“Joker: Folie à Deux” has officially hit theaters and has people talking.

The sequel to 2019’s critically acclaimed ‘Joker’ received a lot of attention after the addition of Lady Gaga as Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn, and the musical elements it would feature.

Set five years after Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” Joaquin Phoenix reprises the role of Arthur Fleck/Joker, now committed to Arkham State Hospital and awaiting trial for the murders he committed in the first film. As Arthur struggles with his two identities, he falls in love with Lee, who brings out a musical side of him.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” first premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 4, and the sequel received mixed reviews from critics who criticized its thin plot and musical performances. At the time of publication on October 4, the film currently has 33% of critics and 36% of moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes, with reactions on social media also appearing to be divided.

So what happens at the end of “Joker: Folie à Deux”? Read below to find out and see what people are saying.

What happens at the end of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’?

The entire film revolves around Arthur preparing for trial and sitting in the courtroom, all the while highlighting the extreme conditions and abuse he endures in Arkham.

Because he behaves well, security guard Jackie (Brendan Gleeson) takes him to a music lesson where he meets Lee. She tells him a story about how horrible her parents were and how they institutionalized her. Viewers later discover that this was all a lie and that she is simply obsessed with the Joker.

During the trial, his lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) defends that Arthur suffers from serious mental health problems and a dual personality. It was the Joker who killed the people, not Arthur, she says in court. As people begin to testify and talk about his childhood and relationship with his mother, Arthur’s behavior begins to change from quiet and coherent to his Jokeresque self. He also stops taking his medications.

Ultimately he is found guilty. But as the jury reads the verdict, a car bomb explodes next to the building.

Arthur runs outside and escapes with the help of Joker fans who push him into a car and drive him away from the crime scene. When Arthur regains consciousness, he gets out of the car and runs to the famous stairs where he sees Lee waiting for him.

Lee, who had previously said she was pregnant with his child, decides she is done with Arthur after he says in court that he is not the Joker. At the stairs she tells him she doesn’t want to be with him anymore. When Arthur mentions their child together, it is assumed she lied, as she has a history of making up stories.

Arthur is then arrested by the police and taken back into custody. In Arkham he is told by a guard that he has a visitor. As he walks down the hallway, another inmate stops him to tell him a “joke.” The native then stabs Arthur in the stomach several times.

As Arthur bleeds from his stomach and lies on the ground, the prisoner behind him appears to cut his mouth open to create a smile. The movie ends.

Is Arthur dead?

It is unknown whether Arthur’s attack was planned by the guards, someone else or if it was the prisoner himself. It is believed that Arthur dies bleeding and no one comes to help.

Phillips seemingly confirmed Arthur’s death, telling IGN that “Arthur at the end of his life has found peace with the idea, with the struggle that it’s okay to be yourself. And that’s really what he’s always struggled with , you know what I mean? I like to think he died in peace, in a way where he was himself.”

He continued, “The child says to him, ‘Do you want to hear a joke?’ And even though he thinks it might be (Lee) downstairs. We don’t even know what’s down there, but that kind of optimism that Arthur has is still in him. He says, “Well, okay, sure,” because he knows the feeling of wanting to make someone laugh. So he gives the child that moment.”

Additionally, the director told Slash Film that he knows the ending is “disturbing.”

“For the people who have seen this movie in general… at the end they sit down and don’t move for about three to five minutes,” he told the outlet. “Then they text me, those who know me, or email me and say, ‘I need some time to process the movie.’”

Adding: “I find it disturbing.”

As for plans for a third movie and seeing what happens with Arthur. Phillips told The Hollywood Reporter, “I feel like my time in the DC Universe consisted of these two movies.”

What happened to Lee?

Lee, who lied about her past, decides to leave Arthur after shedding his Joker self. She only seemed interested when he was the maniacal villain, and not when he was Arthur and found out who he was. After their moment on the stairs, that is the last viewers see of her.

Viewers will notice a big difference from the Harley Quinn depicted in other films. Director Phillips said it was intentional.

“We took away the high-pitched voice, that accent, the chewing gum and all that kind of sassy stuff that’s in the comics,” Phillips told Variety. “We wanted her to fit into the world of Gotham that we created from the first film.”

What are people saying about ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’?Many of the fan comments online have criticized elements of the film.