Todd Phillips' Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn origin story and her romance with the villain.
Despite Joker's hints at a unique yet faithful DC universe with a young Batman and an old Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux throws all chances of an eventual "Batman vs Joker" battle out the window. Arthur Fleck brings out his Joker persona one last time during his trial, but he abandons it after Lee Quinn leaves him and the Arkham guards break his spirit by killing his fellow inmate Ricky. Joker: Folie à Deux skips post-credits scenes, as it ends on a sour note that makes a sequel seemingly impossible.
The Young Inmate Kills Arthur Fleck… And Becomes A New Joker
Arthur Fleck Accidentally Creates A New, More Violent Joker
Arthur Fleck taps into his Joker persona during his trial not only because it s the theory that he's innocent "by reason of insanity", but also because Arthur's Joker identity has become a refuge for him during times of crisis. As Joker, Arthur mocks the law and gathers from his followers. However, Arthur's guilt only hangs heavier on his shoulders as time goes on. Arthur kills his Joker persona by dropping his act in the middle of the trial and confessing his guilt to the judge and jury. This moment starts a countdown to Arthur Fleck's imminent death.
Arthur Fleck meets the same fate as Murray Franklin: he's killed by a stranger who grew obsessed with him and felt betrayed by his words on national television.
After losing his chance to leave Arkham State Prison, Arthur Fleck appears to be at peace with his fate. Arthur watches cartoons alongside his fellow prisoners and the same guards that beat him up, yet he's calmly focused on the TV without indulging in his wild fantasies. One of the guards calls him for a visit, but before Arthur gets to learn his visitor's identity, another Arkham inmate stops him, tells him a joke, and stabs him to death.
The Young Inmate's Joke Explained
"You Get What You Deserve!"
Cruelly, the Young Inmate (played by Connor Storrie) uses almost exactly the same words Arthur used when he executed Robert De Niro's Murray Franklin live on television. After Arthur tells him to tell the joke quickly - presumably because he believes the visitor will be Harley Quinn - the Young Inmate relates the story of a clown and a psychopath meeting in a bar.
The psychopath says he's disappointed with the clown when he gets to meet him, and ends their encounter with “I’ll get you what you f*cking deserve.” At that point, he stabs Arthur in the stomach repeatedly and laughs chillingly as he dies.
In an ironic twist of fate, Arthur Fleck meets the same fate as his final victim, Murray Franklin: he's killed by a stranger who grew obsessed with him and felt betrayed by his words on national television. Arthur, in effect, is both the real Joker's first victim and his own final victim.
Joker 2 Has An Impossible Batman Problem
One new character revealed for Joker: Folie à Deux means that Todd Phillips' sequel will find it difficult to continue ignoring Bruce Wayne's Batman.
The Joker has always been a famously mysterious character in DC Comics. Usually, the Joker's backstory is either completely unknown or made up of several lies and conjectures. Joker seemed to provide the villain with a concrete origin story, but Joker: Folie à Deux demolishes it, as a new Joker is born. This new Joker has a different backstory, different motivations, and a different approach to mayhem. Joker: Folie à Deux's second Joker gives himself a Glasgow Smile similar to Heath Ledger's Joker, but he's a new character altogether, as the Dark Knight trilogy's timeline doesn't align with Joker's.
Harley Quinn (& Joker’s Followers) Never Understood Arthur & Desert Him
The Joker's Popularity Never Really Took Arthur Fleck Into
Lee Quinn realizes that the man she fell in love with isn't Arthur Fleck, but the Joker. Lee abandons Arthur as soon as he confesses during trial. Arthur still hopes he can reconcile with Lee, and he attempts to gain her trust back by singing a song to her over the phone. Arthur goes as far as turning down help from his followers in order to reunite with Lee and escape from Gotham with her. Yet, Lee departs by herself, knowing for certain that Arthur would be captured and sent to jail on a much harsher sentence.
Will Joker 3 Happen? Everything We Know
Joker: Folie A Deux's twisted ending sets up a surprising future for the franchise, but will a third movie actually happen? We break down the chances.
At first, the bomb that destroys the courthouse could seem like a misguided plan to help Arthur escape before he inevitably gets sent to prison or receives a death sentence. However, the explosion happens shortly after Arthur publicly quits his Joker persona and confesses the truth as a vulnerable Arthur Fleck. Although the bomb isn't explored in detail, its aftermath proves that Joker's ers never really cared about Arthur Fleck, as Arthur could have easily died in the explosion. Instead, Joker's ers only wanted an outlet for their purposeless bloodthirst.
Arthur Fleck spent a long time trying to make a name for himself, but he only ended up making a name for others.
The Arkham patient who kills Arthur Fleck also represents the aimless nature of the Joker and his followers. This patient evidently looks up to Joker and wishes to continue his legacy, but sees Arthur Fleck as a hindrance to Joker's full potential. He reads Arthur's departure from the Joker persona as a free to get rid of Arthur and take his place as the Joker. Arthur Fleck spent a long time trying to make a name for himself, but he only ended up making a name for others. The Joker now survives as a concept.
