If Heath Ledger hadn’t tragically passed away, there’s no telling what his Joker character could’ve done next. Christopher Nolan famously left him hanging, literally, in The Dark Knight. Could he have come back in The Dark Knight Rises? Reprised the role into other films like Justice League and Suicide Squad? We’ll never know for sure.
What we do know is latest release from Hot Toys is part tantalizing “What If…?” and part actual myth. It’s called “The Joker (Batman Imposter Version)” and it’s coming soon, in a very limited edition, from Hot Toys and Sideshow. The figure imagines Ledger’s Joker in a customized Batsuit, very much like the one Sideshow previously did as part of development on David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. (This one also appears to have, but not officially, inspiration from a custom figure maker named Gino Roberto.) It’s truly a breathtaking piece and here are a few more images.
The figure is limited to 3,000 units and will only be available in selected markets. There’s no price or release date yet but you can click here to be notified when they’re revealed. For now though, what do you think? Is this a must-buy? Or do you not care for something that’s not officially screen-accurate?
Correction 7/18/24 11:20 a.m.: Sideshow pointed out that “there is nothing in Hot Toys official product description or artist credits mentioning any collaboration with the artist you referenced. For clarification, the Hot Toys figure is an officially licensed DC & Warner Bros. product. The piece you link to is an unlicensed custom.” As a result, we reworded the sentence to make it clear there is no direct connection.
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