The Ending of Joker Explained

From the portrayal of the legendary Clown Prince of Crime to its explosive and unforgettable climax, Joker definitely forges its own path. Now that everyone has had a chance to see the film, it's time to discuss what it was all built upon and how it all paid off. Spoiler alert for the entire movie! The whole point of Joker is Arthur Fleck's transformation from a downtrodden, beaten-up loser to a hero in his own mind—sometimes quite literally in his own mind. The last time we see Arthur, he's leaving an interview room at Arkham State Hospital, fresh from the triumph of the night he shot Murray Franklin, becoming the figurehead of an entire rebellious movement. We see Arthur leaving bloody footprints as he dances down the hall, and then we see an orderly chasing him through the corridors, suggesting that a violent escape might be in order for the newly minted Clown Prince of Crime. The film makes it clear several times that Arthur Fleck is a man who can easily lose himself in elaborate fantasies, but the question of what is fact and what is fantasy doesn't change the outcome for Arthur Fleck—by the end of Joker, whether he escapes into a new life of crime or descends into delusion, it's clear that he has long since passed the point of no return. One of the most important structural aspects of Joker is how small Arthur's inner circle is. He has his mother, of course, and apparently he has friends in the clown community until they start turning against him, but apart from them, the only significant presence is Sophie, his neighbor, about whom we actually know less than some parts of the film would have us believe. In Arthur's mind, Sophie is his girlfriend, at least until she ceases to be. In Sophie's mind, Arthur is just the somewhat strange neighbor with whom she and her daughter sometimes ride in the elevator. When he enters her apartment uninvited and we discover his fantasy life with her, she is clearly afraid, but also eager to defuse the situation. Arthur Fleck's Future | 0:20 Sophie's Choice | 1:20 Send in the Clowns | 2:15 Thomas Wayne's Secrets | 3:20 Bruce's Future | 4:15 Fantasy World | 5:07 Jokes are to be expected | 6:07