If you thought the Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad was crazy, concept artist Ed Natividad’s newly released paintings will make you even more uncomfortable. At some point in the production process, Suicide Squad’s Joker was meant to go full chaotic, stealing the Batmobile and getting McDonald’s drive thru on a date with Harley.
One of the biggest complaints against DC’s Suicide Squad was the fact that the heavily advertised Joker never really featured in the movie in any meaningful way. Director David Ayer and the Joker actor Jared Leto swear that the bulk of the Joker’s scenes were, unfortunately, left on the cutting room floor during the editing process, but the scenes from Natividad’s concept art suggests that there were probably planned Joker scenes that weren’t even filmed in the first place.
One such scene in Natividad’s concept work appears to be when the Joker breaks into the Batmobile, which is the first time a scene like this has even been suggested, let alone visualized.
'The Batmobile lost a wheel, and Joker got away!'
The concept art must have been from early in development because it shows a very different-looking Joker than the one audiences saw — you know, the one with the Academy Award-winning “Damaged” tattoo on his forehead? Whereas this Joker looks closer to the Heath Ledger, Dark Knight Joker, complete with classic purple and green suit and Glasgow Smile. There’s also the fact that one of the only times Batman was seen in Suicide Squad was when he was chasing down the Joker’s purple Lamborghini, so it’s hard to imagine where in the movie this scene could even fit in the final film.
Crazier still is this scene with Joker and Harley getting McDonald’s, presumably after some crimes. You can even see Harley with one of the classic Big Mac boxes.
McDonalds Date Night
DC must have tried to woo a McDonald’s sponsorship deal for Suicide Squad, because up until now, the most recent appearance of any fast food chain in the Batman universe is from February’s Batman #16 where Bruce Wayne visits the Bat Burger, a villain-themed fast food chain complete with novelty foodstuffs like “Jokerized” fries, something that Suicide Squad’s Joker would have either loved or hated.
There are other new and interesting bits of concept art in Natividad’s portfolio including this early concept of the villain Scarecrow who never made an appearance in the final film, but looks totally freaky with his eyeless sack mask and sickle.
Scarecrow 'Suicide Squad' concept art
And lastly, there’s this image of the Joker standing alongside a possessed Enchantress as they face off against the rest of the Suicide Squad in the film’s climactic battle. The image not only backs up Ayer and Leto’s claims that the Joker figured more prominently in the film in earlier drafts, but suggests that the Joker might have been responsible for the bad events in the whole film. That honestly begs the question: What the hell happened during the production of Suicide Squad that produced all these abandoned concept art ideas?
Joker and Enchantress vs the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad is now available on DVD.
