‘Joker 2’ Director Says Arthur Fleck Was Never Joker: ‘He’s an Unwitting Icon’ and Joker Is ‘This Idea That Gotham People Put on Him’

As a fan who has been following the Joker’s journey since his inception, I must say that “Joker: Folie à Deux” has truly lived up to my expectations and surpassed them in many ways. The courtroom scene was a masterstroke of storytelling, providing a satisfying conclusion to Arthur Fleck‘s descent into madness.


SPOILER ALERT: This story includes details about the ending of “Joker: Folie à Deux‘

The climactic scene in “Joker: Folie à Deux” courtroom drama unfolds dramatically: A bomb detonates, reducing the courtroom to ruins, following Arthur Fleck’s (played by Joaquin Phoenix) bold decision to represent himself and his admission that the Joker is not a separate personality but merely an illusion. In fact, he declares, it was always Arthur who committed the crimes for which he stands accused.

Todd Phillips, the director, expressed to Entertainment Weekly that Arthur understands the system is so rotten it can’t be fixed, and the only solution is to destroy it. When the guards murder the child in the hospital, he recognizes that his costume and persona aren’t making a difference. In a sense, he acknowledges that he has always been Arthur Fleck, not the character that Gotham citizens have imposed on him, this notion of being their symbol. He is an unintentional icon. This role was forced upon him, and he no longer wants to live as a pretense; he desires to be true to himself.

Lady Gaga’s character, Lee, finds Arthur’s choice to suppress the Joker persona unsettling. Throughout most of the movie, she attempts to coax the Joker out of Arthur, as he had been hiding within him. She doesn’t address Arthur by his real name until their final meeting, at which point she departs, recognizing that the Joker may no longer be a part of him.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d put it this way: “It’s disheartening because he’s Arthur, yet there seems to be no interest in him. It dawned on me that we’re on different wavelengths here; you can’t fulfill the role I had envisioned for you.

As a die-hard film enthusiast, I must clarify that the confrontation between Arthur and Lee in the Joker sequel is indeed real, contrary to rumors floating around on social media. The events of the first movie led some to suspect that certain scenes, like Arthur’s interactions with Lee, might be mere figments of his imagination, given that he fabricated a fake relationship with neighbor Sophie. However, Director Todd Phillips has confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that this final scene is not a product of Arthur’s mind; it’s “actually happening” in the real world.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is now playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros.

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2024-10-08 00:16