Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix explored their wild side in the psychological thriller, Joker: Folie À Deux. Phoenix reprised his role of Arthur Fleck, whose isolation from society led to a series of disasters unfolding in Gotham City in the 2019 original film. The sequel released in October 2024, delved deeper into the dark and gritty world of the Clown Prince of Crimes, all while introducing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in a way that flipped their conventional storyline.
Fans know Harley Quinn aka Harleen Quinzel, was a psychiatrist at first who becomes infatuated with Joker and ultimately takes on her wild persona. Their relationship, widely branded unhealthy, is turned upside down in the sequel, where Lady Gaga’s Quinn meets Joker as a fellow patient at Arkham State Hospital. Their toxic relationship and shared insanity set to provoke more disaster in Gotham City received mixed responses from critics and fans alike and the movie also ended up underperforming at the box office.
Now, months after Joker: Folie À Deux’s release, Lady Gaga has broken her silence on the criticism thrown at the film’s way. “People just sometimes don’t like some things. It’s that simple. And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended,” Gaga told Elle.
Joker: Folie à Deux ignited outrage among fans precisely for its controversial ending. Arthur Fleck, the mentally ill character played by Joaquin Phoenix, who everyone assumes to be Joker, dies in the climax without ever becoming Joker. Comic book fans know the notorious character for his elaborate robberies and crimes in Gotham City, but Arthur was stabbed brutally by an inmate in the Arkham City Hospital.
In a dramatic twist, the inmate also uses the blade to cut a Glasgow smile onto his face, mirroring Heath Ledger’s scar from The Dark Knight. This means Joaquin Phoenix starrer Joker film series, highly-publicized as the origin story of Batman’s most infamous nemesis, was never really Joker’s origin story. The inmate who stabs Arthur is actually the true Joker, who was inspired by the saga of Arthur Fleck’s killing spree and eventually takes on the persona of the Clown Prince of Crimes.
ALSO READ| ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ review: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga’s musical explodes out of rhythm
