Joker: Folie a Deux Ending, Explained

Joker: Folie à Deux is a 2024 American musical psychological thriller by Warner Bros. It's the long-awaited sequel to 2019's Joker, directed by Todd Phillips, and it sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise the role of Arthur Fleck (aka Joker). It also stars Lady Gaga, who plays his love interest Harley Quinn, with Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan also joining the cast.

Joker was originally planned to be a standalone film, but everything changed when it made over $1 billion at the global box office. Phillips was keen on making a sequel, and it went into development in June 2022. Joker: Folie à Deux premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2024. Early reviews have been negative, with a critics' score of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 33% rating by audiences. It is projected to earn between $50-60 million in its opening weekend, which is massively down on the first movie's $96 million opening weekend in 2019.

What Is Joker: Folie à Deux About?

It's been two years since Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) committed six murders, and he is incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), intends to argue that Arthur has dissociative identity disorder and that the "Joker" is actually responsible for the string of murders. One of the guards, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), suggests that Arthur go to a music therapy session to help with his disorder, and this leads to a meeting with Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who confides in him over a troubled background growing up in the same neighborhood as he did.

Joaquin Phoenix Key Facts

• Played Johnny Cash in the 2005 biopic, Walk The Line.
• Sparked controversy with his last minute exit from Todd Haynes' upcoming movie.
• He comes from a family of Hollywood stars, including the late icon, River Phoenix.

Turns out, she had an abusive father who perished in a car crash, and she was imprisoned after burning down her parents' apartment building. Lee also claims to be a fan of the Joker's crimes. During a movie screening, Lee starts a fire, which results in the pair trying to escape, but they are caught and Arthur is punished with solitary confinement. Lee pays him a visit to tell him she is being released to break them up. However, she promises to attend his trial, and she applies his signature Joker makeup, and they have sex.

Next, Arthur has an interview with television personality Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan) which Arthur sings his way through, while Lee watches on through the television screen from the street.

On the day of the trial, Familiar Batman villain, Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) calls witnesses to try and dismiss Arthur's claims of insanity. Maryanne reveals that Lee was a psychiatry student who grew up in the Upper East Side, and her father, a doctor, is still alive. And, to add to that betrayal, she voluntarily committed herself at Arkham and subsequently checked herself out, and the story about burning down her apartment building was also a lie. Arthur confronts Lee, and she confesses that she lied as a way of getting close to Arthur. She also tells him that she is pregnant with his baby, and she is setting up a home for them in his old apartment.

How does Joker: Folie à Deux End?

It's the next day, and Arthur decides to fire Maryanne and represent himself. He is also now wearing his Joker makeup while cross-examining witnesses, including former co-worker, Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) and his neighbor Sophie Dumont (Zazie Beetz). Harvey Dent rests the prosecution's case and Arthur offers no defense. However, during his speech, he criticizes the guards at Arkham, which results in a beating and subsequent rape by head guard Jackie Sullivan along with two other guards as a punishment. When Arthur returns to his cell, a fellow inmate, Ricky, confronts the guards, and this results in Jackie strangling him to death.

During closing arguments the next day, Arthur denounces the Joker persona and takes full responsibility for his crimes. Lee leaves and the jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder. As the jury foreman is reading out the verdict, a car bomb explodes outside the courthouse, killing and injuring numerous people and scarring half of Dent's face. In all the chaos, Arthur escapes the courthouse and is helped by two strangers. However, Arthur leaves them and walks aimlessly through Gotham and finds Lee outside his old apartment. She rejects him and admits to lying about her pregnancy. She leaves as the police apprehend Arthur and return him to Arkham. The following day, a young patient stabs Arthur while telling him a joke. Arthur dies while the patient carves a smile onto his own face.