Joker Origin Story Announced

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Joker was not always that, and therefore, there is no wrong way to tell his story. Comics are a constantly evolving story and recreation, so calling it "wrong" when, as noted, there were times were Joker wasn't even written as a antagonist to Batman, but more sympathetically, it shows that he doesn't always have to be "Batman's greatest enemy."

Somehow, this races by the minds of a thankfully small number of viewers. The Joker--like every character--has his origin point, and unlike bad comic adaptations which constantly scream out the "future" and/or a more familiar version of the character (Garfield Spider-Man movies / many MCU films), this film actually takes the time to build the man before the villain, otherwise, he would no better than crap like the Leto version (jump right into insanity) or worse, the Joker from the mid-80s Super Friends cartoon.

Moreover, the Joker's comic identity has never been all about being Batman's enemy alone, or "just" some evil opposite (which was not evident in his first published appearances). He is his own character who happens to know how to bedevil Batman in ways other criminals cannot or will not. But that's a Joker needing years to become the top of Batman's Rogue's Gallery. Nothing happens overnight, and frankly, even if that was a goal for the film, it is not trying to set him up to fit right into the hole of being Standard Issue Joker out of the gates, nor should it adapt the character in that way..

 

[BillJ]

The answer to that question is that he is an insane menace, but also someone that will be Batman's greatest enemy.

Since this an Alternate Universe telling of a characters story, maybe this version doesn't become Batman's greatest enemy? Maybe this one ends up just being a mental nutcase? Maybe he is the "original" Joker that causes someone else to take on the mantle later in this timeline? Who knows?

I know there is this need for everything to fit in a neat little box, but sometimes the box needs to be challenged.

 

[BillJ]

If one truly wanted to do a sequel to Joker, there are stories there to be told that would help intertwine it with the Batman mythos. Hell, you could do some kind of thriller where Arthur is hunted through the streets of Gotham by someone that wants to be "The Joker".

Though I'm much more happy with Joker as a one-off AU tale.

 

[JD]

Since this an Alternate Universe telling of a characters story, maybe this version doesn't become Batman's greatest enemy? Maybe this one ends up just being a mental nutcase? Maybe he is the "original" Joker that causes someone else to take on the mantle later in this timeline? Who knows?

I know there is this need for everything to fit in a neat little box, but sometimes the box needs to be challenged.

I was about to post something like this, Joker is pretty much a movie version of an Elseworlds comic, so it's really not meant to match up with the traditional version of the Joker.

 

[Mudd]

If one truly wanted to do a sequel to Joker, there are stories there to be told that would help intertwine it with the Batman mythos. Hell, you could do some kind of thriller where Arthur is hunted through the streets of Gotham by someone that wants to be "The Joker".

Though I'm much more happy with Joker as a one-off AU tale.

DC would probably never let these guys really use Batman, but if they did one might expect him to receive a more grounded and realistic treatment. Arthur might be more than a match for the son of that Thomas Wayne.

 

[Captaindemotion]

DC would probably never let these guys really use Batman, but if they did one might expect him to receive a more grounded and realistic treatment. Arthur might be more than a match for the son of that Thomas Wayne.

I don’t know, there are one billion reasons why they might let them use him...

 

[Mudd]

I don’t know, there are one billion reasons why they might let them use him...

Well, that's true. But they seem to have resisted his proposal to do origin movies for a number of DC characters, so...

If Bats is a character from a Scorsese movie, which one will he be?

 

[Captaindemotion]

Well, that's true. But they seem to have resisted his proposal to do origin movies for a number of DC characters, so...

If Bats is a character from a Scorsese movie, which one will he be?

There seem to be conflicting stories going round as to whether or not Philips wants to make more films in that vein. Last I read he’d denied it, pointing out that he didn’t go and make a load of gross out comedies after the success of The Hangover.

Batman as Scorsese character...maybe a mix of DiCaprio’s undercover cop from The Departed, Henry Hill in Goodfellas (“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a vigilante”), and Willem Dafoe’s Jesus Christ?!

 

[Mudd]

Ooo! Do you think Dicaprio would do it?

Spoiler: If graphic movie violence upsets you don't watch this Youtube clip

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[JD]

DiCaprio really is due for a superhero role one of these days.

 

[Turtletrekker]

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[Captaindemotion]

DiCaprio really is due for a superhero role one of these days.

He was linked with roles like Batman and Spider-man in the early 2000s but he’s possibly getting on a little for most of the action/shirt-off type roles. Then again, RDJ, Ruffalo etc are older than him. I just don’t see LDC being all that interested in such a role but if Phoenix gets an Oscar nomination or win for Joker, he might go for a similar weighty bad guy part.

 

[Danja]

Joker is now up for four Golden Globes:

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/golden-globe-nominees-2020


Rather ironic given that this was a film that wasn't expected to do much of anything.

 

[crookeddy]

Also, it's still the #19 best movie of all time on IMDB. This is a movie that was expected to be a critical darling an an audience flop. It turned out quite the opposite.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Joker is now up for four Golden Globes:

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/golden-globe-nominees-2020


Rather ironic given that this was a film that wasn't expected to do much of anything.

Someone will be pissed off about that, and try to spin it as a negative.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

...and so some of the positive predictions are coming true as Joaquin Phoenix wins Best Actor for Joker, while the film's composer--Hildur Guðnadóttir--won for Best Original Score, a Golden Globes distinction no woman has captured in well over a decade.

 

[Samurai8472]

Joaquin and Hildur's acceptance speeches

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[Captrek]

the film's composer--Hildur Guðnadóttir--won for Best Original Score, a Golden Globes distinction no woman has captured in well over a decade.

The American voters probably didn’t recognize that Hildur is a woman’s name.

 

[JD]

I didn't know that, but I've come across enough stuff from that region to know that when the person's last name ends with dottir that it means they're a women. Judging by how close it is to daughter, I've kind of assumed it means daughter of XXXX.

 

[Captrek]

I didn't know that, but I've come across enough stuff from that region to know that when the person's last name ends with dottir that it means they're a women. Judging by how close it is to daughter, I've kind of assumed it means daughter of XXXX.

Thor and Loki use “Odinsson” as their last name. Would Hela’s last name be Odindóttir?