Joker’s reaction to “alpha male” Batman perfectly nails his biggest weakness

Joaquin Phoenix is ​​set to return as Joker in the new DC Universe film Joker: Folie à DeuxAnd new character details about how he would feel about Batman were recently shared. In a completely different version of Gotham, much of this Joker iteration is unique to the Todd Phillips films. Even the film’s Harley Quinn is different from her comic book counterpart, culminating in a Gotham with an entirely new series of villains. After that, and the death of Bruce’s parents in the first film, a Batman is unlikely to appear in Gotham soon.

The relationship between Batman and Joker is fundamental to understanding each character through history. Each version of The Joker has generally focused on the character’s conflict and obsession with the Dark Knight throughout the villain’s movie career. Removing Batman from the equation allows for an entirely different kind of villain to be examined. However, it is clear from recent comments that the same obsession that has been a defining trait of the villain could persist if a Batman were to enter the world.

Joker: Folie A Deux’s director explains how Arthur would react to Batman

Todd Phillips talked about how Joker would be in awe of Batman

Talk to IGNDirector Todd Phillips said: “I think Arthur would be in awe of the alpha male that is Batman.” He knows the fragility of the Arthur Fleck character, and to see people who are able to function in these incredible ways would leave Arthur surprised. This version of Joker is a very tense and disturbed person, but he is also a very pious person who feels a great deal. Seeing the functionality of a hero like Batman and his success in Gotham would thus logically inspire the Joker.

Phillips went on to explain: “I think Arthur always had a fascination with people at ease, and he’s not a man at ease.” Wrapping his head around a character like the Joker is difficult, but in comparing and contrasting him to characters like Robert De Niro’s Murray Franklin, Arthur is able to see an ability to be at ease that he himself doesn’t have. The level of Inspiration from it, even if it is wrapped in more disturbing emotions and reactions.

Why Joker’s Batman reaction would be so perfect

The idea of ​​a man at ease seems to misread the Batman character

Batman is not a man at ease at all, and it’s interesting to see the comments seem to be referring to him as one. This would be an excellent misreading of the Batman character, who is one of the most disturbed and broken men in all of the DC Universe.. Seeing how the darkness materializes in Batman’s actions through Gotham and finding inspiration from it by seeing him as “a man at ease” is a complete misreading of the situation that ignores Batman’s trauma and motivations.

This makes sense with the character of Arthur Fleck, who is on the fringes of society, and always finds himself misreading and misunderstanding much in the world. Arthur has a hard time reading people, and misunderstanding Batman in this fashion would make sense for his character. It is an exciting proposition for Arthur to read Batman in this way and to find awe in his functionality when behind closed doors, Bruce Wayne’s disturbed psyche is much closer to Arthur’s.

Heath Ledger’s Joker also admired Batman

Joker and Batman have often been two sides of the same coin

Heath Ledger’s Joker also saw a kindred spirit in BatmanWhich has tended to be a recurring theme for the character. Ledger’s Joker has many great quotes, but perhaps the most effective is when he implores Batman to listen to him, reminding him that “You’re just a freak, like me.” Both fixed with different moral compasses, the hero and villain act as two parts of a whole and are both driven by similar feelings of trauma and isolation.

This became effective in the Batman films, and was done in a similar way with the Riddler in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Giving Batman villains who are able to understand parts of him that he struggles with can make for very effective stories. Batman is a dark and troubled figure, and allowing his antagonists to see through the character to some extent, even if they are sometimes wrong about the details, allows for more intimate connections between the heroes and villains.

Joker 2 set out to explore more of Arthur Fleck’s character, but there was always more to the Joker character than could be examined in any single film or comic book. Over the years, a huge library of complex lore has been written for this character, helping to make him one of pop culture’s most beloved villains.. While Batman does not appear in Joker: Folie à DeuxIt is comforting to know that the filmmakers considered the relationship these two people would have had if they had existed in the same universe.

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