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
Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn on set of Joker 2
Lady Gaga jokingly celebrates Joker 2 reception and Razzie nominations: "Joke's on them. I love winning things"
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
James Gunn reveals Jason Momoa text him about Lobo the day he was announced as DC Studios co-head
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in The Batman
Robert Pattinson worries he will be a "f*cking old Batman" by the time filming on The Batman 2 finally starts
Superman
Gen V star reveals he unsuccessfully auditioned for Superman and Homelander
Daniel Radcliffe in The Lost City / Clayface in DC comics
James Gunn denies DC casting rumors that Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe will play Clayface: "We certainly haven’t talked to or considered him"
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"