Peacemaker's Season 2 premiere poked fun at the DCEU's Joker actor, Jared Leto, nosediving chances of his return. Oscar-winner Jared Leto was introduced as the DCEU's Joker opposite Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. The widely-panned blockbuster reportedly suffered much of the same studio interference as Justice League, with scenes featuring Leto's Joker being cut and an, albeit smaller, fan campaign starting to "Release the Ayer Cut." While there is no sign of that coming to reality, director Zack Snyder did get to release his version of Justice League on HBO Max in 2021, which included new scenes of Leto's Joker opposite Ben Affleck's Batman.
As the new DCU reboot gets underway from James Gunn and Peter Safran, the franchise is yet to truly kickstart its Batman mythos, as that honor is being saved for The Brave and the Bold. As such, fans are still waiting to see who will play the next Joker, who is expected to remain separate from Barry Keoghan's Clown Prince of Crime from Matt Reeves' The Batman. Following Superman's release, Peacemaker Season 2 is next up for the DCU, and, while the Joker is still absent, it did introduce one Batman villain from DC lore.
Some may be aware that, alongside his acting career, Jared Leto has been the frontman for rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars since 1998. Peacemaker Season 2 fired multiple insults at Leto's rock band across the premiere, seemingly making it less likely that he will reprise his Suicide Squad role in James Gunn's DCU.
When John Cena's Peacemaker goes to visit Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt, the former ARGUS agent notes she is "not on good terms with Thirty Seconds to Mars," while the anti-hero had his own insults to offer:
PEACEMAKER: "Last time I was in that car it was playing Spin Doctors or Thirty Seconds to Mars or some s***. I was gonna kick its a** then but you two seem like you're on good terms."
HARCOURT: "I am not on good terms with Thirty Seconds to Mars. How dare you?"
Episode 1, "The Ties That Grind," wasn't done there with firing shots at Leto, as a hilarious post-credit scene doubled down on the insult, with Peacemaker adding that "anybody is better than Thirty Seconds to Mars:"
HARCOURT: "You can't be looping Spin Doctors in with Thirty Seconds to Mars. Spin Doctors are so good."
PEACEMAKER: "Yeah, jeez, anybody is better than Thirty Seconds to Mars. My garage band, I was in for two seconds, is better than Thirty Seconds to Mars."
Not only does Peacemaker's latest release confirm that Thirty Seconds to Mars and presumably Jared Leto exist in the DCU, but it also acts as a hefty insult at the Joker actor from James Gunn, who wrote all eight episodes of the new season.
While this may all be in friendly jest, past comments from the DC Studios co-CEO indicate he is far from fond of the DCEU's Joker actor, leaving it unlikely he will reprise the Clown Prince of Crime in a future project.
In May 2018, one year after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's release and just months before he was briefly fired from Marvel Studios for past controversial tweets, James Gunn took a jab at Jared Leto on Twitter (via Reddit).
Find out more about James Gunn's short-lived Guardians of the Galaxy firing.
Initially, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star Dylan Sprouse called out Leto for "[sliding] into the DMs of every female model aged 18-25." In response to which, the now-DCU boss questioned, "He starts at 18 on the internet?," seemingly accusing him of flirting with underage girls:
SPROUSE: "Yo, Jared Leto, now that you've slid into the DMs of every female model aged 18-25, what would you say your success rate is?
GUNN: "He starts at 18 on the internet?"
While Leto only appeared as the Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad and 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League, he will be back in theaters in October for Tron: Ares.
Meanwhile, HBO Max subscribers can catch Peacemaker Season 2's jabs at Leto from John Cena's Peacemaker and Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt now, with further episodes scheduled to premiere every Thursday.
When Will Joker Join James Gunn's DCU?
Fans won't even meet the DCU's Batman until The Brave and the Bold, which is still in the scripting stage and probably won't be released until at least 2028, after Matt Reeves finally delivers The Batman Part 2 in October 2027.
But even then, moviegoers probably shouldn't expect the Joker to be the first villain for the DCU's new Dark Knight. That said, as this Batman is well into his superhero career with an established Bat-Family, there's no doubt he has already come to blows with the Joker, who may have even "killed" Jason Todd by this point.
Weapons director Zach Cregger recently confirmed wrote a script for a DC flick featuring Joker and Harley Quinn, which would break superhero tradition. The script, titled Henchman, would center on a "mild-mannered pharmacist" who becomes entangled with the DC villains, not the icons themselves.
For now, there is no sign that the script has reached DC Studios or been pitched to James Gunn, but the rising horror director could make a fine addition to the DCU. After all, the superhero reboot already has one horror Batman villain spin-off set for September 2026 with Clayface, which not add another?
Whether the DCU Joker debuts in The Brave and the Bold, Henchman, or another DCU project altogether, Leto probably won't be the one in the chilling makeup, especially after Gunn's latest jabs at him in Peacemaker. Instead, fans should expect a new actor to accompany the brand-new Batman actor being cast.
