Joker: Folie à Deuxhas hit theaters and left several burning questions that may remain unanswered aboutDC’s latest movie. The sequel to Todd Phillips' critically well-received and financiallyrecord-breakingJokerhas not exactly stuck the landing like its predecessor. While there is no denying that the movie has delivered a particularly fresh take on the genre by exploring the eponymous character within a musical,Joker: Folie à Deuxhas earned decidedly mixed reviewsfrom fans and critics alike as it took a healthy amount of creative liberties.
The very nature ofPhillips' DC Elseworlds installmentis to be thought-provoking, making lingering and unanswered questions inevitable. Much of what makesJoker: Folie à Deuxso compelling is that many of the unanswered questions are left up for interpretation, which is by design. These, then, are the ten most pressing questions that have so far been hot topics of discussion since its release.
10Is Everything Arthur Sees A Product Of His Imagination?
It Is Hard To Tell When Arthur’s Delusions Begin And End
Joker’s tormented mental stateis once again front-and-center inJoker: Folie à Deuxas his delusions pervade the movie mostly in the form of musical sequences. This was to be expected, given the French subtitle translates into English as “Madness of two,” and is used to describe two people engaging in a shared delusion. Yetsome delusions are more obvious than others, withJoker: Folie à Deuxblurring the line between reality and imagination with increasing intensity.
Everything In Joker That’s Not Real
As the highly-anticipated Joker movie finally hits theaters, the audience is left wondering exactly how much of what they saw actually happened.
This question continues from the first movie, which gave rise to the theory that at least most of Arthur Fleck’s murders were imagined. His nonexistent relationship with Zazie Beetz’s Sophie Drummond was a prime example of how real Arthur’s delusions can look to the audience. Several sequences inJoker: Folie à Deuxbeg the same question, from his ability to score cigarettes from Arkham’s guards to his assertive performance when representing himself at his trial.
9Is Lee Really Pregnant?
Lee Never Explicitly Admitted To Lying About Her Pregnancy
Joker: Folie à Deuxflips the script on the typical depiction of Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship by makingLady Gaga’s Lee the mentally abusive one. Lee lies about several personal details before their whirlwind romance culminates in a supposed pregnancy after Lee somehow makes her way into Fleck’s solitary confinement cell. Lee later abandons Arthur after he renounces his Joker persona, clarifying that their shared delusion was the only thing she was pursuing. It is also at this point thatLee responds to Arthur’s question about their baby with a snippet of"That’s Entertainment"from 1953’sThe Bandwagon.
Joker: Folie à Deuxis considered a Jukebox Musical as it mostly features renditions of established musical numbers instead of original songs.
Given her dishonest track record,this suggests that the pregnancy was a lie. Then again, it is far from a straight answer, and the two did seemingly have unprotected sex in Arthur’s cell. The question is compounded by the fact that Arthur’s final lines are part of a musical reprise of “Gonna Build a Mountain,” in which he belts the lyrics “With a fine young son to take my place, I’ll leave a son in my heaven on earth.” This could, however, be a reference to his killer.
8Who Blew Up The Courthouse?
The Explosion Was Just As Likely To Kill Arthur Fleck As It Was To Free Him
Joker: Folie à Deuxmostly doesn’t divert from two main staging areas: Arkham State Hospital and the Gotham courthouse. In the latter, Arthur decides in vain to represent himself in the trial he undergoes for themurders committed inJoker. His cocky defense (or lack thereof) does not wash, leading to a series of guilty verdicts before the courtroom is rocked by an explosion from a car bomb outside. This kills several of the courtroom’s inhabitants (and scars half of Harvey Dent’s face) and allows Fleck to walk free from the wreckage.
Arthur Fleck’s dock was closer to the wall that was blown up in the courtroom, putting him in a particularly precarious position.
