Exactly. Just because you understand what a creator is trying to do doesn't mean you like it. Ideas are cheap. It's the execution of those ideas what makes them meaningful. An expert creator can turn a bad idea into a New York Times bestseller, while a novice creator can turn a good idea into a steaming pile of garbage.

The blame-throwing over at Warner Bros Discovery has begun and the failure of this movie is getting thrown at Phillips' shoulders. Because fandoms gonna fandom, people are "celebrating" the failure of Folie A Deux, dancing over this movie's grave and even talking crap about Phillips simply because he got full creative control over this movie. Phillips and James Gunn had already clarified that DC Studios didn't get involved in the production of FAD. Gunn offered a few notes to Phillips, but that's it.

James Gunn Reminds Fans DC Studios Had NOTHING To Do With Warner Bros.' JOKER: FOLIE À DEUXComicBookMovie.com

Why No One Will Get Fired Over ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’The Hollywood Reporter

Just so you know, people often talk about how studio executives need to trust creators in making movies. That's exactly what WBD did and look what happened. Does that mean WBD will enforce a higher level of corporate control over its franchises? Is that really the kind of filmmaking we want?

Some people even believe Phillips developed such a big ego that he intentionally screwed up his own movie just to stick it to WB, but I find that hard to believe. Why would Phillips screw up a movie that lots of people worked really hard to make? Better yet, why would he screw up a positive relationship he had with a studio that helped him make movies that earned over $2.5B at the global box office? It doesn't make sense.

I don't understand are so obsessed with mocking failure like this. Yeah, I hate FAD but I don't wish any ill fortune on the people who made this movie. I don't hate Phillips or his crew for making FAD. I just hate that they made a bad movie. That's it. Even so, I can't help but resent FAD for further tarnishing DC's reputation as a cinematic brand and putting even more pressure on Superman 2025 to put DC back on track. FAD is the kind of failure that comic book Joker would be proud of.

Ultimately, the healthiest reaction we can have towards FAD is that we survived it and we can put it to rest and move on with our lives.

Joker is dead. Long live whatever comes next.