'Joker' Set Photo Reveals Thomas Wayne's Political Ambitions

Joker will give fans an entirely new take on the DC Comics mythos, and now we have a better idea [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Joker will give fans an entirely new take on the DC Comics mythos, and now we have a better idea of what part Thomas Wayne will be playing in that.

A recent photo taken from the film's set, which you can check out below, showcases a campaign poster advertising that Wayne (played by Brett Cullen) is running for mayor.

Weirdly enough, the poster actually contains a pretty major typo, with the character's last name spelled "Wanye" in large print. Given Joker's unique sense of tone, it's entirely possible that that typo has something to do with the plot, or with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) being a sort of unreliable narrator.

This poster also confirms the previous rumblings surrounding the role of Thomas Wayne, which began when Alec Baldwin was initially cast in the role. A day or so after the casting was announced, Baldwin tweeted that he wasn't playing "a Donald Trump manque" in the film, which led some to wonder if the character of Thomas would have some sort of political significance in the film.

In the comics, Wayne has only occasionally been associated with the mantle of mayor, with him running for the role against Oswald Cobblepott in Batman: Earth One. An early draft of the 1989 Batman film inferred that Thomas was running for mayor, which ultimately led to Rupert Thorne hiring Joe Chill to kill Thomas and Martha. Seeing as Thorne has been rumored to factor into Joker in some way, fans will just have to wait and see exactly how that plotline develops.

Joker will see Phoenix's Arthur Fleck descend into madness in '80s era Gotham, after he is shunned from society for his failing stand-up comedy career. As fans have seen over the past few days, the film will be going all in when it comes to Phoenix's aesthetic as the character, as well as the plot.

"I wouldn't quite classify this as like any genre," Phoenix said in a recent interview. "I wouldn't say it's a superhero movie, or a studio movie or a … It feels unique, and I think more then anything, and probably the most important thing, is Todd seems very passionate about it and very giving, and so that's exciting. I think, underneath the excitement of these films, and the size of them, there are these incredible characters that are dealing with real life struggles. And sometimes that is uncovered and exposed, and sometimes it isn't, and so I always felt, like, there were characters in comics that were really interesting and deserve the opportunity to be kind of studied. And so I think that's what Todd sees appealing about this idea."

What do you think of Joker's take on Thomas Wayne? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Joker is expected to debut in theaters on October 4, 2019. Upcoming DC Extended Universe films include Aquaman on December 21st, Shazam on April 5, 2019, and Wonder Woman 2 on November 1, 2019.

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