Joker cinematographer answers the movie’s biggest mystery: did Arthur kill [SPOILER]?

Joker
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The cinematographer for the Joker movie has opened up about one of the movie’s biggest talking points – whether Joker killed a certain someone during the movie’s final act. No spoilers until after the jump, but you’ll be pleased to know we finally have a definitive answer…

Spoilers for Joker follow…

So, are the five people who haven’t seen the movie gone yet? Good. Now: did Joker kill Sophie, the villain’s part-imaginary girlfriend? Speaking to SlashFilm, Lawrence Sher said: “Some people have asked me, ‘Was she killed?’ Todd makes it clear she wasn’t killed. Arthur is killing people who’ve wronged him in a certain way, and Sophie never wronged him.”

That clears that up. Arthur’s final scene with Sophie involves the failed stand-up comedian trespassing into her apartment before being asked to leave. You never see what happens, though many fans discussing the Joker ending over the last few weeks were theorising about what happened to Zazie Beetz’s character and whether she met a grisly end.

One thing that isn’t so cut-and-dry, however, is which parts of the movie are figments of Arthur’s imagination and which are actually happening. Sher revealed that there are visual clues: “Things that are there I’ll never talk about… In terms of what we did visually to play with the real and not real, there are callbacks and scenes that mirror each other. We leave hints using imagery or way we covered scenes similarly between scene. Outside of that, I like that people can have the conversation and come to their own conclusions.”

Find out who we made king of the clowns in our best Joker rankings list.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in DC Movies
Jason Momoa next to Lobo
Jason Momoa has gone method taking on the role of Lobo: "I asked everybody to call me by my character's name"
Batgirl movie
Unearthed Daredevil-like fight scene from DC's canceled Batgirl movie gives us a taste of what we could have had
Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie
Jason Momoa says the DCU's Lobo is "exactly like" the comic book character in upcoming Supergirl movie
Guy Gardner Green Lantern in Superman
Nathan Fillion says his version of Green Lantern in James Gunn's Superman is "a jerk": "He's not nice, which is very freeing as an actor"
Zack Snyder's Justice League
Zack Snyder celebrates 4 years of the Snyder Cut of Justice League: "Still humbled by the fact that this exists at all"
The Penguin episode 8 (2024)
Fans are excited for Colin Farrell to join the DCU, but some are a little conflicted about The Penguin star's new role
Latest in News
Adam Scott as Mark S and Britt Lower as Helly R in Severance season 2
There might have been another reason for Mark's decision in the Severance season 2 finale
Silent Hill f art showing a person covered in plants
Silent Hill f has been pre-emptively banned in Australia, with no reason given for the 'refused classification' rating
Assassin's Creed Shadows review gameplay showing Yasuke overlooking the sea and lush green scenery
Assassin's Creed Shadows has already "surpassed the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey" with 2 million players and counting
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing someone using a big gun
Helldivers 2 boss says "death and rebirth" is a natural part of the games industry, but it's "unnecessarily brutal" right now "because we don't diversify enough"
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
God of War 3
God of War PSP's seamless loading was only possible because a Jak & Daxter game was also running in the background