The moment you step into the (tech) world, you have to pick sides.
Are you a Star Trek or Star Wars fan? Do you belong to the Marvel or DC universe? Your choices define you as a person.
I remember when I was trying to win a writing gig at one Swedish software company. My portfolio wasn't enough, so I had to answer some questions in a Skype interview. Some of them a bit (un)usual.
What's your favorite video game? Well, to be honest, I'm an old school. I still play StarCraft original.
Star Trek or Star Wars? Hm, I guess I'm more of an explorer than a Jedi.
MC vs. DCEU? Uh, I think we're done here. But, for what is worth, DC is myAC/DC.
What happened? Luckily for me, it turned I was talking to a tech guy who was too old to be a Millennial and even more dark-minded than me. The next I knew, I was writing blogs for their website.
No worries. No need for spoiler alerts. There aren't any in my Joker story you're about to read.
Just forget about CGI in the new Joker movie. Who could have thought that you could make a superhero movie without it?
Also, I used to think that you just can't be serious enough about Joker after Heath Ledger's why-so-serious. Joaquin Phoenix proved me wrong. He will probably do the same thing to you.
I don't want to work at Apple or get anywhere close to the tech industry because there's nothing new to add after Steve Jobs. Don't bother. The best seats are already taken. The history has already been written.
The best way to prepare yourself for a role is to watch all previous Joker movies. Joaquin just wanted to do his own thing. And, he did it. If you're going to create new prototypes, then you have to burn all stereotypes.
Do you remember when the Flash asks Batman in "Justice League:"
What's your superpower again?
I'm rich.
Back then, that was funny, but after seeing Joker not anymore. Why?
There are so many eccentric entrepreneurs and tech gurus who are doing the right things for the wrong reasons that it sickens me. I want to build a new app to make the world a better place, but the truth is, I just want to be filthy rich. This isn't one of the easiest ways to do it, but a sure thing, it can be one of the fastest.
You aren't going to see a lot of Batman in the new Joker movie, but you're going to get to know his family better. Mr. Wayne Senior, in particular.
Batman is a tech wet dream. Would you rather be a wealthy suit surrounded by all those gadgets or a tech-illiterate clown who is broke? Not a tough choice, is it?
I mean no disrespect, but Batman's philanthropy is just a facade. As such, it would perfectly t into the modern Silicon Valley culture of fake-it-till-you-make-it.
We can argue all day long whether or not "The Dark Knight" is capitalism (not) friendly. Joker clearly didn't want to be another brick in the paywall.
Hacker Noon was already the most successful and popular publication on Medium. They were doing just fine. They could have said, sorry guys, but it's not our fault you had to hit the paywall. Instead, Hacker Noon declared independence. Instead of just another publication, we got no-paywall movement.
Batman has a cause (to fight crime), but he isn't and will never be a rebel. Joker is a rebel with(out) a cause. He's not attention and admiration seeking Diva, but rather an "ordinary" man who didn't have a single day of true happiness in his life.
Batman is a self-employed James Bond who got carried away in his love for gadgets. Joker's biggest crime is that he took the wrong turn at some point in his life. Can we blame him? Aren't we all just one day away from madness or blessing?
I'm not sure, but I think that Hermann Hesse once wrote that our journey into life begins not with the first "yes," but the first "no," we say. I did my best to paraphrase his thought as accurately as possible.
Among countless trivia about Joker, I was able to find out that Joaquin turned down an opportunity to be a part of the Marvel Universe. Why? Well, what he got was a multi-movie deal. That was simply not his thing.
There are Sinatra's my-way-guys in the tech world. They could've been successful and well-taken care of developers, but nothing more than numbers in some gigantic system. Instead, they've decided to leave the comfort of no-risk zones and embrace the insecurity of entrepreneurship. Many have failed, and many are still trying to make it.
It the best-case scenario, as a member of Marvel's crew, would have got two minutes tops in "Avengers: Endgame." As Joker, he got two hours and two minutes all for himself.
From Zero to Hero
From Hero to Zero
One day you're no one
Next Robert De Niro
One day you're a CEO
Next leaving the bureau
From Zero to Hero
From Hero to Zero