Topic of the Week - How to write the Joker Trilogy

When one releases a movie and it's fairly good, the next thing you have to think about is making a sequel and maybe even a franchise. Joker has smashed it's way into the October Box office, already shattering previous records for gross earnings so of course the next logical step is a sequel right? Well, when Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix took up the film, they saw it more as a standalone film which gave them the freedom to do whatever they want with it, but that doesn't mean it can't have a continuation. There are many ways some one could go about doing a sequel to the Joker. With such a unique character as the Joker, there are so many avenues you can go with the character as well as many nook and crannies of the character to explore still. However to find out where to go for the sequel or trilogy, which is what I'm going to try to do, we first have to revisit the story arc Arthur Fleck took in the first one as well as where we left our main antagonist.

The movie of course, if you've seen it, is a crazy and mind bending experience. I still don't know how they got the film made let alone have a R rating to boot given it being a very hard R. It's defiantly a film you have to watch to truly experience it, so go watch it. The story is set in 1981 Gotham city where we met our antagonist Arthur Fleck. Arthur is a party clown who lives with his mother, Penny, who is suffering from a unknown injury or illness. Gotham of course isn't in a good state with it being rife with crime and unemployment, leaving segments of the population disenfranchised and impoverished. The city and it's crippling environment seems to tower over Arthur as he tries to live his life and "behave" as if he doesn't already. Of course Arthur's life isn't rather great to start with. Arthur suffers from a disorder that causes him to laugh at inappropriate times, and depends on social services for medication.

After a gang attacks him in an alley, Arthur's co-worker, Randall, lends him a gun to protect himself. Arthur invites his neighbor, single mother Sophie, to his stand-up comedy show, and they begin dating. While entertaining at a children's hospital, Arthur's gun falls out of his pocket quite hilariously as he does a stand up bit. Randall lies that Arthur bought the gun himself and Arthur is fired. On the subway, still in his clown makeup, Arthur is beaten by three drunken Wayne Enterprises businessmen for his uncontrollable laughter; he shoots two in self-defense and executes the third. The murders are condemned by billionaire mayor candidate Thomas Wayne, who labels those envious of more successful people as "clowns". Demonstrations against Gotham's rich begin, with protesters donning clown masks in Arthur's image and in mockery of Thomas Wayne. Funding cuts shutter the social service program, leaving Arthur without medication which helps push Arthur further down the rabbit hole.

Arthur's comedy show goes poorly; he laughs uncontrollably and has difficulty delivering his jokes. Talk show host Murray Franklin mocks Arthur by showing clips from the routine on his show. Arthur intercepts a letter written by Penny to Thomas, alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son, and berates his mother for hiding the truth. At Wayne Manor, Arthur talks to Thomas' young son, Bruce, but flees after a scuffle with his butler Alfred. Following a visit from two Gotham City Police Department detectives investigating Arthur's involvement in the train murders, Penny suffers a stroke and is hospitalized. At a public event, Arthur confronts Thomas, who tells him that Penny is delusional. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's case file; the file says Penny adopted Arthur as a baby and allowed her abusive boyfriend to harm them both causing Arthurs uncontrollable laugh. Penny alleged that Thomas used his influence to fabricate the adoption and commit her to the asylum to hide their affair. Distraught, Arthur goes to the hospital and kills Penny, finally embracing who he is and what society made him to be.

He enters Sophie's apartment unannounced, telling her he had a rather bad day, echoing a statement made by Joker in the comics. Frightened, Sophie tells him to leave; their previous encounters are then revealed to be just Arthur's delusions and show Arthur not to be a trusted viewpoint in his own story. Arthur is invited to appear on Murray's show due to the unexpected popularity of his routine clips. As he prepares, he is visited by his former co-workers Gary and Randall. Arthur murders Randall, but leaves Gary unharmed for treating Arthur well in the past. En route to the studio, Arthur descends the stares that he climbed so many times in the movie in an almost therapeutic dance, finally being happy in his own skin. Arthur is then pursued by the two detectives onto a train filled with clown protesters. One accidentally shoots a protester and incites a riot. Arthur escapes in the chaos.