The highly public nature of the trial and the throngs of supporters outside the court suggests that this bomb was an intentional attempt to free Joker immediately as it became apparent that he was going to be convicted. It did, however, endanger his life. The most reasonable explanation is that the bomb was made by his supporters. On the other hand,the danger it posed to Fleck’s life suggests that it could also have been Lee, who left the courtroom moments prior after disavowing Fleck’s renouncement of Joker.
7Was There A Visitor And Who?
The Visitor Could Have Been An Exciting Pay-Off If They Existed At All
The controversialconclusion toJoker: Folie à Deuxsaw Joker re-apprehended and re-incarcerated after his post-explosion escape attempt. Back in Arkham and severely dejected, Joker is informed that he has a visitor before being led down an empty hallway by a single Arkham guard. He is followed, however, by Connor Storrie’s “Young Inmate,” who proceeds to tell Arthur a joke before stabbing him to death and cutting a smile into his own cheeks.
If there truly was a visitor, then it is hard for any DC fan to not speculate on which established DC character it might have been such as Dent in his Two-Face guise, Riddler, or even another of Joker’s sidekicks like Punchline.
Arthur’s death was a significant rug-pull after the promise of a visitor suggested that Arthur’s luck may be about to change. If there truly was a visitor, then it is hard for any DC fan to not speculate on which established DC character it might have beensuch as Dent in his Two-Face guise, Riddler, or even another of Joker’s sidekicks like Punchline. It was heavily implied, however, that the visitor never existed at all, and that Fleck was led into the hallway intentionally to be stabbed by his apparent replacement.
6Why Did Arthur Say There Was Never A Joker?
2019’s Joker Tells A Different Story
Another ofJoker: Folie à Deux’s most controversial moments came during Arthur Fleck’s trial after he renounced his Joker persona to the world. He is rejected by Lee and several of his supporters (including some in the real world) afterstating that there never really was a Joker alternate personality and that his actions were the work of Arthur Fleck himself. This is then followed by the suggestion thatConnor Storrie’s character was the real Jokerall along.
This shocking admission basically contradicts the entirety of Arthur Fleck’s first outing, which centered around his delusions and actions as Joker. Arthur may have been attempting to garner some level of support from the jury with his admission, but the fact that he is seemingly replaced by the end of the movie suggests that this is, in fact, the truth. Still, it makes little sense to suggest that there was “never” a Joker, when the legions of imitators and video evidence suggest quite the opposite - even if Joker was never an alt.
5Is Joker: Folie Á Deux A Prequel?
Joker: Folie Á Deux Set Up Several Familiar Characters
Ending with Arthur Fleck’s death means thatJoker: Folie à Deuxis drawing a definitive line beneath his story. A comic book-style resurrection down the line seems immensely out of place in this exceptionally grounded and bleak adaptation of a DC comics character. Nevertheless, several factors seem to suggest thatJoker: Folie à Deuxis a prequel. Among these is the fact thatArthur Fleck’s comic-inaccurate Joker is joined by several more comic-accurate depictions of other DC characters.
DC Comics Characters Set Up Within Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux
Parents killed by a rioting crook.
Alfred Pennyworth
A younger Alfred is seen being protective over a young Bruce Wayne.
Studied psychology and interacted with Arkham inmates willingly.
Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Assistant District Attorney whose face is half-scarred by the car bomb explosion.
The Joker
Connor Storrie’s “Young Inmate” displays psychopathic behavior and cuts a Glasgow smile into his face.
Everything points towards the fact that Arthur Fleck was never the real Joker and that a litany of other DC characters have now been primed to be unleashed on Gotham in the wake of his death. Bruce Wayne’s age throughoutJokerandJoker: Folie à Deuxis also a huge clue that the movies are prequels to another Batman movie. Whether this movie is intended as a prequel to an already-exiting Batman movie remains to be seen, however.
The Moment Felt Somewhat Gratuitous
This entry is about sexual assault.
One of the most disturbing scenes inJoker: Folie à Deuxheavily implies thatArthur was severely sexually assaulted by Arkham’s prison guards at the behest of Brendan Gleeson’s Jackie. After his cocksure display representing himself in his trial, the guards seemingly take umbrage at Joker’s courtroom comments. Upon returning to Arkham, they violently drag him to a prison bathroom before forcefully stripping him down, where it is implied that they inflict severe sexual harm on Fleck.
