Warner Bros has given India a kindly gift for Diwali this year: An early release of their hotly anticipated standalone ‘Joker’, based on the infamous Batman villain.
The film sees Joaquin Phoenix dress up as Arthur Fleck, a man with...issues, who goes on to become the Clown Prince of Crime.
As India gears up for the early release of this uber-controversial take on the mass-murdering clown, here’s a few things you should know about the film and the character in general:
Joker was meant to be a one-off character
Introduced all the way back in 1940 in Batman #1, the Joker was meant to be killed in that very issue.
However, editorial intervention at DC Comics is what allowed him to survive and eventually grow into the villain we all know to this day.
He has no fixed identity and origin
While the name ‘Joker’ is well-known in the criminal underbelly of Gotham, unlike most of the Batman’s rogues, his true identity has always remained an enigma.
Also, the character has had a number of possible origins as he is an unreliable narrator, but the most popular, to this day, remains that of a comedian-turned-criminal in a Red Hood falling into a vat at Ace Chemicals while cornered by the Batman.
‘Joker’ has no association with Batman this time
While the Joker has historically been associated with the Caped Crusader, this film makes a point to be a truly standalone film. This is shown in the first trailer itself where Arthur meets a young Bruce Wayne, years before his parents’ death and his birth as Batman.
Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne, does appear to have a significant role in the film, however.
This ‘Joker’ does not shy from bloody violence
‘Joker’ is rated ‘A’ by the CBFC, a fact achieved apparently with no cuts and just a couple of muted words, and while the trailers make the violence and disturbing imagery of the film obvious, it’s still a good idea to ensure you’re not carrying kids into the cinema to witness a failed comedian’s one bad day.
Joker broke Superman
Gamers among you will know this, but the Joker has been able to emotionally shatter Superman by making him kills Lois Lane, turning him into a tyrannical despot in ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’, which released in 2013. The Joker, of course, died a brutal death before the game’s events at the hands of Superman himself, but the effects of his act drove all of its events.
