Released on February 14, 2021, the first official trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League (affectionately known as the Snyder Cut) gave fans a lot to love. A quasi-remake of the 2017 version of the DCEU film, the trailer not only showed new material, but polished versions of previous scenes: Superman in his iconic black suit, alien invader Steppenwolf decimating opponents, and even the first-ever live-action appearance of the supervillain Darkseid. However, what really caught fans’ eyes was the ‘stinger’ placed after the title bumper, a subtle nod to the long-running Joker meme.
Sitting on a car and holding a gun, the newly-designed version of Jared Leto’s Joker turns to Batman (Ben Affleck) and monologues, “we live in a society where honour is a distant memory. Isn’t that right, Batman?” Whilst to many, this poetic turn-of-phrase may seem par-for-the-course for the Clown Prince of Crime (after all, when hasn’t the Joker used overly flowery language to taunt the Dark Knight?), but it actually has a far deeper meaning: it means that Zack Snyder has been paying attention.
Ever since the release of 2008’s The Dark Knight, the Joker has been a controversial figure. While Heath Ledger’s performance in that movie received universal acclaim, many predicted that his charisma and intensity would inadvertently encourage viewers to echo or copy the character’s behavior and beliefs: they would start to evoke his anti-society viewpoints. Indeed, over the next decade or so, many began to use the Joker as a symbol for anarchist sentiments, although usually along the lines of small-term grievances (such as not having a girlfriend or the idea that ‘gaming’ wasn’t respected by mainstream society). Although these beliefs began sincerely, they started to be co-opted by online forums like Reddit and 4chan, as a way to ironically poke fun at the ridiculousness of these opinions (please note: while the majority use the Joker memes ironically, many still are sincere in their evocation).
This trend came to a head with the release of 2019’s Joker, an origin story for the character. Again, while Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as the Arthur Fleck/Joker won universal acclaim, many criticised the film for subtly validating anti-society sentiments, now along the lines of nihilism and Incel-adjacent behaviour. This, of course, spurred a flurry of memes online, most notably the line “we live a society…” which is usually followed by an ironic slight, like “that values jocks over nerds” or “that rewards brain-dead football over intellect-rich gaming.” This line has been used countless times over the years, becoming a pseudo-shorthand to referencing these ridiculous beliefs.
In recent years, the meme has died down slightly (most likely due to a dearth of Joker-related content), but was invigorated on February 14th when the Snyder Cut trailer released. Not only does the trailer feature the line, but it even has the Joker sincerely delivering it to the Batman (the de-facto pro-society figure); the meme truly has come full circle.
So, apart from throwing meme-lords a bone, why is this line’s inclusion so important? Because it shows that Snyder is well aware of online discourse. The Snyder Cut is in a unique position, as it essentially allows the director to respond to the criticism that the 2017 version of the film received. Since Snyder had to leave the 2017 project due to a sudden loss, he was replaced by Joss Whedon, a director with a very antithetical style; the original Justice League ended up being a Frankenstein-esque monster, made up of two very different films. Inasmuch, supporters of Snyder have wagered that all the film’s failings were due to Whedon’s influence – in their eyes, if Snyder was able to complete the film as he wanted, it would’ve been a success.
Now, since Snyder has been given the opportunity (and $50m) by HBO Max to finish the film as he wants, he can reflect on what audiences said the first time around: what did they like? What didn’t they like? What did they want more of? What did they want less of? Snyder has essentially been given a second chance to make the film, only this time with the benefit of retrospect.
Therefore, Jared Leto’s Joker saying “we live in a society” isn’t a coincidence: it’s Snyder subtly indicating that he’s been paying attention to what’s been said online. Much like how he’s seen this meme get thrown around, he’s also well-aware of everyone’s online comments on the 2017 Justice League. Just like he managed to incorporate that loaded Joker line, he is well-positioned to incorporate these comments into the production of the film, improving what was weak the first time round. Whether the Snyder Cut will be well-received by critics and audiences is yet to be seen (the 2017 film garnered a so-so 40% on Rotten Tomatoes), but one thing is for sure, and it’s that “we live in a society”.