There are few people who are as good as Todd Phillips is when promoting his own work. Well, that’s to say that he might not have to do much but post an image of his upcoming work to get the internet to go wild. Phillips has done just that with the first image of Joaquin Phoenix back as Arthur Fleck in Joker 2. The new image, which you can see below, is likely to make everyone wonder what is happening in this given scene, including us.

The last time we saw Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in Joker, he was running around a psychiatric hospital in a bit that looked to be a lot like a Benny Hill sketch. However, could it be that his entire outside life was just drawn up in his head? For all we know, Joaquin Phoenix can now be completely cationic in the above image for Joker 2, as he is getting his face shaved, because he cannot do it himself.

An interesting thing about the above image of Joaquin Phoenix returning in Joker 2, is that he looks to be skinnier than he was in the first movie, meaning that fleck could be involved in some self-harm. Also, his body seems to be covered in what appear to be bullet holes or some sort of sores. Again, going back to our theory about being catatonic, those body abrasions might also be from bed sores, as he could be bedridden.

There is truly a lot to think about, and this simple image of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2 is going to be dissected even further. What we do know of the movie so far is that Lady Gaga has been cast as Harley Quinn, which means that Phillips is harkening back to the old Rogues Gallery of Batman, though we are not sure if any of the other villains are going to be appearing in the movie. The sequel is titled, Joker: Folie à Deux, which translates to “folly of two” or “madness of two.”

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga could just be two partners in crime in Joker 2, or could simply be locked in the same mental hospital with one another. We are not entirely sure what is going to happen in the sequel, but there have been rumors that this movie is going to be a far more violent affair. It is interesting to think about Joker 2 possibly involving more classic Batman characters, considering the first movie was a bit more grounded in realism.

Bruce Wayne was but a child, though Joker’s need to cause chaos led to his parents being murdered, which is how Batman is turned into The Caped Crusader in the first place. Still, Joker exists outside of the traditional Batman-based story, and Joaquin Phoenix is certainly a much different Joker than we have ever seen, and likely will see in Joker 2.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga will star alongside one another in Joker 2 when it officially debuts on October 4, 2024. For now, we can all stare at the above image and come up with a multitude of fan theories that may or may not pan out.

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