Joker Says We Live In A Society Meme In Justice League Snyder Cut Trailer

The day gamers have been waiting for has come. They have risen, and their mascot has confirmed that they do, in fact, "live in a society."

After four years, an extra $30 million and Jared Leto doing a couple of days of reshoots, Zack Snyder did it: He directed Joker to say "We live in a society" in a Warner Bros. produced Batman movie. In the latest trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League, which premieres next month on HBO Max, Joker turns to Batman and says, "We live in a society, where honor is a distant memory." The revolution wasn't televised. It was tweeted. And it was in a Batman movie, starring Jared Leto.

We live in a society https://t.co/3OaJxZlfOy

— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) February 14, 2021

Since premiering on Twitter on Sunday, the trailer and its surprise stinger received more than 2.3 million views. On YouTube, those numbers were more than double. And as is the case when any meme-y reference is made or acknowledged by a major release, it's inspired more memes, like on Reddit, where Redditor BattleUpSaber posted a variation of the Happiness Comes from the Simple Things meme.

literally the entire sub when Joker said his iconic line in the Zaddy cut trailer: from r/moviescirclejerk

Unlike the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, the Gamers Rise Up campaign is an ironic one. Primarily started as a way to mock the Joker's outsized influence over teenage masculinity and online culture, "We Live In a Society" eventually grew into an infamous catchphrase used in just about any situation. While the phrase is purposely ambiguous, memers typically use the line as an ironic expression of defeatism to any double standard or societal failing that comes up.

The Joker finally said the iconic we live in a society meme in a film before Yandere Sim finished development. pic.twitter.com/hlhGrO4jdX

— Things That Have Happened Before Yandere Simulator (@BeforeYandere) February 14, 2021

Since 2015, ironic Joker memes, also known as Gamer Joker, have mocked the plight of supposedly oppressed video game players, who feel alienated by society and entitled to its praise. These memes typically feature the Joker and an ironic Impact-style caption expressing ridiculous complaints about how society has treated them. The idea is that the near-constant alienation has turned these Gamers into Jokers, and those Jokers have had enough.

As the meme grew, so did the fanbase's ambitions. In 2018, a Change.org petition amassed more than 58,000 signatures to get the phrase "We live in a society" included in 2019's Joker, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, who later won an Oscar for the role. However, Phoenix did not utter those words in the film or his acceptance speech, so maybe Hollywood should revoke the award.

To many fans, Snyder's inclusion of the line is another signal that the director is listening to their demands, and they are responding with praise and self-congratulation. The trailer is one of those moments, like when "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch" appeared in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand or when Sony changed the Sonic the Hedgehog design, when creators of massive properties tell their customers that they are listening. Critics usually refer to this as "fan service." Fans, however, respond by saying that these movies are made for fans and not critics. We live in a society.

Joker actually says “we live in a society” we did it folks 😭😭 https://t.co/xr5nwbpSoM

— Aneela ✨ (@anee1a) February 14, 2021

having the joker say “we live in a society” is obviously a stroke of deranged brilliance on zack’s part but the trailer editor who put that line directly over the title card, ensuring it was the image which was guaranteed to go viral, deserves a raise

— Master Trap Assassin (@esthermirirose) February 14, 2021

Leto's inclusion in the new cut of Justice League went viral last October when the Hollywood Reporter published accounts that Leto joined reshoots. Unlike his Suicide Squad-turn in the makeup, this had considerably fewer rats and/or vegan cinnamon buns. Instead, Snyder teased out images of the significantly less garish version of the character, particularly in contrast to Suicide Squad's Soundcloud rapper interpretation. Last week, Snyder shared the first images of Leto in character, which recalled Heath Ledger's Dark Knight version. Of course, fan concerns about Leto's second-attempt went out the window once he said those five little words. Now it's just a question of whether or not he'll say "gamers rise up" in the finished product. One can hope.

So after all that, fans are happy. Years of social media campaigning have led to the Joker saying "we live in a society," and now, we do, in fact, live in one. Thank you, society, for giving us another excuse to share the "Snyder Cut Anthem."