Venom 2: Carnage Could End Up Like One Of Two Movie Jokers

It's been a few days since the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer was released, and fans are divided on their impressions. One part of the trailer that is really standing out though, is the big look viewers are getting of the film's villain, Carnage. The character, played by Woody Harrelson, was shown very briefly at the end of the first Venom film, but this trailer gave a much deeper look at what to expect from him.

Harrelson is already getting a ton of praise for his performance, and it could go down in history as one of the best. However, this is a trap that fans have fallen into with superhero villains before. A trailer isn't always what it seems, and what looks amazing in tiny clips sometimes comes off as over the top and stupid in the context of a full film. It harks memories of two performances of the same character, one of the most portrayed characters of all time: Batman villain Joker.

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Two performances of Joker have been amazing enough to earn Oscars, but the most iconic performance would have to go to Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. In 2016, the role was reprised in the DCEU's Suicide Squad by Jared Leto. Though people were incredibly hyped for Leto's performance after the trailer, it was highly criticized after the movie came out and is now regarded as one of the worst. With Harrelson's performance of Carnage looking anything but mediocre, it's hard to know what category he will fall in-- but it will likely be in either the "iconic" or "horrible" categories.

Part of what made Heath Ledger's performance so amazing was that it hit the exact right sweet spot between "unhinged comic book villain" and "realistically scary character". He stayed so true to the Joker's cartoonish, comic book nature while also bringing in a very dark tone that would have been fitting for a straight-up horror movie. It was incredibly refined and clean, possibly one of the best acting performances of all time, and earned him much acclaim. Woody Harrelson 100% has the ability to achieve this.

Harrelson is an incredibly talented actor, and can nail an unhinged performance. There's evidence of him playing evil very well, like in Natural Born Killers. There's a quality about him that allows him to really embody who he's playing, and so far in his career, he's been very transformative. That, combined with what was shown in Venom and the trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, is very promising and could mean that audiences are really in for a treat.

However, Jared Leto also showed a lot of promise and was a previous Oscar winner when Suicide Squad was released. Unfortunately, his performance of Joker was absolutely ripped apart. People said it was over the top, uncomfortable to watch, and way too cartoonish. With the short amount of time that he actually appeared in the film, it's hard to imagine it being all that bad or standing out all that much, but it did. Maybe if audiences hadn't been exposed to an amazing Joker like what was seen in The Dark Knight, the critiques wouldn't have been quite as harsh, but really that's something no one will ever know.

As much as Harrelson absolutely has the ability to play this brilliantly, it could also backfire. He tends to be very distinct and a bit of a character actor. While that could also be used to his benefit, it could turn this performance into something that he doesn't intend it to be. With comic book characters, and villains especially, playing into an over-the-top and cartoonish character is kind of easy. The writing and designs will also play a part in this, and it's important to note that Suicide Squad was not brilliantly written or designed, but the acting is key. If someone indulges into their character actor abilities a bit too much, like Jared Leto did, and doesn't show enough restraint, it can go wrong and venture into that icky territory. Harrelson is definitely at risk of doing this.

The trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage definitely seems to be leaning into a not-so-serious, more campy tone. This could also be a hint at where they're going with the Carnage character. Whether that's good or bad for Woody Harrelson's performance is kind of unknown without seeing the whole movie, but it honestly could go either way. People are very excited though, and many are saying that Carnage looks like the best part of the movie. Fans have been excited to see what it would be like since he was introduced at the end of Venom in 2018, and now the hype is bigger than ever, so here's hoping he took notes from Heath Ledger and not from Jared Leto.

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