10 Fan Theories For Upcoming Movies (That We Hope Are True)

7. Joker Is Bruce Wayne's Half-Brother

Joker Bruce Wayne
Warner Bros

The upcoming standalone Joker film is not set within the continuity of DC movies like Shazam and Aquaman, and will instead reside in its own separate reality. But that doesn't mean there can't be Batman references, or hints at a wider DC universe.

In fact, the film will feature Thomas Wayne - father of Bruce - as a politician running for mayor. Joker's version of Thomas Wayne has been described as one who differs greatly from the versions we've seen before, a subversive mentality that could apply to the film's entire approach to DC Comics lore.

To that end, a popular theory about Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime (called Arthur Fleck in this story) is that he's actually Bruce Wayne's half-brother. This is based on several pieces of evidence: firstly, it's been said that Thomas Wayne will play a role in the Joker's origin somehow, which could hint at a familial connection. Secondly, we actually see Joker interact with a young Bruce Wayne in the trailer, as he pushes the boy's mouth into a smile. Is he trying to reach out to his family, or torment his rich, privileged brother in some way?

It's also been speculated that Arthur will be the result of an affair between his mother, and Thomas. Maybe Thomas casts them both aside in order to preserve his sparkly-clean public image, which leads to Arthur (naturally) resenting him, contributing to his transformation into the iconic DC villain.

This would be a fantastic way to link in the Batman mythology without it being something we've seen before (like Joker killing Bruce's parents), while also keeping in line with the dark, twisted tone this movie is going for.

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!