How Does Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker: Folie A Deux Solve A Mystery About Heath Ledger’s The Dark Knight (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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For over 16 years, fans have been trying to crack the mystery behind Heath Ledger’s Joker scars in The Dark Knight. The iconic villain’s backstory—especially how he got those ghastly Glasgow smiles—was deliberately left vague. Some theories hinted at an abusive father. Others suggested the Joker did it to comfort his wife. But it wasn’t until Joker: Folie à Deux hit theaters in 2024 that the mystery was finally (and maybe controversially) solved.
In Joker: Folie à Deux, Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck—who has already carved out his own dark path in Joker (2019)—never truly wanted to be the Joker. But the sequel flips the script, with Fleck renouncing his chaotic persona and confessing his crimes. Meanwhile, Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight fully embraced the villainous role, and this contrast became the key to unraveling the long-standing enigma of the Joker’s scars.
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So how does Joker: Folie à Deux clear things up? The film’s production brought an unexpected moment that tied back to that infamous Dark Knight scene. In the original version of Joker, Arthur Fleck was supposed to carve his Glasgow smile in front of his loyal followers, connecting Phoenix’s portrayal more closely with the traditional comic book version of the character. But, according to The Hollywood Reporter, director Todd Phillips made a change that would unexpectedly shed light on Ledger’s Joker.
In the new film, the pivotal moment comes when a young Arkham inmate, played by Connor Storrie, carves a Glasgow smile into his face—mirroring Ledger’s version of the Joker. This moment, reportedly cut from the original Joker ending, aligns with a major revelation: Christopher Nolan had once stepped in to prevent Phoenix’s Joker from scarring himself in the first place. Nolan, whose Dark Knight Joker remains the definitive version for many, allegedly insisted that only his Joker—played by the late Heath Ledger—should be the one to carry out the self-inflicted scarring.
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This demand led Warner Bros. to rework the scene, leaving Joker: Folie à Deux with the final graphic version of a Joker character scarring himself. This moment may be seen as a subtle jab at Nolan’s restrictive creative control over the Joker’s backstory, especially now that he no longer had a stronghold with Warner Bros. The scene felt like a necessary conclusion to the Joker saga. Still, it might’ve hit harder if Phoenix’s Arthur had completed his own scarring, satisfying a fanbase eager for a deeper tie between the two interpretations.
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While the origins of Ledger’s scars remain mysterious, Joker: Folie à Deux does hint that perhaps Ledger’s Joker did, in fact, scar himself. This adds another layer to the dark, twisted narrative of a character whose self-inflicted pain mirrors his chaotic mind. As we look back on The Dark Knight, this revelation transforms how we view the Joker’s origin, answering a question that’s lingered for over a decade—whether we wanted the answer or not.
