The One Thing That Will Disappoint Fans If We Get A Joker Sequel

We've all had rough days at work. Those days can make it hard to put a smile on. Grinning through the pain is one of the many ambiguous metaphors established right from the opening moments of Todd Phillips' Joker. The first minute of the film keys in on a morose clown contorting his face into false portrayals of emotion. That mopey jester is Arthur Fleck, and Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of the man's transformation into one of the most notorious villains of all time. 

Joker combines the comic book lore that defines so much of the modern blockbuster landscape with the sort of sober cinematic flair that brings such major awards attention. That crossover appeal means that if a sequel were to appear on the horizon, it would surely be highly anticipated. DC and Warner Bros. have been feverishly expanding their movie canon in recent years, and while they may be a couple years behind Marvel in terms of worldbuilding, they are well on their way to having an impressive variety to offer via their sprawling multiverse. Still, Joker's dark, gritty character study on the maniacal clown we hate to love is one that may remain in a league of its own. Even if we eventually get a sequel, there's one major area where fans should temper their expectations.

To borrow a phrase from an alternate reality, Batman and the Joker are "destined to do this forever." Heath Ledger's take on the Joker in The Dark Knight left us with that statement in regards to the immortal tango between these comic book adversaries. The battle between the two magnetic characters is one that continues to hold appeal, decade after decade. Unfortunately, it seems we may never see Joaquin Phoenix's version engage in fisticuffs with Batman, even if there is a sequel.

While there is no official talk of a follow-up as yet, there is still plenty of momentum to constitute one — momentum that will undoubtedly carry well into the future. However, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times upon Joker's release, Phillips explained that, should he join forces with Phoenix again, we won't be seeing Arthur Fleck square up with a grown-up Batman. "We would never do that," the director said. "No, no. We'd just want to see where he goes from there."

The ambiguous nature of Joker has left it so that there wouldn't be a need for any tie-ins. As Phillips stated in that same interview, there are many different interpretations of the film, which was designed for each viewer to take something different out of it. The ending even makes it possible to suggest that the entire film is simply a scenario that Fleck made up while in Arkham Asylum. This take would help explain the large age gap between him and a young Bruce Wayne. In his twisted mind, any knowledge of young Bruce has likely been fixed in the form of a child. 

As far as all the ambiguity goes, we're pretty sure Phillips and company designed Joker specifically to embody that trait, planting little seeds that fester into whatever fan theory we see fit. The director has gone so far as to suggest that "maybe Joaquin's character inspired the Joker. You don't really know. His last line in the movie is, 'You wouldn't get it.'" We'd really like to be in on the joke, Arthur. We're here to listen whenever you're ready.