When watching Joker: Folie À Deux, I was struck by how much inspiration it seems to have found in classic Looney Tunes shorts. In fact, if you’re someone who grew up watching the classic cartoons, it would have dialed you in on where Joker and Harley’s relationship would end up. The movie gives you a very important clue.

Throughout Joker: Folie À Deux you might notice the Arkham inmates watching a Pepe Le Pew Looney Tunes short. This is a background detail that can be seen at various points throughout the film, and it’s not a coincidence. This is Todd Phillips clueing us in about the true nature of Joker and Harley’s relationship.

If you didn’t grow up watching Looney Tunes, or you need a refresher, here is a brief breakdown of how a Pepe Le Pew cartoon works. Pepe Le Pew is a skunk who views himself as a French Casanova. He is so desperate for romance that he lacks the self-awareness to realize that his skunky stench is driving his prospective partners away. The object of his affections is frequently Penelope Pussycat, a feline whom Pepe mistakes for another skunk.

Overtaken by his romantic desires, Pepe is blind to the fact that Penelope isn’t a skunk and throws himself at her. Also, let’s acknowledge that many of these Pepe cartoons haven’t aged well as society has evolved giving us a more mature perspective on romance and consent. But the parallels found between them and Folie À Deux are more symbolic than literal, so it’s not really a factor here.

Pepe’s frequent background appearances throughout the film offer a subliminal hint to the audience that becomes clear if you realize that Arthur Fleck is basically Pepe Le Pew and Lee Quinzel is Penelope Pussycat.

For starters, the entire basis of Pepe’s infatuation with Penelope is based on a falsehood. Pepe believes that Penelope is a skunk like him, and that he has found a kindred spirit. This is similar to how Arthur views Lee. She lies about her identity, fabricating a backstory that closely matches Arthur’s. She even lies about growing up in his neighborhood. Arthur believes he has found someone who matches his chaotic psyche, and immediately falls in love.

Of course, there are some differences. Penelope being mistaken for a cat is accidental, while Lee’s deception is deliberate. However, the end result is the same. Arthur and Pepe are both head over heels in love with the idea of who they think a person is, rather than who they really are.

Here’s another factoid about Pepe Le Pew that has been mostly forgotten—his entire persona is also a lie. Pepe first appeared in the Looney Tunes short “Odor-able Kitty,” which ends with the revelation that the skunk’s real name is Henry and he fakes his French accent to seduce females. Pepe is a theatrical persona Henry puts on for the world, much like how Joker was an identity Arthur used to entertain his followers.

Of course, Henry was eventually forgotten, and future Pepe Le Pew cartoons would drop that aspect. In other words, the Pepe persona was so big, Henry got left behind. This is similar to how Arthur couldn’t escape his Joker persona. In the end Arthur is killed, but the legacy of the Joker lives on.

Is it possible that I’m reaching with these parallels? Maybe, but I don’t think these are coincidences. Remember, Joker: Folie À Deux begins with an animated short. Plus, Pepe’s background appearances are too frequent to be accidental. Ultimately, it was seeing Pepe on the Arkham TV screens as Arthur sang “For Once in My Life” in the foreground that drove the point home for me. Arthur is viewing Lee the same way Pepe viewed Penelope.

There are also some real world parallels between the Pepe/Penelope and Joker/Harley relationships. Both romances were viewed as comical in the past, but as we’ve matured as a society, we’ve been able to have discussions about the toxicity present in both narratives. As a result, animated programs like Max’s Harley Quinn show Harley breaking away from the Joker and striking out on her own.

Hmmm… Would anyone watch a Penelope Pussycat adult animated comedy on Max? I think there could be something there!

I never thought I would see a live action musical where Lady Gaga portrays a version of Harley Quinn that draws inspiration from Penelope Pussycat, but that’s the magic of movies. And thus, I now ask myself how I should conclude an article that discusses Joker, Harley and the Looney Tunes. There is only one answer…

That’s all folks!
 

Joker: Folie À Deux, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is now available for digital purchase or rental.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.