne experiences, which will indicate what happens if the Justice League fails to stop Darkseid and his forces. The sequence will explore a version of Earth where Darkseid has already devastated the planet, with The Joker acting as a twisted "Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come."

DEADLY PREMONITION FOR THE DARK KNIGHT

A twisted future was teased in the Snyder Cut's first trailer, but this all but confirms that Zack Snyder's Justice League will be getting its own Knightmare sequence. A Joker card was even seen in this teaser, heralding the arrival of Jared Leto's Joker.

How Joker will interact with Batman in this sequence remains to be seen, but it sounds as though the Clown Prince of Crime will taunt the Caped Crusader like he usually does. If the Joker's other outfit in the film is decorated with police badges, this could reflect a state of anarchy in civilization following Darkseid's invasion. Joker will have almost certainly jumped at the chance to take control, reveling in the ensuing chaos.

The surgical gown could also be seen as a slight homage to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, in which Heath Ledger's Joker costumes up as a nurse. Leto's outfit here seems to bring the DC universe full circle, with one Joker influencing another.

Joker will laugh it up when Zack Snyder's Justice League hits HBO Max on March 18, 2021.