Yes, Joker is a DC movie. The 2019 film was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, and Village Roadshow Pictures, and its main character is the Joker from DC Comics. It is a standalone story that sits outside the main DC Extended Universe continuity, but it is still an official DC property from start to finish.
Why Joker counts as a DC film
The Joker was created for DC Comics, first appearing in Batman #1 in 1940. Any movie built around that character and made under license from DC is a DC movie, no matter how dark, realistic, or separate from other superhero films it looks. Joker was developed with DC Films and released by Warner Bros., the studio that has handled DC adaptations for decades.
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- Character owner: DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Discovery company
- Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Village Roadshow Pictures, Joint Effort
- Director: Todd Phillips, who also co-wrote the script with Scott Silver
- Lead actor: Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker
- Release year: 2019
Is Joker Marvel or DC?
Joker is DC, not Marvel. The character belongs to the Batman family of DC Comics villains, alongside the Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman. Marvel's comparable characters are entirely separate and live in a different publishing universe. If you are ever unsure, the simple test is the logo: Joker opens with the DC logo, and the credits list DC as the source of the character.
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Which DC universe is Joker part of?
This is where people get confused. Joker is a DC movie, but it is not part of the shared universe that includes Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, or Justice League. Warner Bros. marketed it as a standalone, Elseworlds-style story with its own tone, its own Gotham, and its own version of the character.
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That independence did not stop a sequel. Joker: Folie à Deux arrived in 2024 with Joaquin Phoenix returning and Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn, which makes the pair a small self-contained DC film series rather than a one-off.
Other DC movies that feature the Joker
If you are mapping the character across film, these are the main DC releases:
- Batman (1989): Jack Nicholson as the Joker, directed by Tim Burton
- The Dark Knight (2008): Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance
- Suicide Squad (2016): Jared Leto in the DCEU continuity
- Joker (2019): Joaquin Phoenix in a standalone story
- Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): the sequel to the 2019 film
Quick takeaways
- Joker (2019) is a DC movie produced by Warner Bros. and DC Films.
- The character originates in DC Comics and belongs to the Batman mythos.
- The film is not part of the main DCEU timeline; it is a standalone story with its own sequel.
- Joaquin Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.