No, Joker: Folie a Deux Is Not A Dark Knight Prequel

As a seasoned gamer and movie enthusiast with over two decades of experience under my belt, I have to say that the theory connecting Joker: Folie ? Deux to The Dark Knight is a stretch, to put it mildly. While it’s always fun to speculate on potential connections between franchises, this one seems more like wishful thinking than anything grounded in reality.

If you’ve been discussing the movie “Joker: Folie ? Deux” on the internet this week, you might have come across a theory suggesting that it’s a prequel to “The Dark Knight.” We previously touched on this topic as well! However, due to its spoiler-filled nature, we’ll provide a brief overview instead of going into detail. In essence, if you look closely at the script of “Batman Begins” without any additional context, it contradicts this theory. While it’s always enjoyable to ponder connections between standalone films, in this instance, the link seems rather far-fetched, and fans may be stretching things a bit too much.

Okay, everybody who’s worried about spoilers gone? Sounds good, let’s break it down.

In the conclusion of “Joker: Folie ? Deux”, Arthur is anticipating a guest. A figure walks in, fatally stabs Arthur, and then erupts into laughter, subsequently carving a grin onto his own visage. This implies that Arthur was not, nor ever became, the real Joker who would later torment Gotham; instead, he merely served as an inspiration for the Joker, similar to Conrad Veidt’s character in “The Man Who Laughs”.

Because they are real scars, not makeup or a chemical alteration, many fans associate these marks with Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning portrayal of the Joker. Given that he often invented different tales about how he obtained these scars, the comparison seems fitting.

As reported by Collider, director Christopher Nolan had expressed concern about an immediate connection in the original script for “Joker.” While still working with Warner Bros. in 2019, he requested a change to the ending of the film. Instead of Arthur carving a smile into his own face as initially planned, the final version shows him smearing blood across his lips. This alteration is believed to be due to Nolan’s preference for his Joker character not to have an explicit origin story or explanation.

It’s clear that Nolan didn’t contribute to the making of this movie, making it plausible to contend that any influence he had on Joker won’t be reflected in its sequel. The Collider article suggests that the filmmakers chose the movie’s ending as a means to disregard Nolan’s suggestions, since they found it safer and more comfortable to do so.

independent of its accuracy, there appears to be a strong likelihood that Nolan’s observation holds true: when given scars, certain individuals tend to perceive it as an interpretation of the character by Ledger. However, is this assumption correct in all cases?

Well, no.

In the movie “Batman Begins“, there are two instances that challenge this notion, yet one stands out as explicitly making the point.

Initially, it’s important to note that the ages and appearances of Thomas and Martha Wayne at their deaths, as portrayed in both ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘Joker’, are inconsistent with each other. The circumstances of their demise in ‘Joker’ differ significantly from what we see in ‘Batman Begins’. While ‘Batman Begins’ offers a more conventional depiction of the Waynes’ murder, the one in ‘Joker’ takes place amidst a Joker-inspired riot.

At the close of “Batman Begins,” James Gordon illuminates the Bat-Signal skyward, summoning Batman with an intriguing artifact: a playing card. He shares with him a chilling tale about a dangerous madman wreaking havoc in Gotham City and leaving behind calling cards adorned with a Joker figure.

Let’s take a quick mental trip, just for a second. If the circumstances depicted in the movie “Joker” were to have befallen the characters from “Batman Begins,” it wouldn’t appear as a puzzling, unexplainable situation.

Batman: “Joker.” You mean like Arthur Fleck?
Gordon: Oh, yeah! That’s right! How did I forget? That riot almost tore this city apart.
Batman: Yeah, and my parents got killed. It would be super weird if I forgot all about it, too.
Gordon: Your…parents?
Batman: I’ve said too much!
Gordon: Wow, it seems I spoke about how your mask could encourage lawlessness, yet here you are responding to Fleck and the Joker disturbances. The world can indeed be unpredictable.

In a world where both the Joker’s chaos unfolded and the tragic deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne occurred during that very mayhem, the appearance of a Joker calling card would undoubtedly spark a mysterious conundrum for me as a fan.

Apart from everything else, it’s worth noting that Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker was quite eloquent and enjoyed his lengthy speeches as a supervillain. Haven’t you ever pondered if there might have been discussions about him being a more compelling, charismatic reinterpretation of an already established villain?

It’s harmless to consider this your head canon. It’s a ton of fun to come up with our own interpretations of the media we enjoy. But it doesn’t hold up to real scrutiny.

2024-10-08 20:39

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