The Clowns are a major antagonists in the 2019 psychological thriller Joker and its 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. They are avid followers of the supposed anarchist Arthur Fleck/Joker, and base themselves on his clown motif.
History[]
They are a massive movement of people which wear clown masks on their faces, aiming to instigate an anarchist mutiny against the rich and the powerful population. They were inspired by Arthur Fleck's murder against 3 Wall St. men on the subway.
Their mutiny eventually triggers widespread riots and causes the deaths of many rich people, including the Waynes leaving Bruce a orphan.
Two years following Arthur's incarceration, the movement is still heavily active and spread across the United States. They show full support to Arthur when he is put on trial for the murders he has committed. Arthur later dismisses his Joker persona and gains a guilty verdict in court, which will guarantee him the death penalty. But the Clowns blow up the court house and attempt to save Arthur and take him to safety, but Arthur breaks free and escapes, only to be caught later on and sent back to Arkham State Hospital.
A former follower of Arthur, an inmate at the same institute, murders his former idol by stabbing Arthur to death in the corridor. The inmate carves a smile into his own face, implying he will be the successor of Joker.
Trivia[]
- The Clowns are similar to other Joker obsessed groups in previous media, such as the Cult of Jerome and Church of Jeremiah Valeska in Gotham, as well as the Jokerz from the Batman Beyond television series.
- They are tied to two major events from the DC Universe. The Clowns are responsible for the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, which will lead to a young Bruce Wayne's future development into the vigilante Batman. In the sequel, their terrorist attack at the courthouse scars Harvey Dent, leading to his downward spiral to becoming Two-Face.