Our first introduction to Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is when he’s seen at his job, applying makeup for an upcoming clown gig. In that scene, we get the entire tone and vibe of Joker which is quite morose and we also get a solid understanding of the movie’s themes around “putting on a mask.” Well, seeing as in the first scene, we see Joaquin Phoenix with clown makeup on, albeit not his final Joker look, wouldn’t it seem fitting to see his archnemesis from the comics as well?
Some fans believe that the lighting and framework of the opening scene which introduces us to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker actually has Batman in it. During the scene, there are two lights above Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, which look eerily similar to Batman’s iconic glowing white eyes. Joker’s pale white face appears as his mouth, with the rest of the frame surrounding him serving as the rest of the cowl.
It may sound like a stretch but see for yourself in the video below. Note that the actual Batman flashing is there to guide this visual riddle.
Seeing as this is the first scene in the entire film, it would make sense to introduce not only the Joker but also Batman himself. Beyond that, symbolically it makes complete sense to allude to Joker’s archnemesis via a mask, as both of them hide behind some facial disguise to prove a point. We don’t explicitly see the Dark Knight in Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, though we do see a young Bruce Wayne, played by Dante Pereira-Olson.
Do you really think that’s a Batman Easter egg in Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments
Here’σ the official synopsis for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker:
Director Todd Phillips’ Joker centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
Directed by Todd Phillips from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham. The movie is not part of the DC Extended Universe, and seems to play into Warner Bros.’s interests of making creator-driven superhero movies over necessarily building a hyper-connected shared universe… At least for the time being.
Joker is now playing in theaters. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and the future of Batman on the big screen.
Source: Instagram
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The film will also be set in Central City.