Does ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ set up ‘Joker 3?’ Unfortunately, yes

With Joker: Folie à Deux, co-writer and director Todd Phillips bids his farewell to DC. Still, he leaves enough breadcrumbs for another filmmaker to follow in Joker 3, in case the sequel makes enough money for Warner Bros. Discovery to push for a trilogy.

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

With Joker: Folie à Deux, Phillips wants to ensure everyone that his DC filmmaking journey has ended. That’s why he kills Arthur Fleck in a controversial ending that strokes Phillips’ ego while purposely angering Joker’s fans. That sounds like the end of an era, as there’s no way to imagine Joker 3 without Phoenix. However, artistic integrity never prevented Warner Bros. Discovery from going after more money. So, it’s fair to assume the death of a main character won’t stop them if Folie à Deux turns a considerable profit – a scenario that’s not too likely.

Nevertheless, there has been chatter about WBD’s CEO David Zaslov growing restless with James Gunn taking his time to cook the new DC Universe. Zaslov reportedly wants Batman, DC’s big money-maker, to appear sooner than Gunn planned and has apparently even suggested putting Matt Reeves’ version of the Dark Knight in the main DC Studios continuity.

Since Zaslav will probably face resistance from Reeves (who wants to keep things grounded) and Gunn (who plans to introduce clones and immortal assassins), Joker: Folie à Deux might be just the hook WBD needs to fish more Batman content. That’s because Phillips left some major loose threads in the sequel.

Joker: Folie à Deux introduces three major Batman villains

Joker: Folie à Deux revolves around the trial of Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. Thanks to its courthouse drama structure, the sequel can dive deep into Arthur’s motivations and discuss to what point he’s just a victim of society or a vicious killer. Ultimately, Arthur rejects the Joker persona, accepts the blame for his crimes, and disappoints his followers. 

One disgruntled Joker fan, an unnamed Arkham Asylum input, shivs Arthur for being such a disappointment. This inmate also slashes his face, laughing hysterically while carving a smile on his cheeks. The self-inflicted wounds are meant to echo the fan-favorite character design sported by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Barry Keoghan, who plays Joker in Matt Reeves’ universe, also sports similar scars. So, with some retcon efforts, Warner Bros. Discovery might try to fit Joker and The Batman into the same canon, with a potential Joker 3 bridging the gap. Or the threequel can be a true origin story for the actual Joker.

At the end of Joker: Folie à Deux, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga) is also free to pursue her twisted dreams. She is obsessed with Joker but doesn’t care about Arthur, so his death shouldn’t linger on her mind. Joker 3 could explore Lee’s future in Gotham City as she keeps searching for a deranged soulmate or decides to rise to the occasion by herself. Who knows, maybe they could even commit to an actual musical with Gaga as the main star instead of the sluggish and cowardly approach Folie à Deux took for its musical scenes.

Joker: Folie à Deux also introduces a third Batman villain. Kind of. In the movie, recently elected District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) represents Gotham City in the case against Arthur Fleck. This version of Harvey has nothing to do with his comic book counterpart. However, the DA is caught in the blast of an explosion. He survives and has wounds on one side of his face, Phillips’ shy homage to Two-Face. Joker 3 could also explore the aftermath of Arthur’s trial and Dent’s road to villainy.

A threequel could work if they keep Joker 3 separated from Reeves’ The Batman and the upcoming DCU. Fingers crossed, WBD’s greed won’t taint multiple franchises.