The People’s Joker(2024)

Submitted by Evan B

Pooper:
After bringing down Batman and Lorne Michaels, Joker the Harlequin is able to use Mx. Mxyptlk’s powers to create a better world for she and her friends. Joker also learns that she did have at least one happy memory with her mother when she was a child.

Long Ending:
This is an unauthorized parody movie of the Batman franchise that uses characters and themes from that universe to tell the story of the hero’s transition from youth to adult and their transition into a transgender woman. There are small cameos by Bob Odenkirk, Robert Wuhl and Tim Heidecker.

A young boy (whose name is bleeped out through the film as it is no longer her name, but grows up to become the Joker) has an unhappy childhood in Smallville. The boy’s mother (Lynn Downey) is frequently rude, strict, and deeply unhappy. The only respite the boy has is watching a sketch comedy show featuring clowns called UCB (United Clown Bureau) Live (run by Lorne Michaels (voiced by Maria Bamford)). On the show, all the males are Clowns and all females are Harlequins. The star is Ra’s al Ghul (David Liebe Hart). One day, the mom takes her son to see a Batman movie produced by Bruce Wayne (in this universe, it is well known that Bruce Wayne is Batman and that Batman essentially works for Wayne’s company). After fantasizing of being Batman’s girlfriend, the boy tells his mother he thinks he may have been born in the wrong body. Horrified, his mother takes him to Arkham Asylum to receive treatment from Jonathan “The Scarecrow” Crane. The Scarecrow prescribes an inhaler to the boy that forces him to smile and act happy even if he isn’t.

When the boy grows up, he decides to move to Gotham and audition for the UCB. He meets fellow aspirant The Penguin (Nathan Faustyn). After the two realize that they lack both the money and talent needed to complete training to become Jokers, the pair rent an abandoned warehouse and decide to open their own “anti-comedy” shop. This is in reaction to the fact that Batman has banned all comedy in Gotham except for the UCB. They soon attract a roster of performers including Poison Ivy (who was mutated into a plant creature while working for Bruce Wayne), Bane (who simply works out onstage), Catwoman (who loves to swing around her whip), Clayface (an animated version), the Riddler (who tells riddles instead of jokes), and a few others. Eventually, a new talent joins their crew – Jason “Mr. J” Todd. Mr. J dresses as a clown and while his jokes are terrible, the boy falls madly in love with him and they soon begin dating.

The pair share the same sense of humor and plenty of trauma. Mr. J confides that he was originally an orphaned girl named Carrie Kelly before she was adopted by Bruce Wayne. As she grew older, Carrie realized she was a transgender boy abd Bruce paid for her physical transition into a man. Post-transition, Bruce started an inappropriate sexual relationship with Mr. J, causing him to eventually leave and develop his clown persona. Through their relationship, the boy comes to terms that he is also transgender. The pair go to the Ace Chemical Plant where the boy jumps into a vat of chemicals that results in his turning into a girl.

Now happy with her life, the girl comes up with a new act, calling herself “Joker the Harlequin” and also dressing as a clown. She invites audience members on stage and then uses Scarecrow’s gas to make herself laugh as they tell their saddest stories. This is a huge hit, which causes Mr. J to become jealous. Joker soon realizes that Mr. J is abusive and narcissistic. Joker’s mother visits unexpectedly, saying she went to therapy and that she now wants to accept Joker for who she is. Hoping to impress both Mr. J and her mother, Joker hacks the broadcast system and does a comedy set insulting Batman and asking to join the cast of UCB. This enrages Batman and does nothing to assuage Mr. J’s abusiveness. Further, Joker’s mom admits she can’t accept her child being a criminal (breaking Batman’s “no comedy” law). Just then, Joker’s mom is injured by a wayward Batman drone. At the hospital, Joker’s mom says that she is sad because she can’t remember one happy memory between them when Joker was a child (and Joker can’t either). The mom admits she knew Joker was transgender, but says that she fought against the transition because she didn’t want her child to grow up to be a powerless and unhappy woman as she had.

Joker gets a surprise call from Lorne Michaels inviting her to join the new “diverse” cast of UPB Live (but only under certain conditions such as not mocking Batman and coming out slowly as trans to the audience). Joker accepts the offer (pissing off Penguin who believes she is selling out her values and morals). When she arrives, she receives a personalized training from Ra’s Al Ghul. The training forces her to confront her fears as comedians must be fearless to reach their potential. In her dream world Joker destroys the Scarecrow (and in the real world, destroys her inhaler). Later, Mr. J picks her up to arrive for the big show. Though Mr. J tries to apologize, Harley insists they take a break in their relationship (and Mr. J eventually agrees to it). They are then attacked by Batman who does not want Joker on the UPB (especially since to accommodate her, Batman was booted from his hosting gig). A fight ensues, including most of Joker’s friends from the anti-comedy club joining in (most of whom were also wronged by Batman at some point in the past). Batman is finally defeated when Joker knocks Batman off a roof and into the jaws of Poison Ivy (who has turned into a giant, sentient venus fly trap). Joker then shows up at UPB and realizes Lorne has been drugging people into liking the show by releasing Scarecrow’s smile gas whenever it’s on. Unwilling to help him perpetrate his plan, she delivers an opening monologue where she breaks all the rules he’s given her and reveals that he’s been drugging his viewers. A disgraced Lorne tries to run away, but is also eaten by Poison Ivy.

Suddenly, Joker is transported to the 5th Dimension inhabited by powerful magic beings that can control space and time and see into the multiverse. There, she meets Mx. Mxyptlk “Mxy” (voiced by Ember Knight), a magical being who is a big fan of Joker and wants to reward her for her good deeds. Mxy offers to go back in time and let Joker be born as a girl (as she was in other timelines), but Joker declines as she loves the woman she’s turned out to be (which wouldn’t have happened without her struggles). Instead, Joker wishes for a happier Gotham. Mxy complies, brightening the sky and freeing those wrongfully imprisoned by Batman. She then asks for a real Batman, i.e., someone who is purely motivated to do good. So Mxy turns the Penguin into Batman as he meets her qualifications. For her last wish, Joker asks Mxy to create one happy childhood memory for she and her mother to share. Mxy responds that this wish is unnecessary as they did in fact have at least one happy memory. As Joker and her mother tear up, Mxy shows them a moment from their past where they sang and laughed together when Joker was a kid.

During and after the credits, there are many additional scenes. We get to see Penguin operate as Batman and Riddler give an infomercial. Most exciting is that the film then promises a sequel, Joker vs. Freddy Kreuger!