The Joker Returns: A new perspective on the violent Clown Prince of Crime

Sammanfattning: The new “Joker” movie, directed by Todd Phillips, was released in 2019 and brought a range of fervent and controversial discussion both in critics and audiences. Nevertheless, the “Joker” persona is tightly associated with comics and the superhero movie genre, and usually depicted in a particular way. However, the new movie differs in vital points. This study aims to explore the differences that lie between the “Joker”, and his depiction in the superhero genre. In order to investigate this inquiry, we conducted an exploratory research, and used latent content analysis. From our results, we extrapolate that the new movie constructs a more humane and approachable image of the “Joker”, as opposed to the “nameless” and “cold-blooded” villain. Simultaneously, we concluded that the movie adopts a more realistic and less entertaining approach towards violence, a prominent characteristic in superhero movies