Todd Phillips' 2019 film Joker provided Batman's greatest nemesis with a (possible) backstory grounded in a distinct, pared-down reality. Highlighting the man behind the makeup, Joaquin Phoenix's performance earned him an Oscar and a sequel is now soon on the way. Pairing Joker with a new take on Harley Quinn -- courtesy of the multitalented Lady Gaga -- Joker: Folie à Deux is set to explore their shared madness within the confines of Arkham State Hospital. Even though the two Joker films see things from the villain's point of view, most stories often need a strong antagonist to provide some kind of challenge for their central character, as well as a sense of conflict and drama.Director/writer Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver gave Arthur Fleck two antagonists in the first Joker movie. They may or may not have been truly "bad" people, but they were nonetheless vilified in Arthur's eyes: Thomas Wayne, Gotham City's smug and volatile leading citizen, and Murray Franklin, popular talk show host and Arthur's lifelong comedy idol. What eventually happens to both characters hinges more on offering added insight into Arthur (and Gotham at large) than exploring them as individuals -- but their function as antagonists helps add tension and conflict to an otherwise isolated and hyper-focused story.
Murray Franklin and Thomas Wayne Are de Facto Villains in Joker
Thomas Wayne, played by Brett Cullen (an actor who's no stranger to Gotham, having previously appeared in The Dark Knight Rises), was a very different version of the character than audiences were used to seeing; instead of a kind and caring father, Cullen's Wayne is a testy, self-assured, callous individual. The possibility that he may, in fact, be Arthur's biological father is never fully resolved, but Arthur himself chooses to abandon those hopes and refresh his own personal slate. A stylistic reinterpretation of the Thomas and Martha Wayne murder -- in a part of the city that would become known as "Crime Alley" -- recontextualizes the city's "first family" as victims of the social revolt that sets Gotham on fire the night Joker murders Franklin on air.
Arthur's slow-burn transformation into Joker reaches another deadly stepping stone once his adulation for Franklin dissolves into bitter hatred, and, fueled by self-pity and madness, Arthur murders his ex-hero on live television. Both deaths occur near the end of the movie, representing, from a larger perspective, a massive sea change for Gotham -- framed within a cultural revolution that appoints the Joker as its fulcrum. And while the many rioters who wore clown masks in the film's penultimate sequence showed a kind of fanatic support for Arthur, he didn't have any kind of individual, compassionate support throughout the story -- something that will most likely change with Gaga's Harley Quinn in Joker 2.
Todd Phillips Will Take Viewers Back to Arkham in Joker 2
While very little is known about the sequel so far, it seems that a majority of the story will take place inside Arkham -- an iconic DC Comics location and something of a character in its own right. Based on the mechanics of the first Joker, it will be important for Joker 2 to establish an antagonistic persona for either Arthur, Harley, or both. First glimpses at the movie have intimated an intense, character-driven story; a strong antagonist can help highlight and add to this new version of Joker and Harley Quinn, solidifying them as a unique take on a complex, difficult, and charged character dynamic. Gaga's inclusion in the project, besides the new element of romance and companionship that her version of Harley can add to Arthur's journey, has also led to the sequel functioning as a comic book movie musical. That approach is admittedly risky -- and exciting -- but spiritually in line with the first Joker's overall fresh and original perspective.
As suggested by a fan theory on Reddit, the sequel's main antagonist could potentially be a sadistic doctor or nurse, echoing the Jack Nicholson 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In addition to being in line with Phillips' other cinematic inspirations from that decade -- like Taxi Driver and Dog Day Afternoon -- Joker 2 could feature one of Batman's oldest villains: the evil genius Dr. Hugo Strange. Or, the villain could simply be an over-zealous orderly or guard, evoking The Green Mile or The Shawshank Redemption. Ultimately, even stories that center on evil or amoral characters need someone to oppose them or to present some kind of threat; otherwise, the story may lack drama or any kind of effective impetus. Specific plot details notwithstanding, Gaga's involvement and Phoenix's desire to return to the role promises to deliver, as implied by the film's director of photographer, Lawrence Sher, something mad and magical.