Joker 2 fans praise ‘perfect’ Joaquin Phoenix lipstick scene as first trailer releases

Final shot in new trailer sees Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn draw a red lipstick smile on a glass partition while visiting the Joker in prison

The first official trailer from the forthcoming sequel to Todd Phillips’s 2019 film Joker has been released, and fans are already obsessed with a specific scene.

The new DC Studios film, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, will see Joaquin Phoenix reprise his role as the titular Batman nemesis, alongside pop music giant Lady Gaga – born Stefani Germanotta – as Harley Quinn.

The sequel trailer sees Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck continue his reign of terror in Gotham City, with Gaga’s Harley now by his side.

In previous adaptations of the character, Harley Quinn starts out as a psychiatrist called Harleen Quinzel who becomes romantically infatuated with the Joker and turns to a life of crime. It’s still unclear to what extent Joker: Folie à Deux will deviate from this origin story.

In the trailer, the pair are seen dancing and singing through the streets, with one moment showing them performing together on stage to adoring fans.

Other scenes see Phoenix’s character being dragged away by police and Harley attending a court hearing, where the Joker’s loyal fans are stood outside the courthouse with posters reading “Free Joker”.

Another shot sees the pair dancing on a staircase on West 167th Street in the Bronx, recreating a scene from the last film, in which the Joker danced alone on a staircase.

Gaga’s Harley Quinn draws lipstick on the (Warner Bros)

At the end of the trailer, Gaga’s character visits Joker in prison, when she whispers, “I want to see the real you”, and draws a red Joker-style smile on the glass visitation booth partition between them using her lipstick. Fleck then moves his face to align his lips with the lipstick drawing and grins.

Fans have said they are “obsessed” with the closing shot in the trailer, with one fan simply writing: “It’s perfection.”

“That final shot with the lipstick was INCREDIBLE,” wrote one fan on X/Twitter, as another added: “Literally every single frame is poetic.”

Phoenix’s Joker during the lipstick scene (Warner Bros )

Others said that they’re already predicting that Gaga will win Best Actress at the Oscars for her role in the film. Phoenix previously took home Best Actor for his role in the original.

Meanwhile, some fans have also been speculating whether the sequel will have more musical elements than the previous film, given the number of clips that show the Joker and Harley singing together – especially given the involvement of pop singer Gaga.

Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn (Warner Bros)

“Thank God they’re making sure people know it’s a musical instead of hiding it from us,” wrote one fan.

However, Phillips said yesterday at Cinema Con that although music is an essential element in the sequel, it doesn’t veer too far from the first film.

Harley and the Joker dancing on the steps (Warner Bros)

The director offered a first look at Gaga taking on the high-profile role back on Valentine’s Day, posting a picture of Phoenix and Gaga in character together.

“Happy Valentine’s day,” he wrote as a simple caption.

Posting the same image on her Instagram, Gaga captioned the photo with the sequel title Folie à Deux. The title is a French term used in medical contexts to refer to an identical or similar mental disorder impacting two or more people, usually members of a close family.

The 2019 film Joker tracked the mental decline of aspiring comic and clown Arthur Fleck, after he is socially and romantically rejected. His violent Joker persona emerges as a result, and he goes on to become a cult hero. Phoenix won the Oscar for his performance, and the film made more than $1bn at the box office to become the most profitable R-rated movie of all time.

The sequel is currently slated to arrive in cinemas on 4 October 2024, the fifth anniversary of the original film’s release.