Fans finally got the gameplay trailer for the Joker in Mortal Kombat 11, and it's safe to say this is one of the bloodiest and most sadistic versions of the Clown Prince of Crime to date.
He's wielding bombs, crowbars, guns, explosive toys, and heck, he even tosses someone in a wheelchair at his opponents, paying homage to how he crippled Batgirl in Batman: The Killing Joke. As we see him cutting a path of mayhem through fighters, however, there are also a few key references made to DC's movies and some of his depictions on the big screen.
THE JOAQUIN PHOENIX 'LIPSTICK'
At 0:03, as Joker introduces himself to a Killer Croc-version of Baraka, we see him with his signature knife, cutting his hand to test its sharp edge. He then wipes the blood on his face using the knife as a mirror to create a bloody smile, completing Joker's classic look. Now, we did see Heath Ledger's Joker with red lipstick along these lines, but remember, those were scars. This sequence actually is influenced by the end of Todd Phillips' multiple Oscar-nominated Joker movie.
In the finale, after Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck murdered a talk show host on live tv, he's taken into custody, only for the Joker riots to lead to an ambulance crashing into the cop car. Joker's rescued by rioters who are wearing clown masks, clearly idolizing him, and as the city of Gotham burns in upheaval, the crowds are chanting for him. Arthur stands on a car and with blood dripping from his nose and inside his mouth from the crash, he takes his two hands and paints a smile on his face, embracing the Joker identity in its full glory.
THE HEATH LEDGER TRIGGER
At 1:24, Joker's fighting Kitana in a Catwoman-skin, and he pulls out a detonator just as soon as a hostage in a purple suit hops past him. The hostage has a paper bag over their head and clearly, they're strapped with bombs. However, if you keep your eyes on Joker, he's trying to flick the trigger but it doesn't work, which is a tribute to Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
When Ledger's Joker left Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) at the hospital, he's dressed as a nurse in one of the movie's most chilling sequences. He departs but he tries to blow the place up. The trigger sticks, though, and he knocks it a couple of times, which is what the Joker does too in this game. And in both cases, it's a delayed reaction but the explosions do occur. Ledger blows the hospital up, scurrying off, while the hostage in this game blows up to incapacitate Kitana.
LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE!
At 1:36, we see Joker's gruesome Fatal Blow as he repeatedly stabs Baraka with his knives. He drops his opponent to his knees and turns him around, though, jamming both knives in his mouth and then carving a smile wide open in a very brutal attack. While some think this slicing of the face is a direct reference to Death of the Family where Joker was all about peeling faces back, it's actually another nod to Ledger's maniac.
When Michael Jai White's Mason Gambol finds random goons bringing him a seemingly dead Joker in a body bag to collect a bounty, he's all too happy. The clown was ruining the mob's operation but as Gambol tries to investigate the body, Ledger's Joker jumps up and places a knife inside his mouth. He tells a fake story about his dad sticking a knife in his own mouth in his abusive childhood to keep up with his "Let's put a smile on that face!" theme. As he drops his iconic "Why so serious?" line, however, he slices Gambol's face open, killing the common criminal and taking over his empire.
Mortal Kombat 11 is developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive. It is currently available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The Joker and new character skins will be available on January 28. Those without the Kombat Pack will be available to purchase Joker individually starting Feb. 4.