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The scene was a stark reminder of the franchise’s brutal tone, but it also kind of felt out of left field. The sheer level of insidious evil present in the prison guards is enshrined in this moment,which was presumably carried out as a heavy demonstration of power over Fleck after he seemingly regained his confidence. While it may have successfully conveyed the brutality of Arkham’s staff and led to the ultimate breakdown of Fleck’s Joker persona, it may have felt particularly gratuitous to many.
3Is There An Alternate Ending?
Unused Trailer Footage Suggests That Arthur Went Free
TheJoker: Folie à Deuxending was bleak, particularly for Arthur Fleck whose death sentence was violently expedited by a fellow Arkham resident. Yet it might have felt particularly unexpected for anyone who watched theJoker: Folie à Deuxtrailers, which specifically depicted Joker walking free with Lee in tow to the excited clamoring of his adoring fans. The duo’s homage to Joker’s dance on the set of stairs from the first movie also seemed on the cards. Ultimately, however, this was not the case.
The missing scenes from the trailers could have also been intentional misdirects, as is often seen in Marvel movie trailers.
The complete one-eighty on Joker’s fate has not landed too well with a swathe of viewers who may feel cheated by false advertising. It could also mean, however, that the trailer footage depicted an alternate ending for Fleck in which his courtroom performance was sufficient in earning his freedom and he embraces the Joker persona. This question may be answered when the movie is released on home media, but for now, the assumption is thatthe trailers also depicted one of Arthur’s many delusions.
2Was That Heath Ledger’s Joker?
Arthur’s Killer Scarred His Face In A Familiar Manner
One of the biggest questions hanging over the ending ofJoker: Folie à Deuxis whether Arthur Fleck’s killer is supposed to be a younger version ofHeath Ledger’s iconic JokerfromThe Dark Knight.The fact that he can be seen cutting a smile into his own face with the same knife used to kill Fleck is impossible to ignoregiven the obvious allusion to Ledger’s version of the character. It is also difficult to ignore that Connor Storrie - a relatively unknown actor until now - even resembles the late Heath Ledger.
In a deleted scene from Matt Reeves’The Batman, Barry Keoghan’s Joker is also depicted with heavy scarring on his face.
The unique nature ofLedger’s Joker sporting a Glasgow smilemakes it difficult to argue that this was not the intention. If it wasn’t,it then begs the question of why Phillips chose to have the killer make this particularly recognizable alteration to his face at all. On the other hand, if this is the case, then it would open a bevy of plot holes mostly concerning the ages of Joker and other DC characters featured inJoker: Folie à Deux.
1Why Is Joker: Folie Á Deux So Controversial?
Does Joker: Folie Á Deux Really Deserve All This Flak?
The sequel to Todd Phillips' belovedJokerhad big shoes to fill, but the consensus on whether it achieved this is far from unanimous, if not noticeably leaning towards it failing.Detractors have taken aim at the frequency of musical numbers, slow pacing, and the shocking reveal that Joker was never the real Joker. Proponents, on the other hand, celebrate these factors and the bold direction the movie took in flipping the script on expectations and establishing a new kind of comic book movie.
It also continues to depict a far more cerebral take on Joker and his mental illness, as exemplified by the movie’s admittedly hard-to-follow oscillation between reality and delusions.
A generally negative reaction to flouted expectations isn’t surprising, although such things asJoker: Folie à Deuxbeing a musical were relatively well-telegraphed in the years leading up to its release. It also continues to depict a far more cerebral take on Joker and his mental illness, as exemplified by the movie’s admittedly hard-to-follow oscillation between reality and delusions. Whatever the case, it is apparent thatJoker: Folie à Deux’s creative liberties have not landed particularly well - but whether it is truly deserving of the hate it has received is another matter.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Cast
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
