On October 4th, 2024, the sequel to director Todd Phillips’ “Joker” movie was released. Two months later, Luigi Mangione was arrested on December 9th as a murder suspect for the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. Two seemingly unrelated incidents that startlingly parallel each other. The deeper the connections go, the more eerie our reality may feel as we beg to question whether life imitates art, or the other way around.
This article will contain spoilers for “Joker: Folie À Deux.”
The Spectacle of Luigi Mangione
The public reaction to Mangione has included memes, romanticism, and the star treatment of some of Hollywood’s heartthrobs. All for the suspect in a murder trial, a combination that paints a grim and dystopian picture of modern America. The public outcry of support for his actions of killing a corrupt CEO aligns with the ongoing discourse of the wealth gap in America. The battle of the elite “one percent” versus the general working class public has made a political hero of Mangione.
The surprises don’t stop there. Many would be shocked to learn that Mangione graduated from the Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. Mangione suffered from severe back pain due to an injury, and many believed this to be the motive behind targeting UnitedHealthcare. He was not affliated as a customer with UnitedHealthcare. According to CBS news, “Officials believe Mangione may have targeted the company because of its status as the largest health insurer in the United States.”
CBS News reports that police discovered a document in his backpack: “the two-and-a-half-page handwritten document (…) made it clear that Mangione was furious at the health care industry.” Reports and social media fans alike tie his own injuries to his deadly actions. The speculated motive is that Mangione represents a vigilante targeting the corrupt wealthy elite. However, his wealthy background confuses the idea of him representing the underprivileged or working class.
Arthur Fleck: The Man Behind The Mask
At the heart of the outcry of support for Luigi Mangione is, yes, a modern habit of sensationalizing everything. But behind it is a debate about the ongoing class war. Divisions arise on whether Mangione deserves to be ascribed as the hero of the working class, given his privileged background. Finally, the parallels arise between our fictional and real-life anti-heroes. From the theater to social media, audiences of any kind are asked to trust the credibility of information they’re receiving. Credibility, nowadays, often starts with the life perspective someone holds.
As many may remember from the 2019 film, “Joker,” Arthur Fleck is our fictional anti-hero. Behind the acid-green hair and sinister clown smile we all know as the Joker stands an emaciated and mentally ill man. His upbringing was filled with abuse, neglect, and trauma, leading him to a series of unfortunate events. He lived in poor conditions in a crime-ridden part of the city. During a few pivotal parts of the film, Fleck finds himself in conflict with the wealthy elite. Twice, he shoots them.
(Credit: YouTube / Warner Bros. Pictures)
Motive, Mental Health, Murder
Fleck and Mangione seem to be in a tug-of-war between sharing values, characteristics, or even motives for their actions. However, it is undeniable that within the dramatic universe of Joker, Fleck’s motives are based on being pushed to the absolute breaking point. Fleck represents the outcasted, neglected, and beat-up members of society. Each scene in the first film feels like another bullet point in his list of motives, as well as a deeper spiral within his psyche.
Can the same be said for Mangione? I’m not here to analyze the mental health or trauma of a man I only recognize from news articles and fan cams on Instagram. However, it is undeniable that both of these flawed yet widely celebrated men publicly killed a wealthy and well-known public figure. The differences lie in the backstory that brought them there. That may soon be the only difference left.
The Hopelessness of “Joker”
The final act of the film shows Fleck shooting and killing a beloved talk show host live on air. “Folie À Deux” then picks up after Fleck has been incarcerated, watching as the world molds around him. Support gathers around him upon his arrival to his trial. Fleck sings and dances within the prison, leading his fellow inmates to join him. Returning to prison after his court appearance, they stand atop the tables and belt Oh, When The Saints Go Marching In. Later, one of them is killed by a guard.
These fleeting moments of protest, revolution, and uprising ultimately fall flat. I won’t tell you exactly how it ends, but let’s summarize and say it’s rather grim and hopeless. That is… depending on where your sympathies lie: with Fleck, the wealthy individuals criticizing him, his disillusioned supporters, or the very idea of a class revolution started by him. The core of Joker’s sequel is a psychological spiral into the despair of Fleck’s reality: he was never a martyr or the face of a movement.
Harley Quinn & Parasocial Attachment
The biggest question to draw from these parallels is: who are we in this whole situation? The backgrounds of each character connect in various ways to Mangione and us, the viewers. They reveal the interactions of romanticism meeting class and privilege in an almost fetishized way. Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Harleen Quinzel shows a wealthy psychiatry graduate from the Upper East Side attaching herself to Fleck. Fleck, as we know, came from quite the opposite background of hers.
Quinzel lies about her upbringing, claiming she was raised in the same neighborhood as him. She lies about being forced into Arkham Asylum by her family, as she checks herself in and out to meet Fleck. Then, she talks to the press on his behalf and shows up to his trial. She is his number one supporter. That is until Fleck admits he is not Joker, just a traumatized man. He steps down from representing a social movement, and Harley, disappointed, abandons him. “All we had was the fantasy,” she says.
It is in this final moment that we may see ourselves reflected in her. Media has cemented Mangione as something of an acclaimed hero or a hot-button issue, depending on who you ask. And we see Arthur Fleck, our beloved Joker, similarly celebrated. We’ve seen how Fleck’s trial ended with him once again abandoned, Mangione’s still has more time to develop. Beyond the outcome of his proven guilt or innocence, the deeper social and cultural significance lies in whether that loyal support will remain.