Joker 2 could give Harley Quinn the arc she always deserved 

Joker: Folie à Deux could give Harley Quinn the character arc she always deserved, as it sets her up to be the main villain.

Joker 2, or Joker: Folie à Deux, recently gave fans their first look at the highly-anticipated movie, which included the introduction of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

Famously, Harley Quinn has been the Joker’s girlfriend/right-hand since the characters’ earliest days, so it was interesting to see that the trailer framed Harley in a completely different way.

Whenever the general public thinks of Harley Quinn, she’s always reduced to playing second fiddle to Joker’s antics.

However, Joker 2’s trailer seems on track to give Harley Quinn the character arc she’s always deserved: as the movie’s main villain.

The first implication that Joker 2 will be treating Harley differently than other adaptations is the fact that she appears to be a patient at Arkham Hospital for the Criminally Insane instead of working there as a therapist.

By making Harley a patient instead of the Joker’s doctor, whom he seduces into setting him free, it allows the audience to assume that she’s on the same playing field as the Clown Prince of Crime from the start.

Another moment from the trailer shows Harley holding Joker at gunpoint, which wouldn’t be unusual in their relationship, but the following scene shows Harley painting Joker’s signature red lips onto her own face, which could be her way of showing him that she’s really in charge in this relationship.

Harley Quinn always had the makings of a great villain, but she was always watered down by being so closely associated with the Joker.

Joker’s abusive tendencies didn’t allow Harley to be her own person because, from their first meeting at Arkham, she was his captive through and through. 

But Harley is actually incredibly smart, manipulative, charming, impulsive, and unafraid of consequences, much like other iconic Batman villains. Still, Harley has never really gotten the chance to play first chair in her and Joker’s orchestra of chaos.

Joker 2 has the opportunity to finally let Harley Quinn be the villain she was always meant to be and show the world there’s more than one dangerous clown running around Gotham.

Many fans even theorize that she could be Joker’s undoing, as her pulling a gun on him could signal his death at her hands, but we’ll have to wait and see if that actually comes true.

Joker: Folie à Deux premieres on October 4, 2024. In the meantime, you can check out the other films you should be watching this month.