10 Subtle Details That Make Joaquin Phoenix's Joker Incredible

4. His Colour Choices

On the surface, Arthur's Joker "costume" is merely a slight variation on the Joker's usual outfit from the comics, with bold contrasting colours to set against the white palour of his made-up skin. The colour scheme is vaguely drawn from the comics, admittedly as his first appearance had a purple suit and a deep green shirt, the orange comes from later shirts and Joker's Daughter wore an orange waistcoat when she debuted fighting Batgirl and Robin in July of 1976.

It's supposed to look recognisable, that's obvious, but it doesn't explain why Arthur would chose those colours specifically for his Joker look. He couldn't draw from the comics, after all, and yet the decision to dress a clown in a disco suit when he usually dresses up in your normal clown attire.

The answer, rather brilliantly, comes when Arthur goes to Arkham, a place he told his social worker he felt most comfortable. After stealing his mother's records, he flees into a back stairwell and low and behold, the walls are painted in the same orange as his waistcoat and the floor and pipework is the same maroon as his suit. A strange choice for such a place and the real hint at where his inspiration came from. He isn't wearing the costume of a clown, he's wearing the costume of his true home.