Gotham has never been a safe place to live, but the version we see in Joker: Folie à Deux has the distinct disadvantage of not having a Batman to protect it. Now, Joker isn’t alone in causing havoc on the streets. He’s got Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn to encourage, support, and love him as they escalate the danger from the first film in the new trailer for the upcoming sequel.

Admittedly, it is tough to tell what is real and what takes place without the pair’s twisted reality. We don’t think they are actually going to get a Joker and Harley Variety Hour-type show to broadcast across Gotham, but the swarming crowds of Joker supporters at his trial or the bomb that goes off halfway through the new trailer. Arthur Fleck showed that he had a pretty tenuous grasp on what was real and what he imagined in the first movie, so he isn’t exactly the most reliable of narrators here.

What does seem clear – and real – is the sense of Joker and Harley as a growing threat to the city. In the first film, the chaos that ensued was largely incidental to his actions. There was no intention to start riots in Gotham; he just wanted a little petty revenge. Here, there is planning and intent behind his actions. Bombs don't plan themselves, after all.

The nature of the character makes it difficult to get much from the trailer, though we won’t have to wait much longer to find out. Joker: Folie à Deux is out in cinemas on October 4, 2024.