Joker: Folie à Deux Director Reveals Key Scene as Two-Face’s Origin Story

Joker: Folie à Deux Director Reveals Key Scene as Two-Face’s Origin Story

Todd Phillips, the director of Joker: Folie à Deux, has confirmed that a pivotal moment in his sequel serves as the origin story for another classic Batman villain, Two-Face, alongside Joker and Harley Quinn.

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

In the film, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga take on the iconic roles of Joker and Harley Quinn. As the story unfolds, a significant scene towards the film’s conclusion introduces the backstory of Harvey Dent, portrayed by Harry Lawtey, who is destined to become the notorious Two-Face.

The climax occurs in a courtroom setting, where Dent attempts to prosecute Arthur (Phoenix), showcasing a series of chaotic, musical duets that illustrate Arthur and Lee’s (Gaga) increasingly disturbed romance. Familiar characters from the first film, including Zazie Beetz’s Sophie and Leigh Gill’s Gary, return to testify about Arthur’s mental state after he sparked a class war in Gotham by killing TV host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) during a live broadcast in the previous installment.

As Lee becomes enthralled with Arthur’s Joker persona, he navigates the legal system with the same absurdity and flair for theatrics that define him. Arthur’s dual motivation is to secure his relationship with Lee while tightening his grip on the chaos and control he revels in.

However, complications arise when security guards at Arkham State Hospital, including a character played by Brendan Gleeson, kill one of Arthur’s fellow inmates. This forces Arthur to confront the fallout from his actions. He ultimately decides to reveal his true self to the jury, proclaiming that he is merely Arthur—a powerless individual—before a bomb explodes outside the courthouse.

In the aftermath, Phillips’ camera captures the devastation, revealing Dent briefly in the frame with one side of his face burned and bloodied.

When asked by Entertainment Weekly if this scene was intended to hint at the origins of Two-Face, Phillips responded, “Yes, of course.” He explained that the aim was to provide a realistic explanation for Dent’s transformation, asking, “Why does he have [that face]?”

Joker: Folie à Deux Director Reveals Key Scene as Two-Face’s Origin Story

Although Two-Face’s character isn’t further explored, Phillips emphasizes that this moment marks Dent’s transition into the villain. He describes Lawtey as “playing the character before that character; he’s the young D.A.” The director aims to reinterpret the lore through a fresh lens, moving away from typical superhero narratives to offer a more gritty and realistic portrayal of Arthur’s journey.

Both Joker films diverge from traditional superhero fare, opting for a darker exploration of Arthur’s character without being constrained by the established Batman mythos. While a young Bruce Wayne and his parents appear in the first movie, they are absent in the sequel, leaving it to the audience to piece together the connections, which is exactly what Phillips intended.

“It’s not out of disrespect to the original material, nor is it about rejecting someone else’s ideas,” he explains. “It’s simply about how we can make this our own.”

Joker: Folie à Deux is currently in theaters.

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