Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Devs Explain Joker's New Look

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's developer has explained why Joker looks so different this time around. Rocksteady Studios is responsible for one of the most beloved takes on Batman of all-time and with that also came one of the most iconic takes on the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime was prominently featured in each Arkham game, even in the third game despite his death in the prior entry. Mark Hamill's performance as Joker was widely recognized as one of the best performances in gaming during this time which comes as little surprise since he had crushed it decades prior on Batman: The Animated Series. With that said, it doesn't seem like Hamill will return for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, despite the fact the game is a direct follow-up to the Arkham games. Joker will appear as a playable character in the game's post-launch content, but he's a Joker that was part of the Suicide Squad in a different universe where Brainiac won.

He has a noticeably different look from the Joker we know and love from the Arkham games and as you might imagine, that's very intentional. In a Q&A on the official Discord for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady was asked about the changes to the look of the iconic character. Advanced Scriptwriter Kate Watson spoke about what makes this Joker new and unique.

"Arkham Joker is iconic, from his look to Mark Hamills BAFTA award winning performance. We wanted our Joker to stand on is own one foot and be his own person. As you can see, the art teams have done an amazing job on his look. He feels put together, so although he has the Joker smudged make up, his feels intentional. His outfit is showy and over the top and this runs through to his traversal as well. As to performance, we have the amazing JP Karliak voicing Joker and honestly, his adlibs in session were often better than what we'd written, so he really helped us to develop this Joker."

Watson also explained why this Joker has a prosthetic leg, noting that it comes from his own anarchy. Amidst the Joker's antics, he blew his leg off with one of his own bombs: "Like all Jokers, our boy loves bombs and, as is the want of the Joker, he is not the most safety conscious when it comes to their detonation."