Joker: Folie a Deuxhas confirmed that Arthur Fleck killed six people during his crime spree inJoker, with each signaling his increasing descent into madness and villainy. WithDC’sJoker(2019), Todd Phillips reimagined a dark origin story for the iconic Batman villain. Arthur Fleck’s transformation into the Joker is slow, methodical, and brutal, leaving behind a bloody trail of victims.
Jokerintroduced Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck party clown who is so beaten down by society that he becomes Gotham City’s most infamous criminal. This journey is marked by several disturbing murders, with each death representing a crucial step in his psychological unraveling. The ramifications of this were explored inJoker: Folie a Deux, where Arthur Fleck is on trial for his crimes, encounteringLady Gaga’s Harley Quinnin the process.
6Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1
Played ByCarl Lundstedt
Arthur’s first victim inJokeris one of the three drunken businessmen (often called the Wall Street Three) who attack him on the subway. This man, Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1, is themain instigator of the assault. The trio begins by harassing a woman on the train, but when Arthur, sitting alone in his clown makeup, laughs uncontrollably due to his neurological condition, the group turns its attention to him.
The businessman grabs Arthur’s bag and mocks him by singing “Send in the Clowns.” His actions escalate when he punches Arthur in the face, calling him a freak. At this point inJoker, Arthur is alreadyreeling from a series of personal setbacks, including losing his job as a clown for bringing a gun into a children’s hospital—a gun that was given to him by a colleague named Randall.
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Joker: Folie a Deux is set in a far more bleak and grimy world than usual, and as such made some notable changes to DC characters and narratives.
When Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1 initiates the physical assault, Arthur’s pent-up rage explodes. As the men beat him, Arthur shoots Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1 in the head, killing him instantly with the very gun thatsymbolizes his spiraling descent into violence. This moment marks a significant turning point in Arthur’s life, as it’s his first act of lethal retaliation against a world he believes is constantly beating him down.
5Unnamed Wall Street Guy #2
Played By Michael Benz
The second businessman inJoker, Unnamed Wall Street Guy #2, is less confrontational at first but becomes equally complicit in the attack. The only one of the three not wearing a jacket, this man catches Arthur’s bag when it’s thrown and holds it while his friends continue to goad Arthur. When Arthur is knocked to the ground, Wall Street Guy #2 joins in on the beating. Arthur’s first kill could be seen as self-defense, his second isa continuation of that same explosive retaliation.
Arthur shoots him twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach, killing him on the spot. These first two killings inJokerare acts of survival and vengeance, fueled by the idea that Arthur is finally fighting back against a society that has marginalized and abused him. It’s not just these men attacking Arthur; in his mind, theyrepresent the wealthy elites who crush the powerlessunderfoot.
4Unnamed Wall Street Guy #3
Played By Ben Warheit
Unnamed Wall Street Guy #3represents a shift in Arthur’s killingsinJoker- from reactive violence to premeditated murder. This man was harassing the woman on the subway by throwing fries at her, and is the man who takes and wears Arthur’s clown wig. During the initial assault, he holds back Arthur’s arms. After his two friends are shot, he flees into the next subway car.
At this point, Arthur could have left him alone, but instead, he chooses to chase him down. Arthur shoots him in the leg, but even as the man crawls away, Arthur pursues him and fires three more shots into his back, killing him. This murder is crucial because it’s Arthur’s first act ofkilling someone who isn’t an immediate threat. Unnamed Wall Street Guy #3 is running for his life, but Arthur decides to end it anyway.
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Joker 2 follows in its predecessor’s footsteps by blurring the line between reality and fantasy, with some scenes only happening in Arthur’s mind.
This moment marks Arthur’s first true act of murder, as he executes the man in cold blood. This killing represents Arthur embracing a new side of himself,one that enjoys inflicting pain and revenge, which subsequently drives his subsequent murders and transformation into the Joker. His demeanor shifts after this, taking on the more recognizable physical traits of the Joker. The murder also acts as a symbolic rebellion against Gotham’s elite, with Arthur unintentionally becoming a figurehead for the lower classes, who view the killings as a strike against their oppressors.
