SPOILER ALERT : This article contains major spoilers for the ending of “Joker: Folie à Deux ” now playing in theaters. Joaquin Phoenix dons his clown makeup once again in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the follow-up to his Oscar-winning performance from 2019. This time, he’s joined by fellow Oscar winner Lady Gaga, who plays another iconic DC Comics villain, Harley Quinn.
The comic book sequel takes place after the events of “Joker,” with Phoenix’s killer clown Arthur Fleck on trial for the murders he committed in the first movie. His lawyer, played by Catherine Keener, argues that Arthur and Joker are two different people. She claims that after years of childhood abuse, Arthur developed an alter-ego that’s separate from his own mind.
The prosecution is led by assistant district attorney Harvey Dent, played by “Industry” star Harry Lawtey, who’s later known as the disfigured villain Two Face in the Batman comics. The jury sides with Dent and convicts Arthur of murder. However, before the trial can continue, a bomb explodes outside of the courtroom, sending the city into chaos.
Arthur briefly escapes with the help of two Joker devotees, but he’s soon captured by police and brought back to Arkham Asylum. Also, it appears that Harvey’s face was injured in the courtroom explosion, potentially setting him up to become Two Face in the future. The movie ends on a bloody note, as Arthur is ambushed the next day by a laughing, clearly insane Arkham patient.
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