Warning! Major SPOILERS for Joker ahead.
Joker may be a standalone movie, but the film is absolutely packed with Easter eggs. In an age of cinematic universes, DC Films is taking a refreshing and very different approach. They're still continuing to build their shared universe, the DCEU, but they're also launching spinoffs - "Elseworlds" stories that allow writers and directors a chance to relax and really enjoy themselves.
Joker is the first of these movies, and it's proving to be a remarkable success. The story is ostensibly a Joker's cast is willing to return, it feels more like a complete standalone, a tale that works best because it ends on an ambiguous note. Any sequel would ruin that, because it would necessitate pinning down just what happened in the first film.
And yet, Joker is still technically a comic book movie, and as such it's full of Easter eggs. Director Todd Phillips goes beyond the comics, though, and slips in a lot of Easter eggs to other versions of Batman and the Joker - both big-screen and small. What's more, Phillips is attempting to produce a comic book movie unlike any other, and as a result he also taps into the history of Hollywood. Here are the biggest Easter eggs you may have missed.
19. The Killing Joke Loosely Inspires Joker
The Joker is one of DC's most mysterious, ambiguous villains; the comic book publisher has been wary of spelling out his origin story in detail, understanding that he works best as a sheer force of nature. For all that's the case, though, some stories have explored the Joker's origin before. The most famous of these is Alan Moore's famous graphic novel The Killing Joke. This revealed that the man who became the Joker was originally an engineer who quit his job in order to become a comedian, only to fail miserably. He unwisely agreed to help a group of criminals steal from the chemical plant he used to work in, but the robbery was interrupted by Batman, and the Joker fell into a vat of chemicals. This is generally viewed as the Joker's canonical origin story.
Todd Phillips' Joker script draws on the basic concept of The Killing Joke, revealing that Joker was a failed comedian by the name of Arthur Fleck. At the same time, though, he presents a story that - while still intimate in style - has a scale that isn't present in Moore's comic. Joker is as much a Gotham City origin story as it is the true tale of the Clown Prince of Crime.
18. The King of Comedy and Robert De Niro's Character
Phillips' plot combines The Killing Joke with ideas lifted from the films of Martin Scorsese, an ironic decision given the legendary director is no lover of superhero films. The most obvious inspiration is 1983's Robert De Niro himself as Murray Franklin.
17. The Joker On A Talk Show
There is actually comic book precedent for the Joker to appear on a talk show. Frank Miller's classic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns included one scene in which the Joker was invited on national TV, reflecting one psychologist's belief that Batman and the Joker both represented aberrant psychotic forces that were "morally bankrupt [and]politically hazardous." It went even worse in the comics than it did in Joker; he began by kissing one of the female hosts, exposing her to a toxin he was wearing on his lips. By the time he was finished, an audience of hundreds had been killed.
16. The Joker Riots
Gotham City in Joker is a powder keg, and all it took was one lunatic with a match. Arthur Fleck is that lunatic, and soon riots blaze across Gotham City. Inspired by the mysterious clown killer, the rioters don clown masks to symbolize their agenda. These masks are reminiscent of Batman Beyond features the Joker gang, who all wear this kind of mask.
15. The Joker's Costume Evokes Memories of Cesar Romero
The first live-action Joker was played by Cesar Romero, an American actor, singer, dancer, and vocal artist. He played the part for two years, and went on to reprise the role in the hilariously camp Batman movie. Joker ends with Arthur Fleck adopting a costume that's evocative of Cesar Romero's incarnation; while the color scheme is traditional for the Joker, the cut of the suit is a deliberate homage. Of course, tonally the two versions of the Joker couldn't be more different.
14. A Jack Nicholson Easter Egg On A Poster
In 1989, Joker includes a gentle nod to Nicholson's version. One third-act scene sees Arthur Fleck wait in a dressing-room for the Murray show. Look closely at the background, and there's a poster on the wall showing Murray's face - but designed in a creepy, Joker-esque style, with hair brushed back and a macabre, unnatural grin. It certainly resembles Nicholson's look, especially when viewed through a mirror.
13. The Bloody Lips Are Reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker
The Joker may have a rich history on the big screen, but The Dark Knight, and received a posthumous Oscar for his performance. Naturally, Joker contains a Heath Ledger Easter egg, in a scene where the Joker realizes his lipstick has rubbed off. He swabs blood out of his cheeks and uses that to create a new red, a sweeping smile that's an almost perfect match for Ledger's bloody scar effect.
12. The Joker's Hideout On Amusement Mile
Arthur Fleck frequents one particular district of Gotham City, which can be identified by graffiti on the walls; it's called "Amusement Mile." This is an important Easter egg, referencing The Killing Joke, where the Joker established himself at an amusement park known as Amusement Mile. Perhaps the park is actually part of the district. Given the state of Gotham City in Joker, it's safe to say that it's already been shut down.
11. Arkham State Hospital
Arthur Fleck's attempt to uncover his own family history inevitably takes him to Arkham State Hospital. In the comics, Arkham Asylum is one of the most important locations in Gotham; Batman's rogues' gallery include a whole lot of lunatics, and most of them have been consigned to Arkham Asylum at one time or another. The final scenes of Joker suggest that Arthur has now committed himself to a new life, one in which he commits an atrocity, winds up incarcerated in Arkham, breaks out and goes on the run.
10. Joker Has A Subtle Riddler Easter Egg
Arthur Fleck's visit to Arkham Asylum sees him take an escalator to the basement in order to check his mother's records. The wall of the elevator is covered in green scrawl, including a massive question mark. That's most likely a reference to the Riddler, a classic Batman villain who's well-known for his love of the color green and his obsession with question marks. The Riddler is also a frequent Arkham inmate, so this is an entirely appropriate place to have a Riddler Easter egg.
