Joker had an alternative ending and it was really, really dark

With its Martin Scorsese inspired vibes, 2019's Joker wasn't the lightest of films, lets be honest.

Whilst other origin stories have gone heavy on the humour, director Todd Phillips offered something a little more gritty, and a lot more dark.

But, believe it or not, it could have been even darker. That's according to Kevin Smith, anyway. Speaking on his podcast, the cult director revealed the film's original ending.

"Originally, the ending in the hospital was different," he explains. "He's in the hospital and he laughs, chuckles, and he says, ‘I was just thinking of something funny'."

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"What was supposed to happen was you flashed back to the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne and it was him killing Thomas and Martha Wayne and the boy was screaming and crying and he turned to walk away and he turned back, shrugged, and shot the kid. Credits."

Outside of being somewhat horrifying, the ending would have also had big repercussions within the film's internal audience – shooting Bruce Wayne would mean Joker had unknowingly killed his future nemesis and changed the course of his life entirely.

Sadly, for anyone hoping to see the ending themselves, Phillips has already stated he's against the release of deleted scenes or extended cuts. You will be able to relieve the actual film for yourself, though: the DVD and BluRay will be out early next year.