After a set video from Joker: Folie à Deux revealed that Joaquin Phoenix was running from two other Jokers; are they delusions or multiverse-related?
Joker: Folie à Deux is going to feature multiple versions of the Clown Prince of Crime, which was revealed recently by a set video with star Joaquin Phoenix. They could be appearing in the movie as delusions from Arthur Fleck’s wandering mind or as the Joker gets mixed in with DC’s multiverse, which will be opened up by this year’s The Flash. Joker: Folie à Deux is a sequel to 2019’s Joker, which ended up its run in theaters as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, with over $1 billion. Now, 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux aims to go even further than the original.
A recent Joker 2 set video showed Phoenix’s character running away from two past versions of himself, which included one Arthur Fleck dressed in his Joker outfit from the original movie.
The scene is very interesting, as it can likely play out in two very different ways. Joker introduced the concept of Arthur being an unreliable narrator, which could be tied to the sudden appearance of multiple Jokers, or maybe DC really is embracing the multiverse across its different properties. One huge detail from the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux helps to understand how the multiple Jokers can factor into the story.
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Arthur Fleck May Be Having Delusions In Joker 2
Joker: Folie à Deux could be pulling a page from the original movie when it comes to the presence of the multiple Jokers seen in the set video. Joker 2 can answer the mystery of just how far Arthur changes reality in his mind to fit what he wants after the character had an entire relationship with a woman in the first movie, which was then shockingly revealed to not be true at all, rather happening completely inside Arthur’s mind. Lady Gaga’s role as Harley Quinn in the sequel, allied to at least part of the story taking place at Arkham Asylum, should enhance Arthur’s delusions from the original.
Another important factor that points to Joker: Folie à Deux‘s multiple Jokers being constructs of Arthur’s mind is that the sequel has been revealed to be a musical. Joker 2 can continue the bathroom dancing scene from the original, a turning point for Arthur’s transformation into the Joker, with a full-blown adventure through the character’s psyche. Joker: Folie à Deux being a musical allows the movie to have larger-than-life sequences, escaping reality and allowing audiences to see what goes on in Arthur’s mind. That theme is likely behind the presence of multiple Jokers as Arthur tries to wrestle with his own identity in the movie.
Will Joker 2 Deal With The DC Multiverse?
If the multiple Jokers set to appear in Joker: Folie à Deux are indeed real, then there might be some sort of multiverse plot involved in the movie. 2023’s The Flash is going to present a multiverse story that unites different characters from all over the DC Universe. The Flash movie includes multiple Batman actors, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck, reprising their roles. That opens up the precedent for Phoenix’s multiple Jokers to be real, although that is unlikely, as Joker: Folie à Deux has been said to be an Elseworlds story — contained to its own universe — which means Arthur’s delusions are probably why the multiple Jokers appear.
