Joker Origin Movie: 9 Key Influences You'll See In Joaquin Phoenix's Performance

4. The Killing Joke

The Joker Killing Joke
DC Comics

Alan Moore's The Killing Joke remains the seminal Joker story, and one that's commonly cited as an influence on just about any movie featuring the character. This time, though, it really is going to apply.

It's been reported that Arthur will be a struggling stand-up comedian who gets dragged into a life of crime. It can't be a straight adaptation, because that would, of course, require Batman to be in it, but the origin story being told here does come from the pages of the comic.

It's that failure as a stand-up, alongside having "one bad day", that turns him into the Joker, and that's going to be a big plot point in the movie. The permanent disfiguration that happens in this story, with Joker jumping into a vat of chemicals, is another likely inspiration, even if it doesn't happen until much later in the story, to complete the origin, as it were.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.