Joker 2 Spoilers: Does Batman Appear in ‘Folie à Deux’?

In 2019, Bruce Wayne was portrayed by Dante Pereira-Olson in “Joker.” Now, with the sequel released on Wednesday, October 2nd, fans are curious if he appears again, this time behind the mask. Here’s the answer – WARNING SPOILERS!!!

WARNING – The following article contains minor spoilers about “Joker: Madness for Two,” as it discusses certain plot elements. Please avoid reading further if you haven’t seen it yet.

Much like Venom without Spider-Man, it’s hard to picture the Joker without Batman, as the Clown Prince of Crime acts as the perfect counter to the Caped Crusader in every way. Yet, Todd Phillips managed to pull this off in his 2019 blockbuster, without leaving audiences feeling anything was missing.

Indeed, Batman was indirectly present in the storyline focused on Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). More precisely, a young Bruce Wayne (Dante Pereira-Olson), who still had his parents at the start of the movie but lost them by the end as Thomas and Martha fell victim to the uprising sparked by the Joker in the streets of Gotham City.

This was Todd Phillips’ way of linking back to Batman mythology in a film originally meant to stand alone. However, its sequel, “Madness for Two,” just hit theaters, introducing us to its version of Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. But what about the Dark Knight? For many, it’s hard to imagine a follow-up to the Joker’s tale without him appearing.

Yet, the director successfully resisted the temptation, as Batman’s shadow doesn’t loom over the film. Perhaps because the sequel is set a few years after the first film, and Bruce Wayne would still be too young to patrol the city. It may also be to avoid overshadowing the version with Robert Pattinson. Regardless of the reason, the outcome is the same. Nonetheless, the film does bring another key DC universe character into play.

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Besides Harley Quinn, “Madness for Two” features Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey, a star from the series “Industry.” In the narrative, Dent is still the assistant district attorney but plays a central role in the second half of the plot, which unfolds during Arthur Fleck’s trial. It doesn’t take long to wonder if this sequel might be setting up another DC villain origin story.

The answer is no: Harvey’s schizophrenia never manifests in any form, nor is he disfigured by acid or a face-burning explosion like in “The Dark Knight.” However, “Madness for Two” still nods heavily to fans when the trial concludes with an explosion that devastates a large part of the courtroom.

While the camera naturally focuses on the Joker, we see Harvey, shocked, in the background. With injuries on just one side of his face. Though they appear superficial at first glance, this indeed marks his transformation into Two-Face, as Todd Phillips confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. It’s a way of giving the audience a bit of what they expect, but not too much.

As the director has stated during promotions, he does not plan to create a Joker 3. The ending seems to confirm this, indicating that we are more in the realm of a nod here rather than a commitment to expand the universe he introduced in 2019 by bringing in other key characters from Batman’s world, who would fit perfectly in a narrative that aims to be as realistic and grounded.

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