The first glimpses of Joker Folie À Deux have been released with its teaser trailer, filled to the brim with references and Easter Eggs.

The first teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has officially dropped, and it’s wasted no time in cluing savvy audiences in to a bevy of clever references and Easter eggs. True to the rumors, Joker: Folie à Deux will return Joaquin Phoenix to his Academy Award-winning role as the titular villain opposite Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, thrusting a new partner in crime into Joker’s life in an ethereal, musical setting painted by the psychosis of its subjects. Already, the film promises some clever callbacks and connective tissue to the first film and beyond.

Just like 2019’s Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux takes place in its own disconnected universe, estranged from the other upcoming DCU releases of 2024. That being said, the first trailer seems to acknowledge plenty of media beyond just the first film, from some of the most famous Batman comic storylines to hall-of-fame musicals. If the freshly-released teaser trailer is anything to go by, the full film will have no shortage of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references and Easter eggs to look out for.

10. Fleck’s White Suit Is Similar To Joker’s Look In The Dark Knight Returns Graphic Novel

One of the most famous Batman stories ever gets yet another cinematic nod

Compared to the trailers and early media for the first film, Joker: Folie à Deux gives Arthur Fleck less time in his signature suit and clown makeup, owing to his reset status quo in a mental health facility following the events of the first film. The teaser trailer gives some brief glimpses of a number of Joker outfits, many of which likely exist within the throes of Fleck’s imagination. One look in particular, however, stands out as a reference to one of the most iconic Batman comics ever.

In one extravagant musical setpiece, Joker appears before stage lights on what looks to be a broadway set evoking a church, as Harley Quinn approaches him on a winding path. Here, Joker is wearing an all-white suit alongside his signature makeup, evoking his appearance in The Dark Knight Returns, the famous standalone Batman story penned by Frank Miller. The Dark Knight Returns has been referenced in movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Steel and the animated film of the same name, but this look for the Joker had yet to be replicated in live-action.

9. Harley’s Finger Gun Mirrors Arthur’s Big Mental Break In Joker

The playful gesture has a darker connotation within the first film’s context

One of the most tragic elements of Joker is the misread relationship between Arthur Fleck and Sophie Dumond, his neighbor. In their first interaction, Sophie pantomimes shooting herself with a finger gun to Arthur, which sets into motion an entire imagined relationship between the two imagined in Arthur’s mind. The mental break upon Fleck realizing they had never interacted beyond the brief gesture is one of the most devestating reveals of the entire movie.

This time around, it’s Harley Quinn who uses the finger gun on herself while looking at Arthur, echoing the imaginary relationship of the first film with something perhaps more tangible. It’s easy to assume that this time around, Joker’s love interest will be slightly more based in reality, but many times more dangerous. Considering Zazie Beetz’s Sophie is slated to return to the cast of Joker: Folie à Deux, even if only in the form of a hallucination, it’ll be interesting to see how Fleck’s feelings about the two women are reconciled.

8. Arthur’s Prison Umbrellas Match His Joker Suit

No color was chosen carelessly for Joker 2’s set design

One aspect of the new teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux that has been receiving high praise is the meticulous cinematography. In particular, the final shot of Arthur aligning his smile to match with the red one drawn on his cell window by Harley has been lauded for its creativity. But this clever shot is far from the only bit of genius visual storytelling the brief scenes of the trailer have shown off.

At one point, as Arthur Fleck is escorted from building to building, he’s flanked on all sides by orderlies carrying umbrellas in the pouring rain, though Arthur himself is left exposed to the elements. Each of these umbrellas bears a particular color: orange, red, blue, and yellow. Beyond the muted hues evoking the colorful language of 60s and 70s TV shows, which Joker clearly had an affinity for, they match the colors of his suit in the previous film one-to-one.

7. Joker 2’s Umbrellas May Be An Homage To The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

The umbrellas may have a deeper meaning beyond pointing to the first film

Joker: Folie à Deux wears its musical influences on its sleeve, making no secret of the Broadway play trappings the film will appear to carry throughout the entire runtime in the brief trailer. From a striking rendition of Tom Jones’ version of “What the World Needs Now Is Love” to the dreamlike reality composed of stage lights and dance numbers, the film makes no mistake about its new infusion of the genre. But beyond merely looking like a musical, Joker: Folie à Deux may just be taking direct inspiration from one, as well.

The same umbrellas bearing the colors of Fleck’s old Joker suit evoke the imagery of a classic French musical, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, known as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg in English. Sure enough, this musical features plenty of colorful umbrellas in its musical numbers and promotional materials, similar to those seen in the new trailer. Between the French subtitle and the clear thematic connection, Joker: Folie à Deux seems to directly pay homage to this film in particular.

6. Joker And Harley Are Being Held In Arkham Asylum

The importance of the location isn’t lost on any DC fan

2019’s Joker didn’t go to huge lengths to address its place in the greater world of the Batman mythos. Other than Arthur Fleck’s brief interaction with a young Bruce Wayne just outside the gates of Wayne manor, it’s easy to forget that the film even takes place in Gotham at all. However, the teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux irrevocably introduces an incredibly important location in DC Comics, Arkham Asylum, the sanitarium in which Fleck is housed following his mental break in the first film.

