An analysis of Jared Leto's portrayals of The Joker in Suicide Squad and Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, highlighting recurring criticisms about his approach to comic book villains and the tonal mismatches that persist across both performances.
The issue of how long Jared Leto had to win over audiences as The Joker first came up following the release of 2016's Suicide Squad .
Originally, director David Ayer had planned to use the movie to set up the DCEU version of Joker, building to bigger parts later on. However, apart from the scenes involving the origin of Harley Quinn, most of this material was cut. This included a subplot which would have seen The Joker teaming with Enchantress in the final act. Some have contended that he was a fantastic choice for Joker.
Most audiences disagreed, however, finding his take on the character off‑putting. Reports of his bad behavior while method acting (including sending used condoms to co‑stars) did not help. For a decade, Leto's defenders claimed he could have delivered a performance to rival that of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight had all his scenes not been cut.
However, his performance as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe seems to disprove this idea. It cannot be denied that Jared Leto has a more prominent role in Masters of the Universe than in Suicide Squad.
However, he makes the same mistakes in playing Skeletor that he did in his portrayal of The Joker. Chief among these is going too far in playing up the sinister aspects of the character while neglecting the comedic ones. While a psychotic maniac to varying degrees, all versions of The Joker are a showman at their core. They seek to inspire laughter, even if the only one laughing at the joke is them.
Leto's take on The Joker, by contrast, was a murderous gangster who only occasionally laughed and rarely smiled. Leto's Skeletor suffers from similar issues. There is a camp factor the two villains share, which Leto neglects completely. This issue is only exacerbated by the rest of the cast understanding the assignment and not playing things as seriously as Leto.
Leto's Skeletor delivers dramatic soliloquies, only to pause before attempting a punchline. This sudden shifting of gears ruins the flow of every scene he is in. The only reason it is less noticeable than in Suicide Squad is thanks to the efforts of Masters of the Universe's CGI artists, who are able to animate more expressive features onto Skeletor than Leto can convey with his voice.
The recent film, released in 2026, has sparked renewed discussion about Leto's approach to villain roles. Director Travis Knight has faced questions about the creative choices behind Skeletor's portrayal, with some critics noting that the film's tone struggles to balance between high camp and dark drama.
The post‑credits scenes, of which there are three, tease future developments and characters that fans have awaited for decades, but they also highlight the central performance issues that have become a hallmark of Leto's work. In both Suicide Squad and Masters of the Universe, Leto appears to misunderstand the essential nature of these iconic villains, prioritizing a gritty realism that clashes with the inherent theatricality of the source material.
The result is a series of scenes that feel disjointed and tonally inconsistent, undermining the films' overall entertainment value. Despite the visual spectacle and the strong supporting performances, Leto's performances remain a focal point of criticism, suggesting a pattern that may affect his future casting in similar roles
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