The Internet Is Having A Field Day Over The Latest Snyder Cut Joker Photo
Ever since the Justice League movie failed to impress audiences, moviegoers have been obsessed with seeing a version of the film that isn't stapled together from Snyder's original vision and scenes shot by Joss Whedon. The idea of a "Snyder Cut" has taken the internet by storm, and ever since it became a reality and entered production, fans have picked apart every new trailer and production still. And the latest picture has elicited some, uh... interesting reactions. Recently, Vanity Fair posted an in-depth dive into the Snyder Cut's production, complete with a picture of Jared Leto as the Joker that is fanning the internet's flames. No, it's not because the Joker is in the movie — audiences have known that for a while. Leto's Joker has the internet's undivided attention because he's wearing a simple white outfit with a serene look on his face, hands outstretched, and a crown of thorns.
You read that correctly. The internet is having a field day over the latest Snyder Cut Joker photo because it is ramming a Jesus allegory into the audience's eyes. Viewers' reactions are peak internet.
Jared Leto's Joker asks, "Am I a religious joke to you?"
Anyone who's even heard of the Joker should know he is the antithesis of biblical stories about Jesus. Jesus could turn water into wine, while the Joker would probably use water to infect millions with his rictus-grin-creating Joker Venom. Zack Snyder's Justice League isn't the first time the director inserted Jesus imagery into a movie, as Man of Steel tried to paint Superman as a modern Jesus (via Entertainment Weekly), but the Joker-Jesus picture is a bridge too far for many.
While some people have noticed that Snyder loves to place religious themes in his superhero movies, Twitter user Sergio Banda called the Joker Jesus "ridiculous" and @INHGamer called it "blasphemous." Meanwhile, user Wyatt Mascolina is convinced that Snyder thinks Jesus imagery is "peak Film making [sic]." User @droowm pulled no punches, saying "Joker Jesus is what people get for asking for two more hours of a bad superhero movie." Ouch. User Steve Harvey (not that one) went as far as to pretty much swear off seeing the Snyder Cut altogether: "I'm livid right now because of this image. Superman Jesus was on thin ice, but Joker Jesus is just a big slap in the face of Christianity. I was gonna watch the #SnyderCut before making my judgement, but I'm just gonna say it's bad now."
Because Zack Snyder decided to cross the streams of religious iconography and comicbook villainy, user @AzeemZafar — and a good chunk of the rest of the internet — is convinced that the director is the real joker (small J) in the scenario.