Arkham Asylum is the famous home of many of Batman’s most dangerous criminals once they’ve been apprehended, including the Joker himself. It seems as though Arthur and Harley Quinn will find love at an unlikely meet cute within the asylum, possibly making it out to be something else within their imaginations. One scene features the two dancing on a rooftop, backlit by a massive blue neon sign reading “Hotel Arkham.” Making their imprisonment within the dreary asylum into a luxurious hotel stay may be one of the many ways Joker and Harley transfigure reality in the film.

5. Harley Being An Arkham Inmate References Her DC Origins

The film seems to have played with the idea of Harley’s origins

Arkham Asylum is also important as a location due to its status as the birthplace of Harley Quinn herself. Ever since Harley Quinn’s introduction in Batman: The Animated Series, it was established that she was originally Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist working at the infamous institution. There, she meets Joker, and in an attempt to understand him, she winds up instead falling in love with him, being hopelessly brainwashed into becoming his faithful sidekick and abused romantic partner.

In Joker: Folie à Deux, it seems as though this origin has been somewhat altered. Joker and Harley do indeed meet at Arkham Asylum, but rather than being a professional psychiatrist working there, Harley is instead merely a fellow inmate. It seems as though the film may posit Harley as the one influencing Joker to return to a clown-themed life of crime rather than the other way around, putting an interesting twist on their usual dynamic of mad love.

4. Joker And Harley’s Dance Calls Back To A Classic Batman Quote

1989’s Batman gets a subtle tip of the cap

Being a musical, it’s no surprise that Joker: Folie à Deux features plenty of dancing, with Joker and Harley Quinn strutting their way across a variety of eye-popping sets. One of the locations they dance through in particular calls back to a famous line the Joker had in one of his earliest cinematic appearances. The line could be an omen of the tragedy that might befall Harley Quinn by meddling in Arthur Fleck’s life.

In Tim Burton’s Batman, Joker is played by Jack Nicholson, who is fond of repeating a strange question — “Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” In the film, Batman recognizes Joker to be the same man that killed his parents thanks to this line. In the Joker: Folie à Deux teaser trailer, Harley Quinn answers this question with an enthusiastic “yes” by literally dancing with Joker himself while bathed in pale moonlight. This could be an ill omen for Harley’s ultimate fate at the end of the film, considering the tragedy that surroudned the question in 1989’s Batman.

3. Joker 2’s Text Font And Color Inverts The Batman

The film may be acknowledging Matt Reeves’ masterpiece

In 2022, Matt Reeves’ The Batman stunned audiences as one of the best live-action Batman movies made in recent memory, crafting a striking vision of Gotham City with its sleek cinematography and set design. Sadly, the film was confirmed to have been set in its own isolated universe, unrelated to any pre-existing DC cinematic universe or 2019’s Joker. However, Joker: Folie à Deux seems to be paying its respects to the success of the film, if not hinting at a greater connection entirely.

In promotional materials, The Batman consistently used a black and red color scheme, throwing its striking blood-red logo and title against pitch black backgrounds. Joker: Folie à Deux seems to be doing the opposite, using the same colors, but inverting them, with black text over a red background. This may be mere coincidence, but the similarities are hard to unsee, and could be the result of a tip of the hat to Matt Reeves’ The Batman from Joker: Folie à Deux.

2. The First Film’s Iconic Stairs Dance Is Referenced

Joker: Folie à Deux certainly recognizes its audience

One of the most iconic scenes from 2019’s Joker was the curious solitary dance on a set of stairs Joaquin Phoenix’s leading role does towards the end of this mental breakdown, relishing in the chaos of giving up on any hope of a normal life. Though incredibly poignant and powerful within the context of the movie, the scene went on to take on a life of its own, being the subject of countless memes and parodies far removed from the source material. Regardless, the upcoming Joker sequel would be remiss not to at least briefly reference this signature moment.

Sure enough, the teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux features not one, but two characters dancing on a staircase. Joker and Harley seem to be enjoying a moment on a staircase towards the end of the teaser, enthusiastically kicking their feet in a tandem dance at the top of an imposing set of stairs leading up to what seems to be some kind of government building, surrounded by protestors and police officers. Several other shots feature Harleen Quinzel climbing stairs by herself, possible reflecting her ascension into the role of Harley by the end of the film.

1. Harley’s Outfit Is Is Similar To Her Classic Look

Harley Quinn’s wardrobe is just as varied as Joker’s, if not more so

Harley Quinn’s original outfit in Batman: The Animated Series certainly isn’t subtle, and would be difficult to adapt for live action. The garish black-and-red jester outfit that Harley Quinn first appeared in is a tough sell for any non-animated movie, let alone a meditative drama like Joker: Folie à Deux. Still, the film seems to at least be paying its respects to the costume with one striking outfit Harley wears at one point in the trailer.

While confidently cutting through a crowd, Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn wears a top with Harley’s signature black-and-white diamond checkerboard pattern underneath a bright red blazer. This evokes Harley’s original outfit when paired with the heavy black clown makeup around her eyes, referencing Harley’s domino mask from Batman: The Animated Series. Clearly, Joker: Folie à Deux has gone to great lengths to respect the source material of its characters while incorporating them into its unique vision for Gotham City.