Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is going to bust the drained Batman villain

In terms of pop culture, we’ve been in the Joker’s stranglehold since The Dark Knight. Actually, in 2016 it already felt like Jared Leto had the in Suicide Squad greatest of all Batman villains as an exaggerated fairground version buried himself single-handedly. But then in 2019 came the realistically gloomy Joker with Joaquin Phoenix and told a tragic origin story of the character – almost entirely without Bruce Wayne. A good ending, actually.

But three years later, The Batman teased the next Joker incarnation, and if you’re wondering, “Isn’t it slow enough?” I have an answer for you: No, at least not when it comes to DC. Joker 2: Folie à deux, the sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 film, is slated to hit theaters on October 3, 2024. As a musical. Again with Joaquin Phoenix, but also with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, the Joker’s partner.

See the announcement teaser for Joker 2 here:

Sounds like an April Fool’s joke, but it’s for everyone who’s tired of the Joker the best comic book adaptation message in a long time. Because at the latest the first real set pictures of the new Harley Quinn show: Joker 2 and Lady Gaga will finally end the age of the Joker. Why? let me explain it to you

Reason number 1: The Joker is completely overused as a Batman villain

The Joker is Batman’s nemesis and vice versa. He has a penchant for bright colors, sometimes a tragic backstory, but in the end he’s always kind of over it and causes chaos in Gotham. Because he loves chaos.

In the last 15 years we have had the following Joker variants in real films:

What else is there to come? How many times can you tell a totally over-the-top, unpredictably chaotic character in a marginally different way before it becomes completely predictable? Well, I don’t know if there is a concrete number, but: the measure is full.

From a mesmerizing god of chaos, the Joker has evolved over the years into DC equivalent of the train connection between Berlin and Cologne. Will there be “unforeseen” problems with the train division in Hamm? Who knows! But when it happens, it doesn’t surprise anyone anymore and the passengers can also join in the forced ironic announcement of the train staff.

Rather than being exciting, the joker has now become the essence of the “we live in a society” meme. Some even base their entire personality on the character and end up on subreddits like r/jokercringe . The sad Edgelord who feels oppressed by society and becomes violent because of it. If you still haven’t had enough of it, you’re just as well served with a bucket of popcorn while reading an incel forum.

Reason number 2: Lady Gaga is perfect for the role and next to her even Joaquin Phoenix can only go down

Recently, new images emerged that Lady Gaga on the set of Joker 2 showed. For the first time in full Harley gear, including make-up. Instead of bright colors, the Joker sequel also relies on a more realistic look for its female protagonist. Harley Quinn looks broken, tired. Like a woman who’s had enough and has a hell of a lot to tell.

Lady Gaga seems like a clear alternative to Harley Quinn, of which we only know a few facets from other films. In addition, the singer and actress already played three roles that perfectly prepare her for Joker 2.

Fragile yet unbreakable in a relationship with a terrible man? A Star Is Born. Iconic villain with impressive blood thirst? American Horror Story (Season 5). Complete scene stealer, next to which even the best actor pales? House of Gucci. But there is one thing Gaga does best: singing and performing. What you have to be able to do as a pop star – or as one of the main actors in a musical film. There is no room for anyone next to her. Even the great Joaquin Phoenix can only lose there.

Reason number 3: Joker 2 will definitely show that Harley Quinn is the much more interesting character

Margot Robbie has played a shrill, lowbrow take on the Joker’s on-off partner since Suicide Squad, and she’s damn fantastic at it. Lady Gaga could explore completely new depths of the character in Joker 2. Then Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is in Arkham Asylum after his murders, where – at least according to the comic template – he refers to the psychologist Dr. Harleen might meet Quinzel, who eventually falls for him and becomes insane herself. What follows is a violent relationship with a man who actually hates her and from whom she finds it difficult to break away.

Harley Quinn is a badass with a wit, but with a lot of trauma slumbering. A mentally ill woman in a world full of psychopaths and other adversaries. She only finds true love in her lesbian partnership with Batman villain Poison Ivy. (In a video from the Joker 2 shoot, Lady Gaga is seen kissing at least one woman.) Harley is victim and perpetrator, seductress and seduced, highly intelligent yet a prisoner of her own mind. In any case, an icon – not only, but also for women and queer people.

In contrast, the Joker’s motivation and depth of character are a – watch out – joke. So pack your handkerchiefs and prepare your eulogies: After Joker 2, no one asks about the makeup-loving Edgelord anymore. In October 2024 the age of Harley Quinn begins.

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