Jared Leto Turns Batman’s Joker Into Jesus

Jared Leto channels Jesus in this new look at Zack Snyder's Justice League.

By Faith McKay | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

jared leto joker

Vanity Fair recently published an in-depth article covering the full story of #theSnyderCut. You may get distracted just a few paragraphs into the interesting read however when you scroll past a photo of Jared Leto as Joker as Jesus. The article works to take a deeper look at Zack Snyder’s experience being cut from the movie. It talks about discovering from his wife that the movie was terrible and he should never see Joss Whedon’s version. Whedon redid about three-quarters of the movie, from what Snyder has gathered. The article goes further into Snyder’s personal life and the heartbreaking events of that time in his life. It’s an interesting read. But right near the top a lot of people are bound to stop reading and ask, “WTF is Jared Leto doing?” In the black-and-white photo randomly presented by Vanity Fair, Jared Leto is Joker as Jesus. Yes, that Jesus. 

The idea behind the photo of Jared Leto as Joker as Jesus is perhaps considered arty. Batman has a God complex. A lot of fans who like to breakdown the series can tell you this. Joker as Jesus is part of diving deeper into that mindset. It’s Joker mocking Batman and his God Complex issues. Check out the picture right here:

jared leto joker jesus

The image could clearly be called “controversial” and lots of people are using that word while talking about it a lot. However, a scan of Twitter doesn’t show a lot of angry people yet. It’s not difficult to believe they are out there. Mostly though, we’re seeing the reactions of people who are a bit surprised, people who are anticipating the controversy, and people are a bit tired of Jared Leto being compared to Jesus. People are also betting on whether it was Zack Snyder’s idea to make the comparison or Jared Leto’s. Mostly, they attribute it to Leto and his ego. 

Will there be a huge uprising of angry folks on social media soon? It’s social media. They may appear and attack Jared Leto any second. That could turn out to be about comparing his character to Jesus or about something else entirely. Either way, Jared Leto is definitely going to be asked in future interviews about this image. Hopefully, journalists will realize that we most want to know whose idea the costume was. 

The actor is no stranger to controversy. Just recently, Jared Leto had the unfortunate job of assuring folks he didn’t gift Margot Robbie a dead rat. That story first began circulating in 2016. While fans somehow eventually turned the story into the gift of a dead rat, all interviews around the time show the cast of Suicide Squad mentioning a live rat. Apparently, Leto gave gifts to the other actors in character as Joker. Robbie kept it as a pet for a while until her landlord found out. The rat eventually found a home with Guillemo del Toro. While Leto only says he remembers gifting her a cinnamon bun, many others on set have reported about the rat. 

jared leto joker justice league

Between the rat, Jared Leto as Joker as Jesus, and the fans demanding #theSnyderCut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is getting a fair amount of press coverage. That’s exactly how Warner Bros. wants it. This version of the movie has been a long time coming. It’s a personal project to Snyder. Zack Snyder has confirmed that he is not being paid for the new release of Justice League. This is despite the publicity he’s doing for it and the fact that the full official title carries his own name in it. Clearly, Jared Leto as Joker as Jesus is not the only shocking thing happening around Justice League. This is a project rich with behind-the-scenes stories.  

Fans ready to see the actual product don’t have long to wait. HBO Max releases Zack Snyder’s Justice League on March 18, 2021.