Warning: The following contains possible spoilers for "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice."
There are generally two schools of thought among fans when it comes to Jared Leto's Joker in the DC Extended Universe. The first and likely option is that he previously killed a version of sidekick Robin and that Ben Affleck's Batman is guilt ridden over his murder (a similar storyline played out in the famous comic book "Batman: A Death in the Family"). The thinking goes that Batman's obsession with The Clown Prince of Crime originates from this initial event and serves as the foundation of their dynamic throughout the DCEU.
The second and less likely option is that The Joker didn't kill Robin, he is Robin.
Zack Snyder's "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" is heavily inspired by Frank Miller's iconic "The Dark Knight Returns." But in Miller's not so well received "The Dark Knight Strikes Back," Dick Grayson loses his marbles and reimagines himself as the new Joker. Similarly, former Robin Jason Todd became the vigilante/anti-hero/murderer Red Hood in the comic "Under The Hood." Could Snyder borrow a similar storyline?
Stretching our investigatory powers a bit further, the Robin costume shown in the "Batman V Superman" trailer appears to have bullet holes of some sort in the shoulders. Is it a coincidence that these seem to match up with shoulder tattoos and scars on the Joker? Plus, there's Bruce Wayne's line: "20 years in Gotham, how many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?"
What if he's talking about his old running mate turned bad?
None of this merits an open-and-shut case (more grasping at straws, admittedly), but it's worth thinking about. Warner Bros. wants to build a shared universe with interconnectivity to rival Marvel. This type of roundabout twist that has some sort of precedent in the comics would be one way to accomplish that.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will hit theaters on March 25, 2016. "Suicide Squad" is slated for an Aug. 6 release.
