Joker: Folie á Deux is now in theaters, and just like the first film, the Joker sequel is generating a lot of buzz with viewers – and not necessarily in the best way. The ending of Joker 2 is one that put s a decisive ending stamp on the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), but also acknowledges that the legacy of “Joker” is larger than just one man. In fact, there’s a popular theory that Joker: Folie á Deux ends with a particular homage that addresses one of the biggest lingering mysteries in the Joker character’s mythology:
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What is the true origin of Heath Ledger’s Joker, from Christopher Nolan’s classic Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight.
But is that accurate?
Does Joker 2 Finally Reveal the True Origin of Heath Ledger’s Joker?
The final scene of Joker: Folie á Deux sees Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) land right back in Arkham, having been convicted of the murder spree he went on in the first film, plus escaping from custody after some Joker copycats bomb the courthouse. During the trial Arthur publicly denounced his own Joker persona, taking responsibility for the murders he committed, and admitting to himself that “Joker” was just an invention of his mind, to help him deal with the trauma of his actions. As fate would have it, that breakthrough comes too late. When Arthur is called to the visiting rooms he gets followed into the hallway by a young inmate who has been shadowing him through the film: that young man invites Arthur to hear a joke, which ends with him repeating Joker’s “You get what you deserve!” catchphrase as he stabs Arthur to death. As the camera watches Arthur on the floor dying, the young inmate is cackling manically, while using the knife to slash open the corners of his mouth into a wide grin.
It doesn’t go without notice that the actor playing the young inmate, (actor Connor Storrie) looks like he could be a young Heath Ledger – and we already have suspicions that much of Joker 2 is an actual joke director Todd Phillips is playing on the audience. It’s clear from the sequel that Phillips doesn’t celebrate Joker as a pop-culture icon – nor does he necessarily agree with all the acclaim his own Joker movie got – but knows it won’t stop. The punchline to this ending scene may be the fact that the DC fandom is now working to connect these Joker films to The Dark Knight – or claiming Arthur Fleck was a prototype that inspired the “real Joker” of Batman lore – or that this was all set up for the DC Studios Batman Universe, or Matt Reeves’ The Batman Universe… All the rumors and theorizing that Phillips knows will come from some vague moment from a minor character.
So does Joker: Folie á Deux really reveal the origin of Heath Ledger’s Joker? Sure. Why not. That theory is about as good as any Joker origin story out there, in all its messy continuity (see also: DC’s The Three Jokers).
Joker 2 is playing in theaters.
