Joker 2 (or Folie à Deux) may be splitting critics (read our Joker 2 review for more on that), but there’s one group of people it’ll have grinning from ear to ear: Batman fans.
When Todd Phillips first announced he was working on a Joker origin film, there were grumblings from certain sections of the Batman fandom. After all, many comic purists believe the Clown Prince of Crime shouldn’t have an established origin.
They think (and I count myself among them) that the Harlequin of Hate is a lot scarier when we know less about him. Why? Well, it’s a combination of things. You don’t have to be Doctor Crane to see that we’re all naturally afraid of the unknown, but there’s more to it than that.
By their very nature, backstories humanize characters. They provide rationale and reason for a character’s actions, and these are two words many would argue are antithetical to the Joker’s entire being. He’s a creature of chaos and chance, killing one moment and telling a gag the next; we shouldn’t be able to understand or relate to him because he is not human on any level that counts.
Joker begins
The fear was that Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s superhero movie would make the Ace of Knaves too sympathetic and ruin his mystique. Now, you can argue whether that turned out to be the case; I never thought for a second that Phillips’s make-up-smeared Scorsese tribute act put Arthur Fleck in a sympathetic light, nor do I think this incarnation of Joker ruined my attachment to other Joker actors‘ interpretation of the character.
Still, though, some coulrophiles (Don’t look it up) felt the film hadn’t done justice to Batman’s greatest villain. They believed Arthur Fleck lacked the character’s flair, viciousness, and unhinged genius.
Even worse, his age meant it was unlikely he’d ever be a threat to a Batman who (they presumed) wouldn’t emerge from the shadows for another decade or two. Basically, he was Joker in name only, a fool in bad clown makeup and a cheap suit who’d stolen the mantle of arguably the greatest supervillain in the world.
Joker 2’s ending changes everything
So where does Joker 2 come into this? Well, it gives them a “true” Joker who fits the mythos better. Now, before we get to that, here is a quick warning that there are some big spoilers ahead for the Joker 2 ending.
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If you’re still here, then great; if not, then the joke is on you at this point. So, at the end of Joker 2, Arthur walks through Arkham to meet a visitor, but he’s stopped by an unknown young inmate who wants to tell him a joke.
When Arthur leans in for the punchline, he’s stabbed several times in the gut by the young man, and as Fleck dies, choking on his own stomach juices and blood, the inmate howls in laughter and takes a knife to his face, carving (we presume) a permanent grin on his face. Who was this dangerous patient? We never find out; Arthur’s story ends there, and the credits don’t reveal his name.
Phillips’s intention is clear. Joker 2 is a film about legacy, and the weight of the Joker mantle weighs heavily on Fleck. In the end, he admits the Joker was nothing but an act, a fantasy that allowed him to live out his dreams, but it’s not who he is, not really. However, it’s implied that his killer is the real deal. This dangerous psychopath steals the Joker name for himself and permanently disfigures himself so that, unlike Fleck, who could wash away his villainous alter-ego, he will always be the Joker.
Joker forever
It’s pretty hardcore, in an obvious kind of way, but this ending will likely please Batman evangelicals who hated the idea of Fleck ever taking on the Dark Knight. His replacement is younger, more dangerous, and more in keeping with beloved modern interpretations of the character – you could even argue (if you squint) that this is the origin of Heath Ledger’s Joker… although Christopher Nolan would be spinning like Cobb’s top if you suggested as much.
Even if you’re a real purist who wants the whole acid bath origin for Joker, this ending should satisfy you. Like the underrated TV show Gotham before it, you could interpret the Joker name as a mantle that’s been passed through the Gotham underworld, and that after the Arkham psycho is done being a clown, the name will be taken up by Batman’s true future nemesis.
So, while Joker 2 may not be getting the praise its predecessor earned, it was nice of Phillips to throw a bone (or batarang) to the Batman fans who thought Gotham deserved a better class of criminal.
