Suicide Squad Director Reveals Why Joker Has Grill, 'Damaged' Tattoo

Suicide Squad Director Reveals Why Joker Has Grill, 'Damaged' Tattoo - IGN (2024)

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Aug 11, 2016 9:44 pm

Suicide Squad director David Ayer has shed light on the meaning behind Jared Leto's look as the Joker, detailing the history behind his grill and "damaged" tattoo.

Warning: Potential spoilers for Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad follow.

In an interview with Empire, Ayer noted that while Joker's tattoo is sort of a "personal thing" and not necessarily part of an overarching connection, it originates from when Batman smashes out Joker's teeth and locks him away in Arkham Asylum after discovering that he murdered Robin.

According to Ayer, it's there in Arkham Asylum that he gets the tattoo "damaged," which serves as a message to the Dark Knight that says, "You’ve damaged me. I was so beautiful before and now you’ve destroyed my face." Ayer also noted that this is when the Joker began wearing the grill, which covers his damaged mouth.

For more on the menacing green-haired villain from Suicide Squad, which set new box office records in its opening weekend, find out why Leto's Joker would like to mess with Superman.

While you're at it, be sure to read up on how the film adds another wrinkle to story behind Robin's death.

And for more on the film, check out the Easter eggs and references included in the latest DC cinematic entry and read the full interview with Ayer from Empire.Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to him on YouTube.