Are Bruce Wayne and the Joker brothers?

Joker raises the shocking possibility that Bruce Wayne and the Clown Prince of Crime are actually brothers – but is it true?

While the Joker is a chaotic, terrifying, hilarious enigma in the vast majority of DC projects, Todd Phillips’ 2019 smash hit acts as an origin story for the iconic villain.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a mentally unstable loner and sign-twirling street clown who spends his days being ridiculed by passers-by and colleagues, looking after his mother, and dreaming of becoming a stand-up comedian. “All it takes is one bad day,” and an act of violence gives him a dangerous sense of purpose.

One of the major throughlines of the movie is Arthur’s – and Gotham’s – relationship with Thomas Wayne, which leads to some curious questions… including whether or not Bruce Wayne’s brother is the Joker.

(This article is solely referring to the story presented in 2019’s Joker and not the wider DC universe or comics.)

Is Bruce Wayne the Joker’s brother?

While Bruce Wayne isn’t believed to be the Joker’s brother, there’s a chance he could be.

Arthur finds a letter from his mom, Penny, that alleges he’s the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne. She claims they had an affair when she worked for him, and that he used his enormous wealth and power to fake paperwork that seemed to confirm he’d been adopted by Penny.

When Arthur meets Alfred at the gates of Wayne Manor, shortly after trying to play with Bruce, it’s clear Alfred remembers his mother. “You’re her son,” he says, trepidatiously, before telling him: “There is nothing to no. There is no them. Your mother was delusional, she was a sick woman. Just go, before you make a fool of yourself.”

Arthur eventually runs away and later confronts Thomas in a theater bathroom, who immediately asserts that he never slept with Penny and that Arthur is adopted. “Your mother adopted you while she was working for us. She was arrested and committed to Arkham State Hospital when you were just a little boy. She’s crazy.”

Arthur then visits Arkham, where he finds Penny’s file. Not only does it say that his mother suffered from delusional psychosis and narcissistic personality disorder, but she was also found guilty of endangering the welfare of her child after her ex-boyfriend “repeatedly abused” him. In a flashback scene, she insists it’s all lies and Thomas is his father, but we also see several newspaper clippings reporting on her case.

All of the evidence suggests they’re not half-brothers, but some fans are still convinced. “So I rewatched Joker and I’m pretty sure he is Batman’s brother and Thomas Wayne had his mother institutionalized and faked the adoption,” one Redditor wrote.

“I agree and people with money do anything to keep up appearances. Also this would make a lot of sense of why Joker and Batman hate each other so much,” another wrote. “It’s purposefully ambiguous, it could be true, it might not be. We will never know. I think it’s true though,” a third wrote.

Joker is streaming on Netflix now. You can find out more about its sequel here.