Joker: Folie a Deux has confirmed that Arthur Fleck killed six people during his crime spree JokerWith each signaling his increasing descent into madness and villainy. with DC Joker (2019), Todd Phillips reimagined a dark origin story for the iconic Batman villain. Arthur Fleck's transformation into the Joker is slow, methodical and brutal, leaving behind a bloody trail of victims.
Joker Joaquin Phoenix introduces Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck party clown who is so shunned by society that he becomes Gotham City's most notorious criminal. The journey is marked by several disturbing murders, with each death representing a crucial step in his psychological unraveling. The ramifications of this are excluded in Joker: Folie a DeuxWhere Arthur Fleck is on trial for his crimes, meet Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn at the trial.
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Name Wall Street Guy #1
Played by Carl Lundstedt
Arthur's first victim in Joker is one of the three drunken businessmen (often called the Wall Street Three) who attack him on the subway. This man, named Wall Street Guy #1, is the one The main instigator of the attack. The trio begins by harassing a woman on the 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 point in JokerArthur is already reeling from a series of personal setbacksIncluding losing his job as a clown for bringing a gun into a children's hospital - a gun given to him by a colleague named Randall.
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When the named Wall Street Guy #1 initiates the physical assault, Arthur's frozen rage explodes. When the men hit him, Arthur shoots Wall Street Guy #1 in the head, killing him instantly with the very gun that symbolizes his spiraling descent into violence. This moment is a significant turning point in Arthur's life, as it is his first act of lethal retaliation against a world that he believes is constantly beating him down.
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Name Wall Street Guy #2
Played by Michael Benz
The second businessman Joker The name Wall Street Guy #2, is less confrontational at first but becomes equally complicit in the attack. The only one of the three not wearing a jacket, the man catches Arthur's bag as it is thrown and holds it while his friends continue with Arthur. When Arthur is knocked to the ground, Wall Street Guy #2 joins in the beating. Arthur's first kill could be seen as self-defense, his second is A continuation of the same explosive retaliation.
Arthur shoots him twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach, killing him on the spot. The first two murders in Joker are acts of survival and revenge, fueled by the idea that Arthur is finally fighting back against a society that has marginalized and abused him. It's not just the people against Arthur; In his opinion, they Represent the wealthy elites who crush the powerless Under the feet.
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Name Wall Street Guy #3
Played by Ben Warheit
Name Wall Street Guy #3 represents a shift in Arthur's killings in Joker - From reactive violence to premeditated murder. This man harassed the woman on the subway by throwing money at her, and is the man who takes and wears Arthur's clown wig. During the initial assault, he holds back Arthur's arms. After his two friends were shot, he fled in the next subway car.
At this point, Arthur could have left him alone, but instead, he chooses to chase him down. Arthur shoots him in the leg, but even as the man crawls away, Arthur pursues him and fires three more shots into his back, killing him. The killing is crucial because it is Arthur's first act Killing someone who is not an immediate threat. The name Wall Street Guy #3 is running for his life, but Arthur decides to finish it anyway.
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This moment is Arthur's first true act of murder, when he executes the man in cold blood. This murder represents Arthur embracing a new side of himself, One who enjoys inflicting pain and revengeWhich then drives his subsequent murders and transformation into the Joker. His attitude shifts after this, taking on the more recognizable physical traits of the Joker. The murder also acts as a symbolic rebellion against Gotham's elite, with Arthur uncomfortably becoming a figurehead for the lower classes, who see the murder as a strike against their oppressors.
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Penelope "Penny" Fleck
Played by Frances Conroy
Arthur's fourth victim in Joker is much more personal - 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 Arthur clings to as his last hope To find a meaning in his life.
But when Arthur learns the truth about his mother from Arkham Asylum records—that she adopted him and allowed her abusive boyfriend to brutally abuse him as a child—he snaps. Arthur's anger towards Penny is Rooted in feelings of betrayal. She didn't just lie about his father; She let him hurt and left him with lasting emotional scars.
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When Arthur visits her in the hospital, he smothers her with a pillow, ending her life. As he kills her, he says the iconic Joker line, "I always thought my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it's a faking comedy." This moment is pivotal, as it represents Arthur shedding his past and fully embracing his Joker persona. by killing his mother, Arthur is redefining his identity And rejecting who she claimed he was, instead choosing to rewrite his own narrative.
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Randall the Clown
Played by Glenn Fleshler
Arthur's fifth victim in Joker is his former colleague Randall, the man who gave him the gun that shot him and indirectly Set off the chain of events leading up to Arthur's first three murders. Randall visits Arthur after the Wall Street killings, worried that Arthur might implicate him in the crime. During their conversation, Randall tries to play down his involvement, which only serves to anger Arthur further.
In this case JokerArthur has already started transitioning into his Joker persona, and Randall's cowardly behavior pushes him over the edge. In a gruesome act of violence, Arthur stabs Randall in the neck and eye before smashing his head against the wall repeatedly. Randall represents all the people in Arthur's life Who wronged him and betrayed himFrom his immoral stepfather to the society that laughed at him.
Randall's death is especially symbolic because Arthur is wearing his half-finished Joker makeup from crafting his new persona. During the act, blood splatters across his face, infusing his Joker's creation with gore, Foreshadowing the full transformation that is about to happen. The 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 in Joker Is Murray Franklin, the late-night talk show host that Arthur and his mother loved. Throughout the movie, Arthur fantasizes about being on Murray's show, imagining that Murray would embrace and treat him like a son. however, Arthur's illusions are shattered When Murray mocks him on national television, showing a clip of Arthur's failed stand-up routine and ridiculing him.
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When Arthur is invited to the show after Randall's murder, it becomes clear that his intentions have changed. He is not looking for validation anymore - He is looking for revenge. After confessing to the subway killings on live television, Arthur shoots Murray in the head, killing him instantly.
This last killing represents the Culmination of Arthur's transformation into the Joker. By killing Murray, Arthur isn't just striking back at someone who humiliated him; He makes a statement to the world that he has embraced his new identity as a symbol of chaos. As such, Murray is Arthur's first victim as the Joker, and perhaps the most important in Joker.
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