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Why Joker: Folie à Deux's ridiculous ending has left fans divided and angry

'Joker: Folie à Deux' offers an explosive combination of music and madness where Arthur Fleck meets the love of his life, Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel

Contains spoilers for 'Joker: Folie à Deux'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With the release of the highly anticipated 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' one thing is clear: the ending of the movie is getting polarizing feedback; either fans love it or they hate it to the core. The sequel to the 2019 sensation 'Joker,' the new musical psychological thriller follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who has acquired the title of Joker due to his explosive acts in the first movie.

The film also introduces Arthur's love interest, Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow Arkham asylum patient. As the story progresses, the couple's love grows, however, a sequence of events convinces Arthur to abandon his Joker image. As the movie inches closer to its conclusion, a surprising development casts doubt on the franchise's future.

Why 'Joker: Folie à Deux' ending garnering polarizing feedback

The finale of 'Joker: Folie à Deux' is unexpected in every way and is gathering fans' ire; however, many also appreciate it for challenging their expectations. One of the most unanticipated twists in the movie is Arthur's rejection of his Joker persona. Now this leaves many questioning Arther's decision, as it also disrupts the build-up of two films that emphasize his identity as a symbol of chaos. To this, I believe that from the get-go, Arther wanted nothing more than to be noticed. Still, after the unfortunate event with Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), he saw no further use in adopting his alter personality.

Yes, Arthur's horrific and abrupt death in the end was completely uncalled for, but it also has a deeper meaning as it implies that he was only an inspiration for the actual Joker. In other words, Arther began a revolution with his Joker identity, which has been adopted by others. While the film attempted to carve out a space for itself without depending too heavily on the comics, I am certain that the brazen inversion of the 'Joker' mythos will continue, and we may see another Joker, inspired by Arther's legacy, in the future DC films.

Fans are divided on Joker: Folie à Deux's unexpected ending

As soon as 'Joker: Folie à Deux' made its way to the big screens, fans were quick to express their feelings on the startling finale on X.

A fan said, "Possibly the closest we've ever gotten to the worst ending ever in my opinion."

A disappointed fan added, "Joker: Folie à Deux is not a bad sequel. I'm gonna be straight up honest. I didn't care that much about the story, let it play itself. But they just had to do the last 5 minutes of ending and made my mood plummet down a bottomless pit. F**k the producer for that."

Another added, "Watched, Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s such a bad movie. The ending is absolutely pathetic."

"Watching JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX with my friends todayy!!, it's really fun but tbh i kinda don't like the ending uggh," said another fan.

However, some fans were thrilled with the unexpected ending and shared their thoughts on X.

Calling the ending perfect, a fan said, "JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX isn’t as tight as the OG, but it’s a big, weird, audacious sequel that drives home just how damn good an actor Phoenix is. Could’ve used more Gaga and more music, but I’m very happy with where the story lands. The ending is perfect."

Another added, "IDGAF about yall I really loved Joker: Folie à Deux… and that ending was so haunting… Lee is the most insane bitcj ever."

A fan said, "Joker: Folie à Deux rehashes a lot of the same themes (and events) of the first film, but this time set to music. Two great lead performances and some fun moments, but overall left me wanting more. A lot more. The ending will be divisive (but I like what it implies)."

Another remarked, "I watched the first Joker again before Folie á Duex. I knew the ending from the leak. And something occurred about 20 minutes into a Joker 1 rewatch that made me love the ending we got in Folie á Deux. While I don’t know what I wouldn’t thought of the ending if that did happen."

Raving about the ending another admirer shared, "Okay so my verdict is in! Joker Folié a Déux is a slow burn musical follow up which grips you into the mind of Arthur Fleck, and pulls you out of that fantasy real quick if you're a Joker fan. That said, the ending blew my mind, Lady Gaga & Phoenix are sensational and the movie is definitely a must watch. Don't go by the reviews, give it a shot and you won't be disappointed. Spoiler alert: watch the ending scene carefully & there's no post credits scene. Easily a 4/5 for me!"

'Joker: Folie à Deux' trailer