Joker 2’s Main Character Should Be Bruce Wayne (Not Arthur Fleck)

Joker 2 is DC’s trickiest future proposition, but the sequel might stand a better chance if it makes Bruce Wayne the focus, instead of resuming Arthur Fleck’s story. Comic book movies and box office success are common bedfellows, but rarely does superhero fare bother the big award ceremonies. 2019’s Joker scored on both accounts, while also receiving glowing praise from fans and critics. Set within an off-kilter DC reality, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck – an unstable and down-on-his-luck clown pushed to transform into the infamous Joker by a mad society. For the first time in live-action, Joker was afforded a gritty and detailed psychological exploration, digging deep into the villain’s psyche, but despite the hugely ambitious concept, Joker would become the most profitable comic book movie in history.

The downside to such overwhelming success is that a sequel becomes inevitable, good idea or not. Joker 2 speculation has been rampant since even before the first film premiered, with fans dreaming up possible scenarios for Arthur Fleck’s return, but at the time of writing, there’s still no definitive word as to whether Joker 2 will happen. Reports claim Warner Bros. are keen (no surprises there), but director Todd Phillips previously denied discussions had taken place. According to the most recent updates, Joker 2 is still very much in development.

For many, Joker 2 is a very bad idea indeed, and chances of recapturing the original’s magic are slim to none. But if a sequel must happen (and Hollywood history strongly suggests it does), Joker 2 should avoid the obvious route of following Arthur Fleck, shifting the perspective to a teenage Bruce Wayne.

The Problem With Joker 2

Joker 2 faces such intense skepticism largely because the original serves as a complete, self-contained story. Joaquin Phoenix charts Arthur Fleck from the very first stages of his transformation, right up until the moment “Joker” becomes a Gotham City icon on live TV. By the violent finale, Fleck has all but vanished, and the Clown Prince has sparked a fiery uprising against the Gotham elite. As a beaten and bloodied Joker stands atop a car roof surveying the destruction caused in his name (and dancing), his work is done. Joker‘s very final scene, in which Fleck kills as Arkham Asylum doctor and casts doubt over how much of the film actually happened, leaves audiences satisfyingly confused, and wholly riveted.

By its very nature, Joker 2 would immediately dispel the ambiguity around original’s ending. Having ruined its predecessor’s aura of mystery, Joker 2 must then figure out what to do with a fully-formed supervillain in the leading role. The refreshing joy of Joker came from witnessing a troubled man gradually descend into a legendary comic book character. The value was in the journey, more than the destination, and such a visceral description of Arthur’s corruption allowed Phoenix to stand apart from the myriad of other film and TV Jokers. Presumably, Joker 2 would see Fleck establishing himself in Gotham’s underworld after escaping Arkham, meaning the sequel wouldn’t be another complex and clever psychological portrait – it’d just be the “Killing Joke” bits of Gotham, or the first 60 minutes of The Dark Knight.

Bruce’s Transformation Was Set Up In Joker 1

Joker does well to bend DC canon without breaking it completely, and one of the most significant deviations is the Wayne murders. Following the traditional story, Bruce and his parents exit a theater and make their way into an alley, but instead of Joe Chill, the Waynes find themselves among the melee of clown-mask revolutionaries inspired by Arthur Fleck, and it’s one of the rioters who guns down Bruce’s parents. This backstory sets up a very different future for Master Wayne; rather than simply becoming vengeful toward the criminals of Gotham City, the young Batman would surely develop a burning hatred of Arthur Fleck, the man who provoked the uprising in the first place.

Joker 2 may not be able to revisit Arthur Fleck’s fascinating evolution from the first film, but it could give the same slow-burning, super-disturbing transform treatment to Bruce Wayne. This would allow Joker 2 to once again dive deep into the mindset of a morally complex character, probing his sanity and asking questions of right and wrong. Bruce, perhaps in his late teens, is desperately hunting for Fleck with intent to kill, pushing his ethical limits in a quest for revenge. Retaining the tone of the original, Bruce might torture Joker supporters, exploit corrupt lawmen, and perhaps even kill the gunman from the alley. As Bruce inches closer to Fleck, the pressure could tip him over the edge, just as it did Joker in the first film, raising doubt over whether Bruce’s perspective is reliable, or whether the sequel’s events are a figment of his imagination.

Joker 2 with Bruce Wayne as the lead would act as a counterpoint to the original film. Arthur Fleck embarked on a violent rampage against a city broken by greed. What happens when one of those high-flyers sinks to his level? None of this would be possible in even the most vaguely conventional Batman story, but after Joker changed the rules of engagement, Bruce Wayne’s future is unwritten. In Joker‘s continuity, there’s not even a guarantee that Bruce becomes the Dark Knight, and that’s by far the most exciting story to be told.

Following Bruce Keeps Arthur Fleck More Unpredictable

Telling Joker 2 from Bruce Wayne’s perspective doesn’t mean Arthur Fleck should be relegated to a bit-part figure. Bruce and Arthur could engage in a bat-and-mouse chase across Gotham City, with Fleck’s supporters keeping the Joker one step ahead of his rich teenage pursuer. Along the way, Joker might try convincing Bruce that they’re brothers, and Thomas Wayne “had it coming” for keeping them apart for so long, continuing one of the first movie’s most intriguing unanswered plot threads – the identity of Fleck’s father.

Casting Arthur Fleck in a semi-mythical, Keyser Söze role in Joker 2 ensures Joaquin Phoenix’s character won’t suffer over-exposure. A key strength of Phoenix’s performance is how the entirety of Joker is spent with Arthur Fleck, yet viewers are still left with the lingering sense that they don’t really know him at all. That’s a trick Joker 2 will struggle to repeat, especially with Fleck now a bona fide supervillain of Gotham City. But viewing Phoenix’s character through Bruce Wayne’s eyes and keeping Joker at arm’s length enhances the mystery of the first film, rather than damaging it.

By all accounts, Joker 2 shouldn’t happen. As pretentious as it sounds, there’s something to be said for preserving the integrity of a standalone movie. But if there is still a story to be told in Arthur Fleck’s universe, it’s how Bruce Wayne’s new origin story affects his Batman trajectory.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3637 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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