Major spoilers for "Joker: Folie à Deux" follow. Please read with caution:
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Despite its disappointing global box office and critical reception, eagle-eyed fans have uncovered a noteworthy DC universe connection in "Joker: Folie à Deux."
Toward the end of the film, an explosion at the courthouse set by a mob allows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) to escape. However, after he claims in court that "there never was a Joker," a disillusioned Lee (Lady Gaga) betrays him, landing Arthur back in prison. In the final moments, a fellow inmate repeatedly stabs him to death.
The inmate then lets out a chilling laugh over Arthur's body and carves a Glasgow smile onto his own face, leading many to theorize this was a nod to Heath Ledger's Joker from "The Dark Knight." Given the timeline inconsistencies, however, this isn't intended to be a direct prequel.
However, director Todd Phillips has confirmed in a recent interview that "Joker: Folie à Deux" does serve as an origin story for another major Batman villain. The prosecutor handling Arthur Fleck's murder case in the film is none other than the famous Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face, played by "Industry" star Harry Lawtey. During the courthouse explosion at the end, Dent is disfigured, an apparent nod to his comic book origins.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Phillips confirmed that the scene was indeed meant to tease the origins of Two-Face. He explained that the film attempts to explore, from a grounded perspective, how these characters might develop their iconic looks and identities.
Both 2019's "Joker" and its sequel have intentionally sidestepped traditional superhero movie formulas, reinterpreting characters from the Batman comics through a different lens. Phillips prefers to let the audience piece together the narrative clues rather than relying on established lore. He stressed that this approach isn't meant to disrespect the source material or invalidate previous interpretations, but is instead an attempt to find their own unique way into these characters.