What really happened at the ending of Joker?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Movie endings, they're usually pretty straight forward right? Everything pays off, the main characters learn something, and our heroes ride off into the sunset. Sometimes though, we don't get the typical ending from a movie, we get something much more nuanced, complex and open ended. The kind of endings that leave things up in the air for all of us to debate and theorize on until we're blue in the face. With Movie Endings Explained, we aim to delve into some of the more ambiguous and mysterious endings to films that have left audiences scratching their heads for years, and to attempt to explain them. In most cases, a definitive answer isn't really there, so we definitely want to hear from YOU on how you interpret the various endings we'll be discussing with this series.

Most comic book movie endings don't leave too much to the imagination. In fact, most comic book movie endings are more about teasing the next installment than they are presenting a challenging finale to a self contained story. However, 2019's mega hit JOKER, (among a few other things), bucks that trend significantly. As the film reaches its conclusion you're left wondering if Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck might just be the most unreliable narrator of the decade. How much of Arthur's bloody and disturbing journey towards becoming Joker can be truly taken at face value? And how much is fabricated? Let's discuss the possibilities of what JOKER's ending might mean!