Before the show goes live, Arthur requests that Murray introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's previous mockery of his stand up. Arthur walks out to a warm reception, but tells morbid jokes, admits that he killed the men on the train, and rants about how society abandons the disenfranchised like him and how Murray mocked him. Arthur kills Murray live on television and is arrested as riots break out across Gotham. One rioter corners the Wayne family in an alley and murders Thomas and his wife Martha, sparing Bruce. Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur and free him. He dances to the cheers of the crowd finally happy to be recognized by the world. At Arkham, Arthur laughs to himself, thinking of how he made Bruce an orphan just like he was and tells his psychiatrist she would not understand the joke. He runs from orderlies, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints.

When the film finishes and the credits roll, so does Arthur Flecks character arc so let's examine that before we carry on. Arthur begins his story trying to making a living for himself with his disorder as well as deal with the constant ordeals that Gotham throws at him. As this keeps happening, it begins chipping away at Arthur until he takes action and kills the three businessmen which sets him on the track to be Joker. He then finally gets recognized by the media for his crimes as well as by Murray, who mocks him for his stand up. As this happens, one by one he becomes more of what he truly wanted to be and acts the way he truly wanted to act. When he goes to the Murray show he embraces finally being notice and takes a stand to those who pick on the little guy by killing Murray. When the film concludes he's smiles, appreciating being noticed and finally feeling alive.

So that is how the first film ended and ,in my opinion, it's rather easy to make a sequel to continue Arthur's arc. What I believe would work most is making Joker into a trilogy to fully explore and complete Arthur's arc as well as start up Batman's arc, yes Batman. You can't have the clown prince of crime without his iconic foil. So let's begin with the second film of my proposed trilogy titled, "Joker: The Man who laughs". 10 years after the events of the first film, we find Arthur still in Arkham State penitentiary. We see him go through his everyday life as well as his interactions with the inmates and doctors. However, He starts to realize that people are forgetting who he is and what he did and that he's just becoming more of a old folk tale. As his personality starts to deteriorate from losing recognition as well as a purpose, he gets appointed a new psychiatrist having made the other one go mad, by the name of Harley Quinnzelle.

Gotham city has become a stable environment since the joker riots 10 years ago from the numerous donations made by the Wayne foundation, however it's still plagued with petty criminals and mob families running the streets of Gotham. The movie then pans to focus on Captain Jim Gordon, having just relocated to Gotham with his family, he is one of the only good cops left on the force not paid out by the Falcones. Most of the cops give him a hard time as he tries to go by the book. Gordon then meets Harvey Dent, assigned to the Falcone hearing, who tells him he vows to bring them down, though Gordon’s weary if he can handle the pressure. News also spreads that billionaire Bruce Wayne has disappeared and is presumably dead from his recent playboy vacation. The movie returns to witness Arthur’s first meeting with Harley Quinnzelle. As the interview goes on she becomes fascinated which brings a smile to Arthur’s face.

We then switch scenes again to the Falcones, who are discussing the new D.A Harvey Dent and the trouble he’s causing. The head of the Falcones says that he has a big surprise for him tomorrow in the courtroom. The next day, the Falcones hearing is live on air as Arthur, in Arkham, sits down to watch with his fellow inmates. As the hearing progresses and Dent clearly wining, the witness, Falcone’s henchmen, throws acid on Harvey Dent’s face scaring him. The inmate’s laugh to which Fleck says it isn’t funny and proceeds to beat everybody brutally till he’s held off by a guard. Fleck and Harley have another meeting in which he persuades Harley to break him out in which she obliges and they escape, killing the guards who try to stop them. Fleck than meets with Falcone in which Falcone calls him a useless clown and orders his men to shoot him, in which Joker pulls a gun on him. He fires and a “Bang!” flag comes out and he laughs and then pulls the trigger again firing and killing the guard. He then brutally kills Falcone and sits on his seat, lavishing his return saying "Wait till they get a load of me".

Word gets out that Joker escaped and is taking over Falcone’s territory to which Gordon launches a manhunt against Joker. Fleck then hijacks the network and films his own broadcast, in Murray’s old set, which he tells the world that he is Gotham’s savior as he’s shows Falcons dead body. He then tells that he will hunt down those who deserve punishment. He then brings in his special guest, Harvey Dent, who is tied up and wheeled on to the main stage. Fleck tells jokes about his appearance as well as his so-called justice system and tells his audience that this is what happens when you mess with Gotham. The broadcast than cuts in which Gordon discovers where he is located. When Gordon reaches the location he is met with a army of clowns as a riot ensues, echoing the one 10 years ago. The cops and the clowns meet in a full-scale war.

