This article contains spoilers for
Joker: Folie à Deux.

Director Todd Phillips recently unpacked Arthur Fleck’s shocking realization at the end of Joker: Folie à Deux. The film deconstructs Arthur’s arc in the first movie. Throughout the film, he uses his inner fantasies to cope with his impending trial. However, instead of fully succumbing to his Joker persona during the trial, he acknowledges to himself and to the jury that Joker was never real. He is Arthur, and he was always just Arthur. Unfortunately for him, this means he loses the affection of Lee Quinzel, who was only attracted to him for the power and chaos of Joker.

According to Phillips, Arthur realized he never truly wanted to be the anti-institution hero he became, so he shed that false identity. The director told Entertainment Weekly:

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. When those guards kill that kid in the [hospital] he realizes that dressing up in makeup, putting on this thing, it’s not changing anything. 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, this idea that Gotham people put on him, that he represents. He’s an unwitting icon. This thing was placed on him, and he doesn’t want to live as a fake anymore — he wants to be who he is.

Joker: Folie à Deux plays with the idea of becoming a figurehead for a wider movement and how that can conflict with someone’s inner demons. While this message doesn’t necessarily resonate with all fans, it is a creative gamble. The first film, which made $1.08 billion at the box office, struck a chord with audiences, but it drew criticism for making an individual who murdered six people so sympathetic, yet the story was compelling nonetheless. Turning that on his head and having Arthur realize his actions did not change any of the societal issues that created his Joker persona.

What Arthur’s Confession Means For Joker 2

Joker: Folie à Deux may be a controversial sequel, but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to say. Joker showed what happens when society leaves people who need help behind and how a lifetime of apathy can lead someone to their breaking point. Its sequel addresses what happens when a victim-turned-perpetrator is thrust into the public eye. Arthur gets the attention he always lacked but never the love and empathy he needs. Like in the first film, he reaches a boiling point. Only this time, Arthur resigns himself to the fact that he cannot change society for the better.

Beyond continuing to show how unseen Arthur’s feelings are, his decision to renounce the Joker mantle shows another way society failed him. Even after he committed irredeemable acts, Arthur is trapped into a mold of what others want him to be. The people of Gotham want the psychotic clown who burns the city to the ground. Despite his disillusionment with society, Arthur struggles with this, as someone who has spent his whole life coping with mental illness. Due to his laughing fits, he was labeled a misfit. Now, he’s labeled an icon, whether or not he wants to be.

Our Take On Joker 2’s Ending
Image via Warner Bros.

While fans of the first film may not connect with Joker: Folie à Deux, its moral complexities are interesting. Phillips subverted expectations by delivering a bleak sequel wherein Arthur does not celebrate his past actions because they never changed his lot in life. He is still misunderstood. The director explained: “The sad thing is, he’s Arthur, and nobody cares about Arthur. [Lady Gaga]’s Lee never says Arthur [until she leaves him in the end].” In this sense, Lee represents the people of Gotham and the audience. Per Phillips, “[She’s] realizing, I’m on a whole other trip, man, you can’t be what I wanted you to be.”

The Joker sequel’s overall ending is another discussion entirely, but Arthur’s decision to accept himself makes sense in light of the director’s comments. Joker: Folie à Deux is currently playing in theaters.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

Source: Entertainment Weekly