Joker: Folie à Deux Fan Theory Suggests The Only Way Batman Can Work in Joaquin Phoenix's Universe
Batman wouldn’t be a hero in Todd Phillips’ universe.
Joker became a topic of discussion as soon as it hit theaters in 2019. And it's not just that Todd Phillips' movie has an ambiguous morality, completely different from typical comic book movies. The director made the audience doubt the reality of what was happening on the screen, allowing everyone to decide which events really happened and which only existed in the main character’s imagination.
The film was initially positioned as an independent work, in no way connected with comic books and especially with the DC cinematic universe. Joker refers more to the early films of Martin Scorsese, often citing Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy.
And even the makeup of the main character does not resemble the classic image of the Joker, but the famous killer clown Pogo, aka John Gacy. This reference is confirmed by the name of the Pogo club where Arthur performs.
However, the action takes place in the same Gotham where the events of the comics happen. The Arkham Asylum and even young Bruce Wayne himself appear in the plot. In addition, the death scene of Thomas and Martha leaving the movie theater is made quite canonically.
Batman Shouldn’t Be a Hero in Todd Phillips’ Joker, According to Reddit
Given the fact that the Joker intersects with the events of the comics, fans are interested in one main question – will we see a confrontation between the Joker and Batman, and how would it look in the style of Todd Phillips' film. One Redditor, MrSluagh, offered a version that fits well with the gritty realism of this universe.
The Reddit user argues that given the fact that Joaquin Phoenix 's Joker aka Arthur Fleck is not a supervillain as in the comics, but a completely realistic mental patient and for any version of Batman, he would pose no threat. Therefore, Bruce Wayne must also become a grounded version of himself that fits the hopeless morality of the movie.
What Batman Would Be Perfect for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker?
According to the theory, 15 years after the events of the first film, Bruce Wayne should become a spoiled rich teen who, in order to feel superior, harasses and beats up homeless people, outpatients and ex-cons at night, hoping to turn them in for petty crimes. And Batman gets his name in honor of the Batmobile, not the other way around – the Batmobile in this universe is supposed to be a quiet electric car for the rich that becomes Bruce's calling card.
One day, Bruce harasses Arthur, who at this point is taking his medications and trying to lay low, and throws away his medications, thinking they are drugs.
Without his meds, Arthur retreats back into his fantasies, realizing that if he exposes Bruce, he will regain his reputation and become a true hero of Gotham. Arthur teams up with Harley Quinn to capture Batman.
Considering that Todd Phillips talked about being interested in seeing Batman in his universe, and specifically answering the question of what kind of Batman his Gotham would give birth to, this fan theory has its logic and sense. Judging by the trailers, however, we won't be seeing anything like that, at least not in Joker: Folie à Deux.