Joker: Christopher Nolan saved the 2019 film from comparisons between Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger? Here's what we know so far

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The conversation around Joker is so rampant right now that there’s no way you aren’t aware of what’s happening. Joker: Folie à Deux is currently in theaters, but it’s having a somewhat disappointing run. Much of the discussion revolves around what didn’t work for the movie. However, another topic being widely talked about is the homage that Folie à Deux seems to pay to Heath Ledger’s Joker at the end of the film. A new report now suggests that this homage was originally planned for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker in the first Joker film (2019), but Christopher Nolan intervened and prevented it, ultimately saving the movie. Read on to find out more.

Did Christopher Nolan Save the Joker Climax?

If you recall, the climax of Joker (2019) features Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, fully transforming into the Joker by drawing a smile on his face using smeared blood. The scene was universally praised and became one of the most iconic climaxes in anti-hero movie history. However, a new report claims that the original plan for the film was to have Joker carve a Glasgow smile on his face instead of drawing it with blood.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker was initially supposed to carve a smile like the scars Heath Ledger’s Joker had in The Dark Knight. This was Todd Phillips’ original idea for the climax. However, Christopher Nolan, the director behind The Dark Knight Trilogy, intervened and convinced Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips not to go forward with this. Nolan explained that this would invite comparisons between Joaquin Phoenix’s and Heath Ledger’s portrayals of the Joker, which would not be a good move. Ledger’s performance as the Clown Prince of Crime is considered one of the best of all time, and any comparison to it would likely create unnecessary problems for Phoenix’s performance.

Joker: Folie à Deux Ending

In Joker: Folie à Deux, we see Arthur Fleck back in Arkham Asylum, where he is now an inmate, appearing as ordinary as the others and no longer resembling the Joker we once knew. While watching TV with fellow inmates, Arthur is called by an officer who tells him he has a visitor. But who is this visitor? Is it Lee? Was there even a visitor at all? We are never told.

As Arthur walks towards the meeting chamber, an inmate follows him and calls out, telling Arthur he has a "joke" for him. Just before the inmate finishes the joke, he quotes the same line Arthur said before killing Murray on live TV in the first film: "You get what you f**king deserve." The inmate then stabs Arthur multiple times with a sharp object.

We don’t know who this killer is, but as Arthur takes his last breaths and succumbs to his wounds, something interesting happens in the blurred background. The killer begins carving a smile into his own face, reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight Trilogy. Does this suggest that the Joker never truly dies, and that as long as Gotham exists, there will always be a Joker? This scene could be seen as a subtle homage to Heath Ledger’s Joker, especially since Todd Phillips wouldn’t directly connect Joker to The Dark Knight Trilogy. Adding to this possibility is the physical resemblance between the undisclosed character and Heath Ledger’s Joker. Ultimately, only Todd Phillips can clarify the intent behind this scene. However, one thing is certain: Joaquin Phoenix will not be returning, and Joker 3 is not currently in the works.