3Penelope “Penny” Fleck
Played By Frances Conroy
Arthur’s fourth victim inJokeris far more personal - his own mother, Penny Fleck. Throughout the film, Penny is portrayed as mentally unstable, obsessing over a relationship she claims to have had with billionaire Thomas Wayne. Penny repeatedly tells Arthur that Thomas Wayne is his father,a belief Arthur clings to as his last hopeof finding meaning in his life.
However, when Arthur learns the truth about his mother from Arkham Asylum records - that she adopted him and allowed her abusive boyfriend to cruelly abuse him as a child - he snaps. Arthur’s anger towards Penny isrooted in feelings of betrayal. She didn’t just lie about his father; she allowed him to be hurt and left him with lasting emotional scars.
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Joker: Folie a Deux introduced some classic DC characters into Arthur Fleck’s grim vision of Gotham City, but with distinctive updates.
When Arthur visits her in the hospital, he smothers her with a pillow, ending her life. As he kills her, he says the iconicJokerline,“I always thought my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a fucking comedy.”This moment is pivotal, as it represents Arthur shedding his past and fully embracing his Joker persona. By killing his mother,Arthur is redefining his identityand rejecting who she claimed he was, choosing instead to rewrite his own narrative.
2Randall The Clown
Played By Glenn Fleshler
Arthur’s fifth victim inJokeris his former colleague Randall, the man who gave him the gun that got him fired and indirectlyset off the chain of events leading to Arthur’s first three murders. Randall visits Arthur after the Wall Street killings, concerned that Arthur might implicate him in the crime. During their conversation, Randall tries to play down his involvement, which only serves to anger Arthur further.
By this point inJoker, Arthur has already started transitioning into his Joker persona, and Randall’s cowardly behavior pushes him over the edge. In a gruesome act of violence, Arthur stabs Randall in the neck and eye before smashing his head against the wall repeatedly. Randall represents all the people in Arthur’s lifewho have mistreated and betrayed him, from his abusive stepfather to the society that ridicules him.
Randall’s death is especially symbolic because Arthur is wearing his half-completed Joker makeup from crafting his new persona. During the act, blood splatters across his face, infusing his Joker’s creation with bloodshed,foreshadowing the full transformation that is about to occur. This murder cements Arthur’s identity as the Joker and convinces him to go on The Murray Franklin Show, no longer planning to kill himself but to make a statement to the world.
1Murray Franklin
Played By Robert De Niro
Arthur’s final victim inJokeris Murray Franklin, the late-night talk show host who Arthur and his mother adored. Throughout the movie, Arthur fantasizes about being on Murray’s show, imagining that Murray would embrace and treat him like a son. However,Arthur’s illusions are shatteredwhen Murray mocks him on national television, showing a clip of Arthur’s failed stand-up routine and ridiculing him.
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Joker: Folies a Deux frequently transitions between reality and Joker’s delusions, blurring the line so effective that it keeps viewers guessing.
When Arthur is invited onto the show after Randall’s murder, it becomes clear that his intentions have changed.He isn’t seeking validation anymore- he’s seeking vengeance. After confessing to the subway killings on live TV, Arthur shoots Murray in the head, killing him instantly.
This final murder represents theculmination of Arthur’s transformation into the Joker. By killing Murray, Arthur isn’t just striking back at someone who humiliated him; he’s making a statement to the world that he has embraced his new identity as a symbol of chaos. As such, Murray is Arthur’s first victim as the Joker, and perhaps the most important inJoker.
Joker
Cast
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker is an origin story for Batman’s most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-on-his-luck clown who is trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don’t go according to plan, and Arthur feels Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur sparks a violent revolution within the city.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
