Daniel Knox
Masters of the Universe is a testament to the fact that Jared Leto‘s underwhelming portrayal of The Joker in the DCEU was not due to a lack of screen time. The live-action He-Man movie provides Leto with ample time and superior material to flesh out his character. Regrettably, his portrayal of Skeletor is no more impressive than his previous stint as the Clown Prince of Crime.
The debate over Jared Leto’s limited time to win over audiences as The Joker first surfaced after the release of 2016’s Suicide Squad. Initially, director David Ayer intended to use the movie to introduce the DCEU version of Joker, with plans for larger roles in the future. However, apart from the scenes depicting Harley Quinn’s origin, most of this material was left on the cutting room floor. This included a subplot featuring The Joker teaming up with Enchantress in the climax.
While fans of Jared Leto and the Snyderverse have argued that he was an excellent choice for Joker, the majority of audiences disagreed, finding his interpretation of the character unsettling. Reports of his inappropriate behavior while method acting (including sending distasteful gifts to his co-stars) did not help his case. For a decade, Leto’s defenders insisted that he could have delivered a performance on par with Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight if all his scenes hadn’t been cut. However, his performance as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe seems to debunk this theory.
Despite more screen time, Jared Leto fails to intimidate
There’s no denying that Jared Leto has a more significant role in Masters of the Universe than in Suicide Squad. However, he repeats the same errors in his portrayal of Skeletor as he did with The Joker. The most glaring of these is overemphasizing the sinister aspects of the character while neglecting the comedic ones.
While The Joker is a psychotic maniac to varying degrees, all versions of the character are essentially showmen. They aim to incite laughter, even if they are the only ones laughing at their own jokes. In contrast, Leto’s Joker was a murderous gangster who seldom laughed or smiled.
Leto’s Skeletor suffers from similar shortcomings. Both villains share a campy factor, which Leto completely overlooks. This issue is further amplified by the rest of the cast, who seem to understand the tone of the film better than Leto.
Leto’s Skeletor delivers dramatic monologues, only to awkwardly attempt a punchline. This abrupt shift in tone disrupts the rhythm of every scene he is in. The only reason it is less noticeable than in Suicide Squad is due to the commendable efforts of Masters of the Universe’s CGI artists, who manage to animate more expressive features onto Skeletor than Leto can convey with his voice.
