The Joker’s appearance in SUICIDE SQUAD may not be so shocking now, but it wasn’t too long ago that many fans were complaining about the infamous tattoos that sprouted up all over Jared Leto’s version of the character — in fact, plenty of fans still complain about the look of the character to this day. 

Many felt they were extreme, on-the-nose, and goofy. One of my favorite comments was that “the Joker looks like he’s some dude who’sobsessed with the Joker.”

So what’s the rhyme behind his tats? In a recent interview with Yahoo! Movies, director David Ayer delved into the reasons for the tattoos.

 â€œA lot of it has to do with creating a character with some kind of history and footprint in our world. And not have this sacrosanct being outside of our continuum, our reality. If a guy like him really existed today, where would he come from? How would he do business? Who would he know? What would he look like? In my mind, I took a lot of inspiration from drug lords on Instagram. It’s a great way to understand the lifestyle of a villain.

The tattoos tell a very specific story. And eventually people will decipher them and understand what’s going on, but obviously they’re contentious, any time you do something new it’s contentious. There’s very specific stories and easter eggs in those tattoos. And even his teeth, there’s an entire story behind that which is absolutely canon. It’s putting his history on his body. This Joker is a little more working class, who I believe could live in our world.”

I can definitely also say that this Joker isn’t someone I want to pass in a dark alley. Though, no matter what the filmmakers say, I doubt some fans will forgive the “Damaged” tattoo on his forehead. That one has some ground to make up for.

What do you think of Ayer’s comments on the Joker’s tattoos?

Let us know your thoughts down below!

SUICIDE SQUAD hits theaters on August 5, 2016.

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SOURCE: Yahoo! Movies