While awaiting trial at Arkham State Hospital for crimes committed two years prior, Arthur Fleck struggles with his dual identity. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, prepares a defense based on dissociative identity disorder, aiming to blame the Joker persona for the murders. During a music therapy session, Arthur meets Harleen Quinzel, known as Lee.
Lee shares a passion for the Joker and claims to have a similarly troubled background. The two form an intense bond driven by shared delusions that manifest as musical performances. Lee starts a fire during a prison film screening as a diversion, leading to Arthur being placed in solitary confinement before she is eventually released.
When the trial begins, Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent presents witnesses to prove Arthur is fully sane and responsible. Maryanne discovers that Lee has fabricated her entire backstory as a psychiatry student from a wealthy family, having committed herself voluntarily just to meet him. When confronted, Lee confesses to the lies but claims she is pregnant.
Arthur Fleck ultimately rejects his Joker persona during his trial and takes full responsibility for his past actions.
Lee Quinzel abandons Arthur because he renounced his Joker persona.
A fellow inmate kills Arthur in the final moments while carving a smile into his own face.
One reading of the ending suggests the true Joker identity lives on through anonymous followers rather than Arthur himself.
During the court proceedings, Arthur dismisses his lawyer Maryanne Stewart and decides to represent himself. After hearing testimony from his former co-worker Gary Puddles, which visibly shakes him, Arthur declines to present any defense. In a sudden shift, he mocks the abusive Arkham guards during his speech.
Returning to Arkham, he suffers a brutal beating in the showers by head guard Jackie Sullivan and others in retaliation. When an inmate named Ricky speaks up to defend Arthur, Jackie kills him on the spot, deeply devastating Arthur. The next day, during his closing argument, Arthur shocks the courtroom by renouncing the Joker persona completely and admitting full responsibility for his crimes.
This revelation infuriates Lee Quinzel, who abruptly walks out of the courtroom. The jury subsequently finds Arthur guilty of all murder charges. As the verdict is read, a massive car bomb explodes outside the courthouse, causing widespread casualties and leaving Harvey Dent with severe facial injuries.
In the ensuing chaos, two Joker followers rescue Arthur, but he quickly abandons them upon realizing they idolize only the persona rather than him. Arthur wanders through Gotham City and encounters Lee on the stairs outside his old apartment, but she rejects him because he renounced his Joker persona. Police officers soon recapture Arthur and return him to Arkham State Hospital.
The following day, a guard leads Arthur through a quiet hallway for a scheduled visitor. Another young inmate intercepts him, tells a brief joke, and repeatedly stabs Arthur in the abdomen with a makeshift shank. As Arthur bleeds out on the floor, he mentally revisits a prior fantasy where Lee shoots him. Meanwhile, the young inmate laughs uncontrollably and carves a bloody smile across his own face, concluding Joker: Folie à Deux on a grim note.
What does the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux mean?
One interpretation of the ending is that Joker: Folie à Deux explores the destructive nature of idol worship and public persona. Arthur Fleck tries to reclaim his authentic self by discarding the theatrical violence associated with the Joker, but society and his followers refuse to accept him without the mask. Lee abandons him because she fell in love with a symbol rather than a vulnerable human being.
The tragic conclusion suggests that once an idea or monster is unleashed into the world, its creator no longer controls it, and the spirit of the Joker can easily pass to a new vessel. The title itself points to a shared madness, but by the end, Arthur is completely isolated, abandoned by the public, by Lee, and even by the persona that once defined him.
How Joker: Folie à Deux rates against similar titles
Average audience ratings from the source database. Click a title to read its ending explained.
Where to watch Joker: Folie à Deux
How
Available on
Stream
Netflix
Rent
Apple TV Store, YouTube, Amazon Video
Buy
Apple TV Store, YouTube
Listed for region IN. Availability varies by country.
Joker: Folie à Deux ending FAQ
Who kills Arthur Fleck at the end of Joker: Folie à Deux?
A young inmate at Arkham State Hospital murders Arthur in the final scene by repeatedly stabbing him with a shank in the hallway.
Why does Arthur renounce the Joker persona?
Arthur renounces the persona during his closing argument, taking full responsibility for his actions after being visibly affected by Gary Puddles' testimony and the tragic death of his friend Ricky.
Did Lee actually lie about her past?
Yes, Maryanne discovers that Lee is a psychiatry student from a wealthy background whose father is alive, meaning her entire troubled childhood story was fabricated to get close to Arthur.
Is Lee really pregnant with Arthur's child?
The story leaves the truth open, as Lee claims she is pregnant after they sleep together, but given her history of deception, the sources do not confirm whether it is true.
Does the young inmate become the new Joker?
The story leaves it open rather than confirming a sequel, though the inmate laughs hysterically and carves a smile on his own face as Arthur dies.
Where can I watch Joker: Folie à Deux?
Stream: Netflix. Rent: Apple TV Store, YouTube, Amazon Video. Buy: Apple TV Store, YouTube. Availability listed for region IN and varies by country.
Joker: Folie à Deux cast
Actor
Character
Joaquin Phoenix
Arthur Fleck
Lady Gaga
Lee Quinzel
Brendan Gleeson
Jackie Sullivan
Catherine Keener
Maryanne Stewart
Zazie Beetz
Sophie Dumond
Steve Coogan
Paddy Meyers
Harry Lawtey
Harvey Dent
Leigh Gill
Gary Puddles
Movie
★ 7.7
Drishyam: The Conclusion ending explained
Years after outsmarting the police, Vijay Salgaonkar's past resurfaces when a new evidence threatens to expose his secret. As the investigation reopens, he must outwit the system o
