The ending of Folie à Deux makes it very clear that the man we know as Arthur Fleck is no more – and the original Joker dies with him. Stabbed by a fellow Arkham inmate, Arthur’s story ends as tragically as it began. At least, that’s what we would believe if we took the scene at face value. What if there’s more to what we saw in Arthur’s final moments? What if Arthur Fleck didn’t die, and it was only Joker who died?
Todd Phillips Took Creative Liberties
It’s safe to say that the plot of Joker: Folie à Deux didn’t go in the direction most fans wanted. Beyond the questionable music numbers, Folie à Deux took some unexpected twists and turns with Arthur Fleck’s characters – some of which are sure to bother fans of the peerless 2019 prequel.
One thing’s for sure: Todd Phillips took some serious creative liberties with the source material when he wrote the characters of Folie à Deux. From coming up with a radically different version of Harley Quinn to essentially finishing the Joker, Folie à Deux can be a messy affair for most Batman fans.
Arthur Fleck’s Split Personality
While most fans might have zoned out after the fifth or sixth musical number, Folie à Deux deals heavily with Arthur’s split personality. We all know the Clown Prince of Crime isn’t exactly the image of mental stability, but Arthur Fleck’s Joker might be one of the most justifiably disturbed renditions of the character we’ve seen.
In the first Joker, we learn that Arthur experienced a rather terrible childhood. Abuse – both mental and physical – was the bread and butter of Arthur’s daily life. The mistreatment caused lifelong trauma to Arthur’s psyche, leading him to develop coping mechanisms to deal with the pain.
We even saw Arthur knowing the exact position he had to adopt to reduce damage when he was being beaten by bullies. In fact, most of what Arthur does through the movie is a coping mechanism. Even coming up with the Joker persona was a way for him to own Murray Franklin’s mockery.
Symbolism in the Musical Numbers
Folie à Deux makes it very clear that Arthur struggles with society’s expectations of the Joker. The courtroom scenes are the most enlightening in this aspect, showing how the Joker’s actions have affected the lives of those close to Arthur. When Gary Puddles testifies, something finally breaks inside Arthur – and that something might be the boundary between him and the Joker.
Musical numbers aside, Folie à Deux is much more symbolic than we give it credit for. There’s a reason why most of Arthur and Lee’s relationship plays like a musical and also why he’s so reluctant to become the Joker. Those moments showcase the internal struggle within Arthur – it’s two people who want drastically different lives wrestling for control of the same body.
The Death of Arthur Fleck or Joker?
By the time Arthur had finally declared that “There’s no Joker,” he was already dead in Lee’s eyes. Ultimately, we see Arthur killed by someone he influenced with his Joker persona. However, there’s another interpretation of this scene.
For someone with a psyche as disturbed as Arthur’s, it would be easy to see him perceiving Arthur Fleck and the Joker as two separate entities. In his mind, the inmate who comes to kill him could have been a way for his mind to finally end Joker for good, especially now that he had no reason to keep pretending to be the Clown Prince of Crime.
On the other hand, it was also likely the opposite was true. The final scene shows us Arthur dying, but it could also mean that the part of him that was just a meek mental patient succumbed to the Joker. After all, he told Lee he couldn’t “Live without” her. Maybe those words were truer than he knew, and his mind finally found a way to purge Arthur’s good guy facade.
RELATED: 10 Reasons Batman Is Crazier Than The Joker
In any case, Folie à Deux leaves us with more questions than answers and with the uneasy feeling that the movie could have been great if only the director went with a more traditional story instead of what we got. Still, this was the end of Arthur Fleck’s story, and what a wild ride it’s been.
Tell us, do you think Arthur Fleck died at the end of Joker: Folie à Deux?
Joker: Folie à Deux |
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Arthur Fleck is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him. |
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| Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Domain Entertainment, DC Studios, Joint Effort |
| Running Time: 138 minutes |
| Release Date: October 4, 2024 |
| Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz |
| Director: Todd Phillips |
| Writers: Scott Silver, Todd Phillips, Bob Kane |
| Genre: Crime, Musical, Thriller, Drama |
| Box Office: N/A |
