Diddy Suits Up As Batman For Halloween After Warner Bros. 'Bans' His Joker Look
Every year, countless people dress up as Batman for Halloween, but it's safe to say they don't go the extra mile like Diddy did this year, releasing a full short film of him fighting against mediocrity. For context, Diddy went as Heath Ledger's Joker last year for Halloween in fairly impressive makeup. It was so good that according to TMZ, the likes of Tyler, the Creator and Michael J. Ferguson from "Power" didn't recognize him. In fact, Diddy stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Warner Bros. sent him a cease-and-desist letter telling him not to dress up as Joker again because it allegedly infringed on their trademark. And now, the world can see how Diddy has responded.
This year, Diddy went as Christian Bale's Batman, complete with the Tumbler from those movies and a secret lair with flashing lights to emulate the aesthetic from "The Dark Knight." But Diddy takes it a step further, breaking into the office of someone who seems to be a Warner Bros. executive. Diddy forces the exec to say "The strike is over" before ... blowing up his office? The video then ends with a Gothan Times newspaper featuring the headline, "The Darkest Knight Ends the Strike."
At this point, it's probably worth mentioning the SAG-AFTRA strike is not over, and the union is still in negotiations with the AMPTP to reach a fair deal. Diddy seems to support the strike's efforts while simultaneously going against one of the union's wishes.
The Darkest Knight rises ... but what does SAG-AFTRA think?
SAG-AFTRA released guidelines published by Variety for people to follow when it comes to dressing up as characters from struck companies for Halloween. In solidarity with the ongoing strike, leadership wanted people to avoid dressing up as characters from movies and TV shows. Some famous figures took umbrage at these guidelines, including Megan Fox who dressed up as Gogo from "Kill Bill" for a Halloween party. She even goaded SAG-AFTRA by tagging them on Instagram posts displaying her outfit.
SAG-AFTRA has yet to comment on Diddy's Batman costume (if they plan on commenting at all). While Diddy bullying studio executives suggests he supports the efforts of the union, recreating a movie from a struck company does seem like an odd way to go about it. And while Diddy is primarily known as a rapper and producer, he does have acting credits to his name in projects like "Girls Trip" and "Black-ish." He could be a SAG-AFTRA member, too, and depending on how litigious Warner Bros. actually is, Diddy might receive some harsh words in the near future.
For the time being, Diddy has received much praise from his contemporaries. Khloe Kardashian commented on the Instagram post with a simple, "Damn!" Meanwhile, "House Party" actor Jasmin Brown was in awe of the production design, "SPEECHLESS!!!!! Phenomenal work from you and your production team. Y'all nailed this." You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain, and Diddy could be either one depending on who you ask.
This piece was written during 2023's SAG-AFTRA strike. To learn more about why actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.