They charge each other as Fleck enters the scene killing and laughing in the middle of it. Gordon finds him and brings him down punching the laughing clown. Joker get's the upper hand but stops when a bat like shadow overcasts him. He looks up and sees Batman, Fleck run’s as the bat like figure chases him. He runs to an abandon Ace chemicals building and is confronted by the Bat. Fleck asks who he is and why the horrible costume in which Batman gives a monologue on his vow to clean up Gotham which Joker finds funning. When Batman tries to catch him, Joker slips and falls in a fat of acid. He comes out and finally transforms into Joker, laughing uncontrollably. Gordon is promoted Commissioner having stopped the riots and bringing Joker in, but is overshadowed over the wide spread news of a new vigilante. The film ends like the first, back at Arkham penitentiary where we see Fleck laughing, telling his therapist that he finally found a person as equally disturbed as he is. He than stops laughing and when she asks why, he tells her that he may know who he is, but laughs saying that just spoils the fun.

Now comes the conclusion of the trilogy in which it replicates The Killing Joke comic, completing Joker/Fleck’s arc. Gotham has begun to clean up after the introduction of the Batman. However, some criminals are coming out like the Joker. During one of Batman’s night outs he discovers goons and weapons connecting them to Joker, but as Batman knows, he's still stuck in Arkham. Batman goes to Arkham to talk with the Joker about possible doppelgängers using his name as well if he’s operating from the inside, only to realize that the Joker has escaped and put a decoy in his place. Batman questions the decoy to find Joker hatching a plan to show to the world and Batman his philosophy. Soon after, Arthur visits Gordon planning on killing him, but finds his daughter who answers the door. He shoots Barbara Gordon in the stomach, and kidnaps her father. The bullet penetrates Barbara's spine, permanently paralyzing her.

The Joker imprisons Gordon in a run-down amusement park. His henchmen then beat Gordon and cage him in the park's freak show. The Joker chains Gordon to one of the park's rides and forces him to view blown-up photos of Barbara, lying beaten up on the floor of her apartment following the shooting. Once Gordon has run the horrifying gauntlet, the Joker puts him on display in the freak show, ridiculing him as "the average man", a naïve weakling doomed to insanity. Batman's attempts to locate Commissioner Gordon are unsuccessful. He even investigates Harley, but leads no where until the Joker sends him an "invitation" that leads him to the amusement park. Batman arrives to save Gordon, and the Joker retreats into the funhouse. Though traumatized by the ordeal, Gordon retains his sanity and moral code, and he insists that Batman capture the Joker "by the book" in order to "show him that our way works". Batman enters the funhouse and dodges the Joker's booby traps, while the Joker tries to persuade his nemesis that the world is "a black, awful joke" that is not worth fighting for, and that it only takes "one bad day" to drive an ordinary man insane. He gives a monologue capturing his entire arc and story throughout the films to Batman.

Batman subdues the Joker and tells him that Gordon survived the Joker's torments, and suggests that the Joker is alone in his madness. He attempts to reach out to the Joker and offers to help him recover in order to end his suffering, which Batman fears may one day result in a fight to the death between them. The Joker declines, saying it is "too late for that. Far too late". He then says that this situation reminds him of a joke about two inmates in a lunatic asylum who try to escape. One inmate jumps across a narrow gap between the asylum and the adjoining building, but the other is afraid he will fall. The first inmate offers to shine his flashlight across the gap so the other can walk across the beam, but the second inmate replies, "What do you think I am, crazy? You'd turn it off when I was halfway across!" Batman chuckles at the punchline, and the two foes laugh as the police arrive. The camera pans lower and lower as we only hear Batman laughing now. The End

That would be my trilogy for the Joker if they wanted to make it a franchise. Of course it’s not as detailed as I would like, but what I wanted to do was just make a basic outline of what I think the story should go. I think by introducing Batman late and having Joker’s ending be Batman’s beginning is quite poetic. I also like that for the third to be just like The Killing Joke, which in my opinion, is Joker’s best comic. I hope you enjoyed reading about my ideas and maybe DC can see this and possibly do something like this which we can all agree on, wouldn’t be a bad idea. This has been the Topic of the Week, thanks for reading. Ricardo signing off.