Joker 2 Director Unveils Arthur Fleck’s Unexpected Response to Batman

Todd Phillips, the visionary director of the highly anticipated film Joker 2, has shared his insights on how his rendition of the Clown Prince of Crime, Arthur Fleck, would respond to encountering the infamous Caped Crusader.

Currently, two iconic figures from Gotham City are captivating audiences in Hollywood: Phillips’ upcoming jukebox musical Joker: Folie à Deux and Matt Reeves’ much-expected sequel The Batman 2.

Although both directors draw inspiration from the same source material, their characters are not set to cross paths on the big screen in the near future.

Nonetheless, Phillips has speculated on how his version of Arthur Fleck would react to meeting Batman, stating to IGN, “I think Arthur would be in awe of the alpha male that is Batman. I really do. I think Arthur would look up and appreciate it. I think he’d be in awe of that.”

Robert Pattinson in The Batman and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker — Warner Bros. Pictures

He elaborated, “Arthur always had a fascination with men at ease, and he is not a man at ease. [Robert De Niro’s] Murray Franklin in the first film was a man at ease. He probably viewed the men he worked with as men at ease, and that’s something Arthur has always struggled to be—at ease.”

Given their complex relationship, it’s not far-fetched to imagine that Arthur could develop an obsession with Batman; indeed, the two have shared a unique bond for years.

From their encounters in the Batman comics to various animated and live-action adaptations, the Joker has openly displayed his twisted admiration for Batman, considering the caped crusader as his equal and therefore deserving of his peculiar brand of respect.

While Phillips could have delved into this compelling dynamic between the Joker and Batman in a potential third film, the director has confirmed that he does not intend to expand the Joker franchise into a trilogy.

However, Phillips remains open to the idea of introducing a version of Batman into the universe he has created at some point in the future.

“It’d be interesting to see somebody do a Batman movie in this vein that follows that guy 10 years later or whatever,” he noted. “If he’s 12 or 11 there, and then 15 years later, he becomes Batman in that world. Yeah, I think that’d be really interesting.”

Joker 2 is set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024. In the meantime, do check out the best TV shows streaming this month.

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