Joker 2 Criticizes The Misreadings Of Joker
Joker: Folie à Deux Mocks The Masses' Sensationalization Of Violence
Todd Phillips' Joker provided a satisfying ending for Arthur Fleck, as he attained fame, personified his anger, and took out his resentment on the person that supposedly betrayed him. However, Arthur Fleck's actions were by no means justified, no matter how they're portrayed on screen. Instead of doubling down on Arthur Fleck's twisted desires and letting him escape scot-free, Joker: Folie à Deux tears down his Joker identity. Arthur couldn't have lived any longer without facing the repercussions of his actions, and he had to die alongside the Joker.
Joker: Folie à Deux Cast & DC Character Guide
Joaquin Phoenix returns Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips's Joker: Folie à Deux - we rundown the cast of the Joker sequel and their roles in the film.
Joker: Folie à Deux opens with an animated musical number that presents Arthur Fleck's fight against his literal shadow. This shadow represents the Joker — Arthur's darker side and the guilt that comes with it. As hard as Arthur fights his shadow, he's simply too weak to control it, and he suffers as a result. Lee Quinn and the Joker's followers fail to understand this, and they turn on Arthur as soon as he distances away from the Joker.
Just like the animated short suggests, Arthur fails to cope with his darker side throughout Joker: Folie à Deux, and he doesn't get to enjoy his peace of mind before another Joker kills him.
Similarly to Lee Quinn and Joker's followers, viewers who idealized Arthur's actions in Joker may be disappointed by Joker: Folie à Deux's ending. Arthur couldn't be more different from the ruthless, anarchic villain that Joker's ending set him up to be. He was never the coldhearted murderer that his Joker persona suggested to the public. It was only a matter of time until Lee saw through the Joker and abandoned Arthur. Likewise, it was only a matter of time until his fans and the media chewed him up, spit him out, and replaced him with a new Joker.
Director Todd Phillip's Thoughts About The End Of Joker 2
Arthur Realizes He Was Never Really Joker
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Director Todd Phillip added his own explanation for Joker: Folie à Deux's ending, Arthur's motivations at the end of the trial, and how others view Joker as well as Arthur Fleck. As the Joker's trial is coming to its end, Arthur decides to confess to everything that he did, including telling them he killed his mother.
Phillips offers up some insight into why Arthur would do this, knowing that it would end badly for him. "He realized that everything is so corrupt, it’s never going to change, and the only way to fix it is to burn it all down."
The movie explores the ways Arthur Fleck has been elevated into a hero for those who worship the Joker. For Todd Phillips, Arthur Fleck realizes that he didn't want to be Joker, or maybe he never was, and wanted to go out on his own , as Arthur.
"In some ways, he’s accepted the fact that he’s always been Arthur Fleck; he’s never been this thing that’s been put upon him." Arthur Fleck is shown to relish in being the Joker and have people love him for that, but by the end, he is hesitant. "This thing was placed on him, and he doesn’t want to live as a fake anymore — he wants to be who he is."
There's a sadness about Arthur Fleck and his status as a nobody with how Lee even views him. "Nobody cares about Arthur... [Lee] never says 'Arthur' in the film until she leaves him on the same steps he danced atop in the original movie." Someone who Arthur thought loved him, only ever loved what he represented, and never who he actually was. Their final moment together is dreamlike, but Phillips reveals that it actually happened, as Arthur is left alone by the end of Joker: Folie à Deux.
How The Joker Folie A Deux Ending Was Received
Fans Weren't Too Happy About What Happened To Arthur
Like the rest of Joker: Folie à Deux, the ending of the film was divisive at best, and quite maligned at worst. Many fans hated that Arthur's story ended in the way that it did, especially with it feeling like a direct response to those who idolized Arthur Fleck in the first movie. If anything, the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux got people talking given the surprising turn it took in its final minutes. Of course, it wasn't a satisfying ending, which is a problem for a prospective blockbuster.
Even the critical and financial performance of the film fell drastically short of expectations, as almost everyone seemed to outright dislike the sequel in general. Joker: Folie à Deux made just over $205 million worldwide, a steep drop from the $1.06 billion of the first film. It also scored a measly 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. The ending sure didn't help, either, giving Arthur a pitiful conclusion after building him up in the first film.
Does The Joker Folie À deux Set Up A Joker 3?
It Seems Unlikely To Happen
The biggest draw of both Joker films is how Joaquin Phoenix embodies Arthur Fleck and gives the character a lot more nuance and depth than he could have been. Once Arthur is killed at the end of Joker: Folie à Deux, it feels like the chance for a third film in the trilogy died with it. The story would no longer be Arthur Fleck's.
Even director Todd Phillips is ready to move on from the franchise, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two films." Given that the film opens up the possibility for Arthur's killer to be the "real" Joker, there was always a chance that another one could happen following this new character, but would have to be without Phillips at the helm. Still, audiences barely turned out for Joker: Folie à Deux, essentially closing off any possibility of another installment in the franchise.
Joker: Folie a Deux
- Release Date
- October 4, 2024
- Runtime
- 138 Minutes
- Director
- Todd Phillips
Cast
Arthur Fleck
Lee Quinzel
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Bob Kane, Paul Dini, Bill Finger, Bruce Timm, Jerry Robinson
- Franchise(s)
- Joker
DC Movie Releases
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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