A lot of fans are excited to see Lady Gaga play Harley Quinn in the Joker sequel, but while Harley’s origin as Joker’s psychiatrist has been long-accepted canon, they could be going a different direction for Folie a Deux.
According to The Direct, insider KC Walsh has confirmed that Gaga’s Harley will be a fellow patient in Arkham rather than a doctor. We don’t have any official confirmation, but seeing that the first Joker movie had already changed so many things about the character, having Harley be an Arkham patient isn’t too farfetched.
In the original canon, Harley was an Arkham psychiatrist who was tasked to treat the Joker, but instead she falls in love with him and helps him escape. The same origin was adapted for David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, but the theatrically released film shows a solid Joker/Harley relationship—in the canon, Harley is usually manipulated by the Joker to get what he wants; as several Batman writers have said, Joker’s true love isn’t Harley; it’s Batman.
Just looking at the character of Arthur Fleck, I don’t think he’s much of a sociopath to manipulate someone like Harley, but maybe we could be looking at a version of the couple that just makes each other worse people.
If we do get a third movie though, I am hoping we’ll have this Joker going up against his own version of Batman. How about an adaptation of Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke? I’m sure a lot of fans would love that as a finale for this character.
For now, Joker: Folie a Deux is set to release on Oct. 4, 2024.
