in JokerArthur Fleck’s mother Penny insists that her son was the product of an affair with Thomas Wayne, but what actually is the truth seems likely to never be revealed after her death. Joker: Folie à Deux explores this question further, ultimately providing more answers for DC’s iconic villain.
One of the most interesting subplots in Joker Concerns Penny Fleck’s claim that she once had an affair with Gotham City’s resident billionaire business mogul Thomas Wayne while she was working for him, and that Arthur was Thomas’ biological son. Arthur is at first hesitant to believe his mom’s story, but when evidence begins to mount, he confronts Thomas about the allegations. The future father to Batman vehemently denies Penny’s claim, and tells Arthur that she is simply delusional, and it is not until the sequel that more answers are revealed.
Despite exploring more of Penny Fleck and Arthur’s relationship in the film, Joker: Folie à Deux Leave even more questions, fitting right into the first film in terms of ambiguity. Joker: Folie à Deux was a critical misfire, and also closing the door on a potential sequel in the future. Because of this, Arthur’s relationship likely won’t be explored further, but the two movies reveal everything we need.
Joker: What Really Happened to Arthur Fleck’s Mom
JokerThe surface-level position is that Penny Fleck was delusional, imagining the affair with Thomas Wayne, and what’s more, actually wasn’t even Arthur’s birth mother. Official paperwork has yet been found in the asylum revealing the facts that Arthur goes even beyond the deep end, Kill his mother by smoking. It all seems fairly cut and dry, however Joker Raises a lot of questions about Arthur’s mental state.
It is not until Joker: Folie à Deux That more answers were revealed during his trial for the multiple murders he committed.
Arthur himself is shown to be a completely unreliable narrator. It’s really not clear how much anything shown from his point of view can be believed. It is not until Joker: Folie à Deux That more answers were revealed during his trial for the multiple murders he committed, including that of his mother.
Despite being such an integral part of Arthur’s descent into becoming the Joker, Thomas Wayne isn’t even referenced in Joker: Folie à Deux. The mystery of who is actually Arthur’s father remains unexplored and most likely always will be, given the death of Penny Fleck at the end of Joker.
Joker: Folieà a Deux reveals more about Arthur’s mother
Joker: Folie à Deux Focuses on the trial of Arthur Fleck for the multiple murders he committed throughout the first film, except for one. Arthur tells Lady Gaga’s Lee that he killed his mother but that no one ever blamed him for her death. It is not until the final moments of the trial, when Arthur decides to embrace who he is and no longer hide behind his persona, that He admits to the jury that he also killed his mother.
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Despite not actually being in the movie, Joker: Folie à Deux Adds further depth to Arthur’s relationship with his mother. His former neighbor Sophie Dumon (Zazie Beetz) is one of the witnesses during his trial and reveals that she spoke to his mother often, revealing what she learned about Arthur through his mother. Heartbreakingly, it is revealed that while she told Arthur that he was born to make people happy, it was a lie to avoid embarrassing him about his compulsive laughter. Sophie reveals that Penny was afraid that he carried this belief with him through adulthood.
Joker Reveals a lot about the horrible things Penny Fleck allowed to happen to Arthur, however Joker: Folie à Deux It paints her in an even worse light. Not only did she allow multiple forms of abuse to happen to Arthur, she actively seemed to despise the man he was and even made fun of him behind his back to his neighbor. When Arthur decided to confess all his crimes to the jury, Sophie’s testimony was one of the turning points for him.
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