- How Joker's Ending
Could Tie into
The DC Cinematic Universe
After much hype, Joker is finally out in theaters and it's
really shaping up to be a huge blockbuster for Warner Bros.
and DC.
And while the movie has been touted as a standalone flick
set in an eighties Gotham City, not tied into the greater DC
Cinematic Universe, as we just said it's shaping up to be a
huge, huge blockbuster.
If it does well enough, we bet that the temptation to
revisit this Joker again in order to make more money would
be somewhere between pretty damn likely and
it goes without saying.
But, what would that film look like?
Well, luckily, the ending gave us plenty to chew on, so
there is definitely room to continue the story, and even
tie it into the DC Cinematic Universe as well.
- Booyah.
Now, before we get into the main story, we want to give you
a spoiler warning.
We will be talking at length about Joker in this piece, and
will be spoiling the hell out of the movie.
Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, go away!
Go!
Get out of here!
We're going to wait.
We're just going to spend the next few hours working on our
standup routine.
Okay, everyone ready?
Great to see you tonight.
Thank you so much.
You're an awesome crowd.
A guy walks into a bar and pulls out a tiny piano, and a
twelve inch pianist.
So, then I said, "Joker, I hardly know her."!
All right, they're not all winners.
Oh, you're back!
Great!
Let's get into it.
So, how could Joker fit into the continuity of the
DC Cinematic Universe?
It stands on its own perfectly well and it doesn't
necessarily tie into it specifically, right?
Well, the option is there, so let's break down the evidence.
The first clue is that DC Cinematic U's timeline is
currently in flux, and is in the process of retconning
itself, like how Wonder Woman 1984 is changing her
backstory set up in Batman V Superman that said she had
gone into hiding for decades.
Even Gal Gadot admitted this during a presser for Justice
League back in 2017, saying, "sometimes in a creative
process, you establish something that is not necessarily the
right decision, but then you can always correct it and
change it.".
So, if Warner Bros. and DC really decided that they wanted
to change the timeline a bit to bring Joaquin Phoenix's
Joker into continuity, they definitely could.
Tying directly into that is the death of
the Waynes in Joker.
While we saw Bruce Wayne's parents killed in a different way
in Batman V Superman: Damn of Justice, it was through the
lens of a dream sequence, which, come on, dreams are super
unreliable narrators.
Speaking of unreliable narrators, let's talk Joker.
Specifically, the ending.
In it, the audience learns that some of the film they just
saw didn't really happen.
However, while his relationship with Sophie was a
fabrication, he did murder Murray Franklin on live TV, and
ultimately he did inspire the people of Gotham into
worshiping the Joker as a symbol.
And it's this that ties into our next point.
Joker could be brought into DC film continuity by tying it
into the three Jokers concept currently in DC comics.
If you've missed out, currently in DC comics there are three
different Jokers from three different eras currently
inhabiting the comic book universe.
The first Joker established back in 1940, the post-crisis
Joker essentially inspired by Alan Moore's The Killing Joke,
and the current Joker from the
New 52 slash Rebirth continuity.
While this storyline has yet to be explained and will most
likely pay off in the upcoming Three Jokers black label
comic, one theory about how it will work together could
apply to the movie universe as well.
With the different takes and characteristics of the Joker
in the comics over the years, this could also apply to the
different takes of the Joker in the films as well.
Because if there's one thing DC isn't short on, it's
portrayals of the Joker on screen.
If Joaquin Phoenix's Joker in Joker is the sort of original
Joker a la the 1940s Joker from the comics, it wouldn't be
a stretch to believe that he could inspire others to later
take on the mantle of green hair and white face paint kind
of like he does in the movie, and we could see Jared Leto's
Joker years later as one of those inspired by him.
And honestly, this would be much better than having
Phoenix's Joker be the only Joker in Gotham City, which
would eventually see him as an old man being punched in the
face by Batman, when Bruce Wayne finally comes of age.
Because that's just not a fair fight.
- You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, huh?
Would you?
Huh?
- Although, it does seem to be the point of the TV show
Gotham, so...
Who knows.
Ultimately, the Joker as a character is a notoriously
unreliable narrator.
Hell, Joker director Todd Phillips has said that is part of
what drew him to the character, the multiple choice
nature of his backstory.
So, if DC wanted to make the events of Joker canon in the
Man of Steel timeline, there's a pretty
clean path to follow.
It could be canon, even if it is all a lie
told by the Joker.
That's the beauty of the character.
His lies are just as important as his truths.
Could this all happen?
Maybe, but also maybe not.
But, no matter what, it will be interesting to see whether
Joker remains a standalone film or if it gets folded into
the greater DC universe as time goes on.
But, what do you folks think?
Did you enjoy Joker?
Do you hope they bring it into DC continuity?
And which onscreen Joker is your favorite?
Let's discuss.
Thanks for watching!
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