Joker: Folie à Deux was not the movie that DC fans expected, and while that has impacted the film’s performance in a significant way, I believe the hate the project has received was what the director knew the story would accomplish. 2019’s Joker will go down in history as one of the biggest success stories for DC, grossing over $1 billion on a small budget to rule as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time for five years until Deadpool & Wolverine came along. I loved the origin story the film gave to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker.

After hitting a home run with the first film, DC moved forward with sequel plans. I expected that outcome due to the first movie’s outstanding box office run, but Joker: Folie à Deux was always destined to be a risky endeavor. The reason for that is 2019’s Joker served perfectly as a self-contained story with no need for a sequel. I feared that a new entry in the franchise could ruin it, and sadly, Joker: Folie à Deux‘s negative reviews and poor box office have shown that was the case, and the movie’s main message is to blame for it.

Joker 2 Seems Intentionally Made To Subvert Many Movie Hopes For The Sequel

The DC Movie Was Not What I Expected

Joker: Folie à Deux is not the continuation I hoped we would get for Arthur Fleck’s story. Joker‘s ending sets up Arthur to fully transform into his Joker persona. That scene with Phoenix’s character making a smile out of the blood on his face while standing on top of a car as his followers cheered made it seem like Arthur and the Joker were one and the same. However, Joker: Folie à Deux became a story all about subverting the audience’s expectations, and by taking that stance, I’m convinced the creators knew the hate the movie has received was coming.

First up is the decision to make Joker: Folie à Deux a musical. While the use of music was important in Joker, such as Arthur’s “transformation” scene as he dances in the bathroom, there was no need to make the DC film a musical. Adding to that, the musical sequences in the Joker sequel are mostly dull, taking the tension out of dramatic moments. Then there is the sequel’s story. The movie gets you from point A to point B with very little excitement throughout, and it was not at all about the Joker’s rise to power, but his downfall.

Joker 2 Underlines The Original Movie’s Point About The DC Villain

Arthur Fleck Is The True Star And Not The Joker

While the Joker franchise has featured action sequences, deaths, and Joker-like situations, the two movies are about the character of Arthur Fleck and what makes him tick, not about his exploits as the Joker. I was very interested in getting an origin story for one of DC’s most iconic characters, as the Joker is not known for having a set backstory. 2019’s Joker did a great job of showing how the world pushed Arthur to his limit, and the character simply snapped after not being able to take it anymore.

While Arthur’s struggles were touched on in the first movie, he was always overlooked by others until he became the Joker and murdered people. It seems as though that was when he really mattered. Joker: Folie à Deux plays with that dual role within Joaquin Phoenix’s character. However, the sequel really hits it home that the flashy Joker action and storyline that fans were expecting was never what it was going to be about, as the main story in Joker: Folie à Deux revolves around Arthur Fleck’s emotional state, his trial, and how he deals with his sense of self.

Joker 2’s Ending Totally Deconstructs All Story Expectations For The Series

The Franchise Saved Its Biggest Surprise To The Very End

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s ending played the final joke on the audience that enjoyed the first movie. In fact, Lady Gaga’s role as Lee, the franchise’s version of Harley Quinn, serves as the perfect audience surrogate. Lee, like most fans who watched the first film, wanted to see Phoenix’s Joker in full glory, and after briefly seeming like he was headed that way, Arthur Fleck turned around and claimed that the Joker was nothing but a lie, a fantasy he created to feel powerful. The reveal would then lead to a disappointing twist.

The film revealed that Arthur Fleck was never meant to be the Joker. Connor Storrie’s Young Inmate appeared throughout Joker: Folie à Deux, always looking up to Arthur as he was inspired by the Joker. However, after Arthur renounced his Joker persona, the inmate stabbed him and carved a smile on himself as Arthur bled out on the floor.

Connor Storrie’s character was never given a name in the DC film, leaving the identity of the franchise’s true Joker a secret.

Before, another person inspired by Arthur tried to help him escape while dressed as the Joker, with Fleck running away from him as a clear way of showing he was leaving the Joker behind. I wanted to see Joker rise to power in Joker: Folie à Deux, but instead, he died on Arkham’s floor. That tragic subversion of expectations is what the film set out to accomplish, but the hate it has received is directly tied to that choice.

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