Does Harley Quinn exist in Joker 2 or is she just in Arthur’s mind?

Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for Joker: Folie a Deux.

Joker: Folie a Deux Introduces Lady Gaga as DC’s newest Harley Quinn, but the movie intentionally creates doubt that the character is real, or simply part of Arthur’s mind. Joker: Folie a Deux Goes on from JokerDepicting Arthur Fleck’s trial after his killing spree as the famous villain. During this, Arthur meets Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, known simply as Lee. Much of the movie focuses on their relationship, but simultaneously teases the idea that Lee may not actually exist.

in Joker: Folie a Deux, Arthur and Lee while patients at Arkham Asylum and quickly strike up a romance. Harley Quinn actively pursues Arthur, infatuated with his Joker personality. The pair share a common delusion (hence the title Foley and Dukes), but it is unclear exactly how much of this is pure in Arthur’s mind.

Harley Quinn exists in Joker 2

Over the first half of Joker: Folie a DeuxIt appears that Harley Quinn may be a figment of Arthur Fleck’s imagination. No other character recognizes her, and she seems able to move around Arkham Asylum as she pleases. However, later events confirm that Lee is indeed real. The first major clue comes when Lee steals a television from a shop window, A scene told entirely from her perspective.

Later, Arthur’s lawyer talks about Lee and the two have a televised confrontation about Arthur’s case. Indeed, when Harley arrives at court, one man turns and watches, Tentatively confirm her existence. Lee is very obviously out to other people than Arthur, and is certainly a real character. However, this does not mean that every scene in it is real.

A few things about Harley Quinn were spot on in Arthur’s mind

Many scenes of Joker: Folie a Deux were manifestations of Arthur Fleck’s mental illness. The most obvious examples are the variety show scenes, in which Arthur and Lee perform extravagant musical numbers. Each of these are lit very differently, with Vibrant color schemes and stage lighting Which contrasts with the bleak and grim real world.

Interestingly, many of the scenes are signaled with blackout edits and bright lighting, the very Symptoms some medical professionals suggest may indicate Arthur’s split personality. These highly stylized sequences represent the shared delusion between Arthur and Lee. That said, some scenes that appear to be from the real world are not, such as Arthur’s song after seeing Harvey Dent call for the death penalty on television. The most controversial of these is Arthur and Lee’s sex scene in Arkham Asylum’s solitary confinement.

While the sex scene is part of the bleak and gross real world, it makes absolutely no sense that the Arkham guards would have allowed Lee to visit Arthur in solitary, let alone allow them to engage in sexual intercourse. Even if Lee has voluntarily institutionalized himself, Arthur is on trial for several murders, so if he is confined to solitary, Logically would not get access. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the border between the real and imagined in Joker: Folie a Deux is deliberately blurred, placing audiences in a comparatively confused position as its protagonists.

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