‘Joker’ Movie Gets a Distracted Boyfriend Meme With Ben Affleck

Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the Joker has a unique place in the comic book movie landscape, and that is proving to be fodder for some pretty great memes.

A new photo has been making the rounds on Reddit, which applies the “Distracted Boyfriend” meme to Ben Affleck’s Batman and the current live-action Jokers. The photo, which you can check out below, imagines Affleck’s Batman looking over his shoulder at Phoenix’s Joker, while Jared Leto’s portrayal of the character stands off to the corner.

The meme is pretty hilarious, and does poke fun at the discourse that has surrounded both Phoenix and Leto’s versions of the Joker. While DC fans were initially confused by the notion of a Joker standalone film, the first-look photos of Phoenix in the role have largely turned the tide. Some have begun to lament about the fact that Phoenix’s portrayal will be unconnected from the DC Extended Universe, and that we most likely won’t get a showdown between that Joker and Affleck’s Batman.

Joker will see Joaquin Phoenix‘s Arthur Fleck descend into madness in ’80s era Gotham, after he is shunned from society for his failing stand-up comedy career.

“I wouldn’t quite classify this as like any genre,” Phoenix said in a recent interview. “I wouldn’t say it’s a superhero movie, or a studio movie or a … It feels unique, and I think more then anything, and probably the most important thing, is Todd seems very passionate about it and very giving, and so that’s exciting.”

“I think, underneath the excitement of these films, and the size of them, there are these incredible characters that are dealing with real life struggles.” Phoenix continued. “And sometimes that is uncovered and exposed, and sometimes it isn’t, and so I always felt, like, there were characters in comics that were really interesting and deserve the opportunity to be kind of studied. And so I think that’s what Todd sees appealing about this idea.”

What do you think of this Batman and Joker-themed “Distracted Boyfriend” meme? Do you wish Phoenix and Affleck’s characters could cross paths on the big screen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Joker is expected to debut in theaters on October 4, 2019. Upcoming DC Extended Universe films include Aquaman on December 21st, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Wonder Woman 1984 on November 1, 2019, and Birds of Prey on February 7, 2020.