All 6 Of Joker's Murder Victims Explained (& Why He Killed Them)

Joker: Folie a Deux has confirmed that Arthur Fleck killed six people during his crime spree in Jokerand each of them signals his increasing descent into madness and villainy. With DC Joker (2019), Todd Phillips reinvented a dark origin story of the iconic Batman villain. Arthur Fleck’s transformation into the Joker is slow, methodical and brutal, leaving behind a bloody trail of victims.

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Joker introduced Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck party clown who is so beaten down by society that he becomes Gotham City’s most infamous criminal. This journey is marked by several disturbing murders, and each death represents a crucial step in his psychological unraveling. The ramifications of this were explored in Joker: Folie a Deuxwhere Arthur Fleck is tried for his crimes and meets Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in the process.

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6 Anonymous Wall Street Guy #1

Played by Carl Lundstedt

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Arthur’s first victim in Joker he is one of three drunk businessmen (often called the Wall Street Three) who attack him on the subway. This man, the anonymous number 1 guy on Wall Street, is the main instigator of the assault. The trio begins by harassing a woman on the train, but when Arthur, sitting alone in his clown makeup, laughs uncontrollably due to his neurological condition, the group turns their attention to him.

The businessman grabs Arthur’s bag and taunts him by singing “Send in the Clowns.” His actions escalate when he punches Arthur in the face and calls him a freak. At this point in JokerArthur is already recovering from a series of personal setbacks, including losing his job as a clown for bringing a gun to a children’s hospital, a gun given to him by a colleague named Randall.

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When anonymous Wall Street Guy #1 begins the physical assault, Arthur’s pent-up anger explodes. As the men beat him, Arthur shoots Nameless Wall Street Guy #1 in the head, killing him instantly with the same gun that symbolizes his spiraling descent into violence. This moment marks a significant turning point in Arthur’s life, as it is his first act of lethal retaliation against a world he believes is constantly beating him.

5 Nameless Wall Street Guy #2

Played by Michael Benz

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The second businessman in Joker anonymous Wall Street guy number 2, is less confrontational at first, but becomes equally complicit in the attack. The only one of the three not wearing a jacket, this man catches Arthur’s bag when it is thrown and holds it while his friends continue to goad Arthur. When Arthur falls to the ground, Wall Street Boy #2 joins in the beating. Arthur’s first murder could be seen as self-defense, the second a continuation of that same explosive retaliation.

Arthur shoots him twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach, killing him instantly. These first two murders in Joker They are acts of survival and revenge, driven by the idea that Arthur is finally fighting back against a society that has marginalized and abused him. It’s not just these men who attack Arthur; In their opinion, they represent the rich elites who crush the powerless.

4 Nameless Wall Street Guy #3

Played by Ben Warheit.

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Anonymous Wall Street Guy 3 represents a change in the Arthur murders in Joker – from reactive violence to premeditated murder. This man was harassing the woman on the subway by throwing chips at her, and he is the man who takes and wears Arthur’s clown wig. During the initial assault, he restrains Arthur’s arms. After his two friends are shot, he flees to the next subway car.

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At this point, Arthur could have left him alone, but he chooses to pursue him. Arthur shoots him in the leg, but even as the man crawls away, Arthur chases him and fires three more shots in his back, killing him. This murder is crucial because it is Arthur’s first act of killing someone who is not an immediate threat. Anonymous Wall Street Guy Number 3 runs for his life, but Arthur decides to put an end to it anyway.

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Joker 2 follows in its predecessor’s footsteps by blurring the line between reality and fantasy, with some scenes only happening in Arthur’s mind.

This moment marks Arthur’s first true act of murder, when he executes the man in cold blood. This murder represents Arthur adopting a new side of himself, one that enjoys inflicting pain and revenge, which subsequently fuels his subsequent murders and his transformation into the Joker. His behavior changes after this, taking on the Joker’s most recognizable physical traits. The murder also acts as a symbolic rebellion against Gotham’s elite, and Arthur unwittingly becomes a figurehead for the lower classes, who see the murders as a blow against their oppressors.

3 Penelope “Penny” Fleck

Played by Frances Conroy

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Arthur’s fourth victim in Joker It’s much more personal: his own mother, Penny Fleck. Throughout the film, Penny is portrayed as mentally unstable, obsessed with a relationship she claims to have had with billionaire Thomas Wayne. Penny repeatedly tells Arthur that Thomas Wayne is her father, a belief Arthur clings to as his last hope of finding meaning in his life.

However, when Arthur discovers the truth about his mother through Arkham Asylum records (that she adopted him and allowed her abusive boyfriend to cruelly abuse him as a child), he breaks. Arthur’s anger towards Penny is rooted in feelings of betrayal. She didn’t just lie about her father; she allowed himself to be hurt and left him with lasting emotional scars.

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When Arthur visits her in the hospital, he suffocates her with a pillow and ends her life. As he kills her, says the iconic Joker line, “I always thought my life was a tragedy, but now I realize it’s a fucking comedy.” This moment is pivotal, as it represents Arthur shedding his past and fully embracing his Joker persona. By killing her mother, Arthur is redefining her identity and rejecting who she said she was, choosing instead to rewrite her own narrative.

2 Randall the Clown

Played by Glenn Fleshler

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Arthur’s fifth victim in Joker is his former colleague Randall, the man who gave him the gun that got him shot and indirectly set off the chain of events that led to Arthur’s first three murders. Randall visits Arthur after the Wall Street murders, worried that Arthur may implicate him in the crime. During their conversation, Randall tries to downplay his involvement, which only serves to anger Arthur even more.

At this point in JokerArthur has already begun transitioning into his Joker persona, and Randall’s cowardly behavior pushes him over the edge. In a gruesome act of violence, Arthur stabs Randall in the neck and eye before slamming his head repeatedly into the wall. Randall represents all the people in Arthur’s life who have mistreated and betrayed him, from his abusive stepfather to the society that ridicules him.

Randall’s death is especially symbolic because Arthur is wearing the Joker’s half-finished makeup after creating his new persona. During the act, blood splashes across his face, infusing bloodshed into his Joker’s creation, foreshadowing the complete transformation that is about to occur. This murder cements Arthur’s identity as the Joker and convinces him to go on The Murray Franklin Show, no longer planning to commit suicide but to make a statement to the world.

1Murray Franklin

Played by Robert De Niro

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Arthur’s last victim in Joker is Murray Franklin, the late-night talk show host that Arthur and his mother adored. Throughout the film, Arthur fantasizes about being on Murray’s show, imagining that Murray would hug him and treat him like a son. However, Arthur’s illusions are shattered when Murray mocks him on national television, showing a clip of Arthur’s failed stand-up routine and ridiculing him.

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When Arthur is invited onto the show after Randall’s murder, it becomes clear that his intentions have changed. He is no longer looking for validation, he is looking for revenge. After confessing to the subway murders on live television, Arthur shoots Murray in the head, killing him instantly.

This final murder represents the culmination of Arthur’s transformation into the Joker. By killing Murray, Arthur is not only striking back at someone who humiliated him; He is making a statement to the world that he has adopted his new identity as a symbol of chaos. As such, Murray is Arthur’s first victim as the Joker, and perhaps his most important in Joker.