Draft:Arthur Fleck

Arthur Fleck is a fictional character portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the psychological thriller film Joker (2019), based on the DC Comics character the Joker. In Joker, he is depicted as a failed comedian and party clown struggling with mental illness and a laughing disorder. As the film progresses, Fleck descends further into madness as a result of his abusive treatment from the people of Gotham City, leading him to commit several murders and become the vengeful Joker. The character is an homage to many past Joker-centered stories such as Batman: The Killing Joke, as well as characters in films by director Martin Scorcese such as Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver.

Phoenix is the sixth actor to portray a live-action incarnation of the character, following Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Cameron Monaghan, and Jared Leto. His performance in Joker has earned him numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, Phoenix being the second to win an Academy Award for portraying the Joker, after Ledger. Phoenix is set to return for a sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux (2024).

Casting
Joaquin Phoenix entered discussions to portray the character in the film in February 2018, with director Todd Phillips confirming that Phoenix was the top choice for the role. In July, Phoenix was officially cast in the role, with the film greenlit immediately afterwards. Phoenix had initially expressed interest in making a low-budget "character study" type of film about a comic book villain several years before, but had ruled out the possibility of playing the Joker at the time. "I thought, 'You can't do the Joker, because, you know, it's just you can't do that character, it's just been done'". Upon learning of Phillips' film, he became excited, describing it as unique and stating it did not feel like a typical "studio movie".

Fictional character biography
Arthur Fleck was born to Penny Fleck and an unnamed father on November 21, 1946. He was abused by his mother and her boyfriend as a child, one instance including Arthur being tied to a furnace. His mother was institutionalised at Arkham Asylum, and later on in life, Arthur would spend time in the facility.

In 1981, Arthur Fleck is an impoverished party clown, dreaming of becoming a stand-up comedian like his idol, Murray Franklin. He has been diagnosed with a neurological condition that causes uncontrollable fits of laughter at inappropriate times, especially in stressful situations, and relies on social services for medication. He still lives with his mother Penny, and would look after her due to her deteriorating physical state. After Arthur is attacked by a gang of delinquents, Arthur's co-worker Randall gives him a gun for self-defense. Arthur pursues a relationship with his neighbor, single mother Sophie Dumond, and invites her to his upcoming stand-up routine at a nightclub.

While entertaining at a children's hospital, Arthur's gun falls out of his pocket. Arthur is fired when Randall lies to their manager that the gun was Arthur's own. On the subway, still in clown makeup and depressed by the layoff, Arthur is ridiculed and beaten by three drunk businessmen of Wayne Enterprises after breaking into laughter while they harass a woman; he shoots two of them in self-defense and murders the third as he attempts to flee. The killings are condemned by billionaire mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne, who calls those envious of more successful people "clowns". Demonstrations against Gotham's rich people begin, with protesters donning clown masks in Arthur's image. Arthur's grip on reality deteriorates further after funding cuts shut down the social service program, leaving him without his therapy and medication.

Sophie attends Arthur's stand-up routine, which goes poorly; he laughs uncontrollably, and his jokes fall flat. Arthur intercepts a letter from Penny to Thomas Wayne, alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son; he berates his mother for hiding the truth. Arthur storms off to Wayne Manor for answers, where he meets Thomas's young son Bruce, but flees after a scuffle with family butler Alfred Pennyworth. Following a visit from two police detectives investigating the train murders, Penny suffers a stroke and is hospitalized. Arthur's idol, popular talk show host Murray Franklin, mocks Arthur by showing clips from the comedy routine on his show, calling him a "joker", though the general public becomes sympathetic to Arthur anyway.

Arthur sneaks into a private movie theater event and confronts Thomas, who tells him that Penny is just delusional and not his biological mother. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's file, which states she was a narcissist who adopted Arthur while working as a housekeeper for the Waynes in the 1950s. Penny then raised Arthur with her abusive boyfriend, who was later arrested and died in jail. For allowing the abuse, Penny was sent to Arkham State Hospital, where she maintained that Thomas truly was Arthur's father and that Thomas had fabricated the file in order to hide his relationship with Penny. Distraught, Arthur returns home and enters Sophie's apartment unannounced. Frightened, Sophie asks him to leave, revealing their relationship to have been a figment of Arthur's delusions. The following day, Arthur murders Penny at the hospital by smothering her with her bed pillow.

Arthur is invited to appear on Murray's show due to the popularity of his stand-up routine clips. He is visited by ex-colleagues Gary and Randall. Arthur brutally kills Randall out of revenge but spares Gary for treating him well in the past. The detectives find Arthur, now wearing a colorful suit and face paint, and pursue him onto a train filled with clown protesters. One detective accidentally shoots a protester, thus inciting a riot, while Arthur escapes.

Before the show goes live, Arthur asks Murray to introduce him as Joker, a reference to Murray's mockery. Arthur waltzes out to applause in a lewd manner, and the mood changes when he begins telling morbid jokes, confesses to the train murders, rants about how society abandons the downtrodden and mentally ill, and berates Murray for mocking him. When Murray criticizes him and threatens to call the police, Arthur shoots and kills him. He is arrested for the murders he committed as riots erupt across Gotham. One of the rioters corners the Wayne family in an alley and murders Thomas and his wife, sparing Bruce. Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur, freeing him; he stands atop the car, starts to dance to the cheers of the crowd, and smears blood on his face in the shape of a smile. Arthur is apprehended and sent to Arkham, where he attempts to escape after a psychiatry session, leaving behind bloodied shoeprints as an orderly pursues him.

Critical reception
Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of Arthur Fleck / Joker received widespread critical acclaim, winning numerous awards for his performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor, Gold Derby Award for Best Actor and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.