The upcoming DCU has a lot of hurdles to clear, but one of its biggest tests is going to be how it handles introducing the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime has almost as many multimedia appearances as the Caped Crusader himself. But introducing the villain is something that’s going to have to be done with a lot of care.

James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU has technically already started with last year’s Creature Commandos, but many are looking forward to this summer’s Superman movie as it’s ‘true’ beginning. While fans have only seen small glimpses of what this new DCU holds, the franchise is a lived-in adaptation where several heroes and villains already exist, including Batman. Fans haven’t yet seen the DCU’s Joker, but other films and shows have only scratched the surface of his best stories. There are plenty of iconic comics that could serve as inspiration in bringing the Joker to life in the DCU.

The Joker’s Appearances Have Never Slowed Down

Fans Have Seen a Lot of the Joker…Maybe Too Much?

When it comes to Batman’s rogues’ gallery, no villain has achieved the infamy that the Joker has. What other foe has as much of a presence in the Dark Knight’s life or has brought as much grief to the Bat-Family as the Harlequin of Hate? From “Death in the Family” to The Killing Joke, Joker has made Bruce Wayne’s life a living hell again and again. While that’s helped cement him as the definitive Batman villain, it’s backfired by giving fans major Joker fatigue.

As Batman’s archenemy, Joker would naturally show up more times than other villains. But it’s gotten to a point where seeing Joker in a comic is generally met with more eye-rolls than a feeling of tension. For example, in Chip Zdarsky’s run on Batman, Joker revealed his increasingly violent crimes was actually an attempt to bait Batman’s backup persona (the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh) in order to fight him. And more recently, the Joker became a featured character in the “Hush 2” storyline, where he was attacked by Hush, forcing Batman to care for the Joker.

It doesn’t help that, on top of these wild story directions, Joker has been has popped up in almost numerous live-action DC adaptations. He was portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad and the Snyder Cut of Justice League and the villain got a small cameo in The Batman, portrayed by Barry Keoghan. The Joker even became the star of his own two-film franchise, beginning with Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the тιтular protagonist. Needless to say, DC fans have rarely had a break from the Joker.

The Joker is a Fine Needle to Thread for the DCU

Gunn Must Be Careful About Introducing the Joker

Creature Commandos is the only thing giving fans an idea of what Gunn and Safran’s DCU looks like, but admittedly, it does a good job. This new DCU is more lived-in, and it has some history behind it, with more iconic characters and heroes already existing. Batman, for example, was confirmed to be active in Doctor Phosphorous’ flashback. Gunn seems media-aware enough to know that fans know enough about the villain that the DCU can skip showing Joker’s infamous origin altogether.

So, ᴀssuming that Gunn (or more likely The Brave and the Bold’s director Andy Muschietti) even wants to use the Joker, what’s the best way of introducing him? Most fans are probably content with not seeing the Joker in the first cinematic outing for the DCU’s Batman. Possibly even a few films to get fans curious about where he is. They could potentially even tease his existence by having Batman investigate crime scenes with corpses bearing creepy grins, much like Batman’s first encounter with the Joker back in the ‘40s.

Truth be told, there are a lot of great stories primed for a movie adaptation that feature an established Joker, like “Under the Red Hood”, which has all the action and tragedy fans can stand. DC Studios could even adapt Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth and have Joker as just one of many villains instead of giving him sole focus. Or Gunn could go really big and have Joker as a featured player in a Justice League movie where the villain fights alongside his comrades in the Legion of Doom.

Bringing the Joker Back to Live-Action is Hard, But Not Impossible

The DCU Needs to Do Something New and Exciting with Batman’s Adversary

Heath Ledger’s Joker said it best in The Dark Knight when he said he and Batman are destined to do battle forever. In a universe where Bruce Wayne exists, so must the Joker (even Joker knew that). The biggest difficulty for the DCU is finding a way to introduce him in a way that feels fresh, which does seem challenging after nearly three decades of seeing him in cartoons, TV shows, video games, and movies (and comics, of course). That being said, there are still things the DCU can do to keep the Joker interesting.

The Joker doesn’t need to be the main antagonist of a Batman film. Everyone knows he’s Batman’s archenemy, and fans deserve more than another two hours of Batman solely fighting the villainous clown. Joker could easily be someone behind the scenes or working with another villain or villains. He’s never been presented as a team-up kind of guy, but it’d certainly break the mold of what movie-goers have come to expect from the Joker. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see Joker teaming up with someone like Gorilla Grodd?

Gunn has a lot on his plate overseeing the upcoming DCU. While this likely isn’t his most pressing concern, he’s savvy enough to know that the next time the Joker is onscreen, it needs to be done differently to give longtime fans something new and exciting. Maybe that involves using him in a different capacity, or maybe it involves seeing him become a team player. Either way, no matter how the Joker comes to the DCU, James Gunn and his ᴀssociates are certainly going to put a lot of thought into it.