Did Arthur Fleck kill Sophie in Joker? The answer has been revealed in a deleted scene from the movie’s script. Comic book fans weren’t sure of what to make of Todd Phillips’ take on the Clown Prince of Crime when it was first announced and then again when the director would post images from the set on social media. This did not appear to be like any version of the iconic villain that we’ve seen before or since and Phillips liked it that way.
Even when watching Joker, one can’t really tell Arthur Fleck’s reality from fiction. This is obviously a tribute to Todd Phillips’ collaboration with actor Joaquin Phoenix. There’s a lot of scenes in the movie where it’s not clear what exactly is going on. For instance, when one sees Zazie Beetz’s Sophie character with Arthur, it is framed in a way to look like they are in a romantic relationship, but that is not the case at all, as we later learn.
Viewers were left with a mystery. Since Sophie and Arthur were not in a romantic relationship in real-life and he freaked her out in her apartment, did Arthur kill her? The recently released Joker script reveals this information. Arthur did not kill Sophie. Instead, he gives her a pretty big fright, like he did to the rest of the world watching at home. You can read a portion of the script below.
“INT. SOPHIE’S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM – CONTINUOUS – Sophie screams and jumps to her feet horrified! Waking up GiGi who starts to cry when she sees what’s on television ANGLE ON TELEVISION, Joker gets up and walks right up to the camera. Blood sprayed over his white painted face. Hear the studio audience still screaming, bedlam all around him. JOKER (ON TV) (looks straight into camera; screams Murray’s signature sign off) GOOD NIGHT AND ALWAYS REMEMBER,–THAT’S LIFE!”
While not shown in Joker, Sophie was originally going to watch Arthur Fleck’s big act on TV. Todd Phillips made a good choice in cutting the scene, since its absence makes for more suspense and mystery when all is said and done. For instance, by the end of the movie, we’re not even sure if Arthur really went out into the streets to become the clown savior of the world. All of that could very well be in his head too, which is something Joaquin Phoenix enjoys.
Joker shocked everybody with its box office success. Not even Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix had any idea that the movie would go on to gross over a $1 billion. Before the movie hit theaters, there were the threats of violence, which luckily amounted to nothing, except for a few evacuated theaters. Now, it looks like Phoenix and Phillips could end up with some Academy Award nominations, with their anti-comic book movie. You can read and download the Joker script over at Deadline.
