If Joker 2 is to happen, it can deliver on the most interesting part of Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman movie plan thanks to the ending of the first movie. Warner Bros. and DC Films have been building their own superhero universe/multiverse for years, but not every movie has performed as expected, prompting them to make big changes. Among those was the development of movies separate from the DC Extended Universe, the first one being Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck.
Joker tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime after being constantly rejected by society, unintentionally leading a violent revolution against the wealthy in a decaying 1980s Gotham City. Joker addressed themes like mental health, gun control, and the media’s influence on society, giving it a much darker tone than other DC movies, and it also made way for a number of theories on what exactly happened in the movie, with many believing it was all a story in Arthur’s head and the only scene set in reality was the final one, which sees him as a patient in Arkham State Hospital (or Arkham Asylum).
Arthur struggled with his mental health throughout his life, and he even had a neurological disorder that caused him to laugh at inappropriate times. Arthur depended on social services for medication, but funds were cut and he and many others were left without therapy and medication, which further led him into a downward spiral. At the end of Joker, Arthur was a patient at Arkham Asylum, and after laughing to himself and telling his psychiatrist that she “wouldn’t get it”, he left the room and left a trail of bloody shoe prints. Now, a Joker sequel has been rumored to be in development for a while now, and if it’s to happen, it can deliver on the best idea from Ben Affleck’s planned Batman movie: an Arkham Asylum-centric story.
Before Matt Reeves took over The Batman with Robert Pattinson as the lead, Ben Affleck was going to direct and star in a Batman solo movie. The script for Affleck’s movie was reportedly set in Arkham Asylum and addressed the theme of insanity, with some reporting that Deathstroke orchestrated a breakout to tire the Caped Crusader and make him vulnerable. This idea was left aside with all the changes The Batman went through, but Joker 2 can deliver on it now that Arthur Fleck is in Arkham Asylum. Joker 2 can have an Arkham Asylum-centric story that allows viewers to explore this place and meet some of its inmates, and it doesn’t necessarily have to include Batman to make it interesting. Following the style Phillips gave Joker, setting the sequel in Arkham Asylum can give the audience a sense of being trapped there too with many different rogues that would add to the chaos of Arthur Fleck – and it would be very interesting to see what kind of villains this decaying Gotham City has created.
The future of Joker continues to be a mystery, with conflicting reports coming out every once in a while but no confirmation from the studio on whether it will happen or not. Still, there’s even the slightest possibility that it could happen, and the ending of the first movie makes way for interesting story opportunities, so Joker 2 could be the movie that finally gives DC Comics fans a live-action Arkham Asylum story.
