The 2019 film Joker unfolds years before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, yet features several intriguing connections between him and Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). Arthur’s mother, Penny, asserts that he is her son with Thomas Wayne, making him Bruce Wayne’s older stepbrother. However, this claim proves to be false. Penny adopted Arthur while working as a housekeeper at Wayne Manor, imagining their romantic involvement with Thomas. In a shocking twist, one of Arthur’s followers murders Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of Bruce, forever tying Joker to the creation of Batman. Consequently, viewers are eager to know if Batman/Bruce Wayne appears in the upcoming sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.
Here’s everything you need to know if Batman is there is Joker 2.
Does Batman or Bruce Wayne appear in Joker 2 Folie à Deux?
No, Batman/Bruce Wayne doesn’t appear in Joker: Folie à Deux. Even though the Wayne family is an important component of the first movie’s narrative, that’s not the case in the sequel.
Instead, the focus is on some of the characters introduced in this movie — Lady Gaga’s Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, Brendan Gleeson’s Jackie Sullivan, and Harry Lawtey as Harvey Dent —and how they view Arthur and interact with him. Notably, Dante Pereira-Olson portrays Bruce Wayne in Joker.
Joker: Folie à Deux reportedly takes place in 1983, two years after the events of Joker. Arthur is held at Arkham when the movie begins. He later faces a trial for the murders he committed. This is way too early for Bruce Wayne/Batman’s appearance. Bruce is still very young during this period, with Alfred Pennyworth likely doing his best to raise him in his parents’ absence and trying to keep him away from the media frenzy around Arthur’s trial.
Bruce’s presence in Joker: Folie à Deux also wouldn’t have served a narrative purpose. Arthur’s role in Batman’s creation has already been established. Further, Todd Phillips, the director of both Joker and the sequel, disclosed in a July 2024 interview with Empire magazine that Arthur would not become the Clown Prince of Crime.
He said, “We would never do that,” Phillips explained. “Because Arthur clearly is not a criminal mastermind. He was never that.”
Joker: Folie à Deux ends with Arthur’s death and the apparent creation of a new Joker, who will probably become the Joker that is Batman’s greatest nemesis. That story, if someone decides to tell it, requires the presence of Batman/Bruce Wayne, but this one doesn’t.
