Is Batman Villain Victor Zsasz in Joker: Folie à Deux?

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

More than one Batman fan is convinced that Folie à Deux‘s shocking finale features a sneaky cameo by tally-marked supervillain Victor Zsasz. But is Victor Zsasz really in Joker: Folie à Deux?

Is Victor Zsasz in Joker 2?

To recap (as if anybody could forget), Joker: Folie à Deux ends with Arthur Fleck/Joker being fatally stabbed by a fellow Arkham State Hospital patient. Arthur’s unnamed assailant then turns his shiv on himself, carving a Joker-style grin on his face. The implication is clear: Arthur’s attacker is the “real” Joker, who will one day go head-to-head with Batman.

But that’s not what some viewers took away from Folie à Deux‘s ending. Instead, folks on message boards and blogging sites have proposed that the man responsible for Arthur’s death is Victor Zsasz, instead. Their evidence? Mostly, it comes down to the way the murderer (listed as “Young Inmate” in the credits) slashes his face. Rather than making two clean cuts, our guy seemingly slices himself multiple times. To proponents of the Zsasz theory, this mirrors Victor’s signature compulsion in the comics: etching tally marks into his skin after a kill.

So, are they onto something here? Probably not. In a recent IGN interview, co-writer/director Todd Phillips more or less confirmed the mainstream, Zsasz-free reading of Folie à Deux‘s closing scene. “The first film is called ‘Joker,'” Phillips explained. “It’s not called ‘The Joker,’ it’s called ‘Joker.’ And the first film under the script always said ‘An origin story.’ Never said the origin story. It was this idea that maybe this isn’t the Joker. Maybe this is the inspiration for the Joker. So, in essence at the end of this movie, the thing you’re being left with is ‘Wait, what is that thing happening behind him? Is that the guy?'”

Related: Who Does Comedian Tim Dillon Play in Joker: Folie à Deux?

Are Any Other Batman Villains in Joker 2?

Yes, aside from Joker – or possibly, Jokers plural! – Folie à Deux features two other iconic Batman baddies: Harley Quinn and Two-Face. Harley’s role is fairly obvious; while Lady Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel primarily goes by “Lee,” her anarchic personality, clown-themed makeup and attire, and infatuation with Joker mark her out as this universe’s more grounded take on Harley Quinn.

Related: Joker 2: Does Harvey Dent Become Two-Face?

Meanwhile, as all but the most casual Bat-fans will know, the district attorney who puts Arthur Fleck on trial, Harvey Dent, will one day become Two-Face. Folie à Deux teases this transformation during Arthur’s explosive escape from the courthouse. Here, a fleeting shot of Dent depicts him with burns on one half of his mug, setting up Two-Face’s origin.

Joker: Folie à Deux is in cinemas now.