For the most part, Hot Toys doesn't stray off the path when it comes to its sixth-scale action figures. With the company's figures coming at such a premium, fans appreciate the attention to detail and screen accuracy Hot Toys offers. That's why, when something like this new Joker figure comes along, it's a bit of a surprise.

Based on Batman's appearance in Suicide Squad and the Joker's latest cinematic incarnation, the Joker (Batman Imposter) figure is definitely a unique interpretation of the Dark Knight and his most famous of foils. It's also something that will haunt my dreams for weeks.

When we saw this figure at San Diego Comic-Con, it was well before Suicide Squad had hit theaters and there was a bit of concern Hot Toys may have spoiled a major element of Warner Brothers' tentpole film. That ended up not being the case, so collectors were left wondering just what the deal was with this very random Joker Batman. Turns out, Hot Toys was just getting jiggy with it, and used this creative exercise as an impetus for its Batman 100% Exhibition.

The Batman 100% Exhibition was host to more than a dozen different artist re-interpretations of Hot Toys' Batman figures, with some being bedazzled beyond belief, to others having tremendous custom paint jobs. The Joker Batman from Hot Toys is no exception, and mashes up Ben Affleck's Batman with Jared Leto's Joker in impressive fashion. Regardless of whether or not you actually like the figure's design, it's a clever way to mix the two characters, with Joker's tattoos becoming essentially the paint job you'd give a World War II bomber plane.

The figure is light on accessorization, with the only real additional pieces being some bloody batarangs and a grappling gun that fires a flag --- which reads "God's only child" for reasons. I know it's a tattoo the Joker has, but why? It's weird that Hot Toys went with the Ben Affleck body build here too, instead of mixing in the Leto body or head, but repainting an existing Batman rather than figuring out all new tooling and sculpting was probably much easier and cost efficient. I'll be curious to see if any more mash-up figures start popping up, or if this was just a one-off piece. Hopefully if any more do come up, they'll rely on some other inspiration besides the Joker.

The Suicide Squad Joker (Batman Imposter) figure isn't available for pre-order yet, but we'll update this post when Sideshow Collectibles shares the details.

 

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