Joker: Folie a Deux confirmed that Arthur Fleck killed six people during his criminal activities in Jokereach of which signals his growing descent into madness and villainy. With DC Joker (2019) Todd Phillips reimagines the dark origin story of the iconic Batman villain. Arthur Fleck’s transformation into the Joker is slow, methodical and brutal, leaving a bloody trail of victims in its wake.
Joker introduced Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck party clown who becomes so beaten down by society that he becomes Gotham City’s most notorious criminal. This journey is marked by several disturbing murders, each of which represents a decisive step in his psychological unraveling. The consequences of this have been studied in Joker: Folie a Deuxwhere Arthur Fleck stands trial for his crimes, meeting Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in the process.
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No Name Wall Street Guy #1
Played Karl Lundstedt
Arthur’s first victim Joker – one of three drunken businessmen (often called the “Wall Street Three”) who attacked him on the subway. This man, No Name Wall Street Guy #1, is main instigator of the attack. The trio begins by chasing a woman on a train, but when Arthur, sitting alone in his clown makeup, laughs uncontrollably due to his neurological condition, the group turns their attention to him.
The businessman grabs Arthur’s bag and mocks him by singing “Send in the Clowns.” His actions escalate when he punches Arthur in the face, calling him a freak. At this moment in JokerArthur already recovering from a series of personal setbacksincluding losing his job as a clown for bringing a gun to a children’s hospital – a gun given to him by a co-worker named Randall.
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When Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1 begins a physical attack, Arthur’s pent-up rage explodes. As the men beat him up, Arthur shoots Unnamed Wall Street Guy #1 in the head, killing him instantly with the same gun that symbolizes his rapid descent into violence. This moment marks a major turning point in Arthur’s life, as it is his first act of deadly retribution against a world he believes is constantly defeating him.
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Nameless Wall Street Guy #2
Played by Michael Benz
Second businessman in Joker “Unnamed Wall Street Guy #2” is less aggressive at first, but becomes equally complicit in the attack. The only one of the three not wearing a jacket, the man catches Arthur’s discarded bag and holds it while his friends continue to egg Arthur on. When Arthur is knocked down, Wall Street Guy #2 joins in the beating. Arthur’s first murder can be considered self-defense, the second continuation of that same explosive retribution.
Arthur shoots him twice: once in the chest and once in the stomach, killing him instantly. These first two murders Joker these are acts of survival and revenge, fueled by the idea that Arthur is finally fighting against the society that has marginalized and abused him. It’s not just these people who attack Arthur; in his opinion, they represent wealthy elites who crush the powerless under your feet.
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Nameless Wall Street Guy #3
Played by Ben Warheit
Nameless Wall Street Guy #3 represents a change in Arthur’s murders V Joker – from reactive violence to premeditated murder. This man accosted a woman on the subway by throwing French fries at her, and he is the one who takes and wears Arthur’s clown wig. During the first attack, he restrains Arthur’s hands. After two of his friends are shot, he escapes into the next subway car.
At this point, Arthur could have left him alone, but instead he decides to pursue him. Arthur shoots him in the leg, but as the man crawls away, Arthur chases him and fires three more shots into his back, killing him. This murder is crucial because it is Arthur’s first act. killing someone who poses no immediate threat. Nameless Wall Street Guy #3 is fighting for his life, but Arthur decides to end it anyway.
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This moment marks Arthur’s first real murder, as he executes a man in cold blood. This murder represents Arthur accepting a new side of himself. someone who loves to hurt and take revengewhich subsequently leads to his subsequent murders and transformation into the Joker. After this, his behavior changes, taking on more recognizable physical characteristics of the Joker. The murder also acts as a symbolic rebellion against Gotham’s elite, with Arthur inadvertently becoming the figurehead of the lower classes, who view the murders as a blow against their oppressors.
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Penelope “Penny” Fleck
Played by Frances Conroy
Arthur’s fourth victim Joker much more personal is his own mother Penny Fleck. Throughout the film, Penny is portrayed as mentally unstable, obsessed with a relationship she claims to have had with billionaire Thomas Wayne. Penny repeatedly tells Arthur that Thomas Wayne is his father. a belief that Arthur clings to as his last hope find meaning in your life.
However, when Arthur learns the truth about his mother from the Arkham Asylum records – that she adopted him and allowed her abusive boyfriend to brutally abuse him as a child – he snaps. Arthur’s Anger at Penny rooted in a sense of betrayal. She didn’t just lie about his father; she allowed him to be hurt and left him with permanent emotional scars.
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When Arthur visits her in hospital, he smothers her with a pillow, ending her life. Killing her, he says cult Joker line, “I always thought my life was a tragedy, but now I realize it’s a fucking comedy.” This moment is key because it shows Arthur putting aside his past and fully embracing his Joker identity. Killing your mother Arthur rethinks his identity and rejecting who she claimed he was, choosing instead to rewrite his own narrative.
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Randall Clown
Played by Glenn Fleshler
Arthur’s fifth victim Joker this is his former colleague Randall, the man who gave him the gun that got him fired and indirectly started the chain of events that led to Arthur’s first three murders.. Randall visits Arthur after the Wall Street murders, concerned that Arthur may be implicating him in the crime. During their conversation, Randall tries to downplay his involvement, which only angers Arthur further.
By this point in JokerArthur has already begun to transform into his Joker character, and Randall’s cowardly behavior is pushing him over the edge. In a horrific act of violence, Arthur stabs Randall in the neck and eye and then slams his head against the wall several times. Randall represents all the people in Arthur’s life. who mistreated him and betrayed himfrom an abusive stepfather to a society that ridicules him.
Randall’s death is especially symbolic because Arthur wears half-finished Joker makeup to create his new identity. During the act, blood splashed onto his face, filling the Joker’s creation with bloodshed. foreshadowing the complete transformation that is about to take place. This murder cements Arthur’s identity as the Joker and convinces him to go on The Murray Franklin Show, no longer planning to kill himself, but to make a statement to the world.
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Murray Franklin
Played by Robert De Niro
Arthur’s final victim Joker This is Murray Franklin, a late-night talk show host who was adored by Arthur and his mother. Throughout the film, Arthur fantasizes about being on Murray’s show, imagining that Murray will hug him and treat him like a son. However, Arthur’s illusions are shattered when Murray mocks him on national television by showing a clip of Arthur’s poor performance and ridiculing him.
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When Arthur is invited onto the show after Randall’s murder, it becomes clear that his intentions have changed. He’s no longer looking for confirmation. – he wants revenge. After confessing to the subway murders on live television, Arthur shoots Murray in the head, killing him instantly.
This latest murder represents the climax of Arthur’s transformation into the Joker. By killing Murray, Arthur is not simply striking back at the one who humiliated him; he declares to the world that he has accepted his new identity as a symbol of chaos. Murray is thus Arthur’s first victim as the Joker, and perhaps the most important in the story. Joker.
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