Joker trailer: First look reveals villain's tragic backstory as Joaquin Phoenix steps into role

The first trailer for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker has dropped, showing the origins of Batman’s greatest adversary.

Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck in the new film, with the clip showing the character’s downward spiral into criminality.

The teaser reveals Fleck’s origins as a lonely outsider, who is targeted by thugs on the streets of Gotham. After being attacked while working, and assaulted on the subway, the trailer follows the character as he channels the experiences and changes his story from, in his words, 'a tragedy to a comedy'.

He goes from laughing stock to the Joker — the most formidable supervillain in the DC universe — inspiring hordes of Gotham’s disillusioned citizens to wear masks like him.

The dark character drama is directed by Todd Phillips, best known for overseeing the Hangover and Old School.

It's the first film based on a DC character that's not set to be part of the DC Extended Universe, and it certainly looks like a departure in tone, with the trailer suggesting an intimacy and intensity rarely seen in recent DC projects.

Phoenix appears in the trailer alongside Robert De Niro, who makes a brief turn as talk show host Murray Franklin, while Zazie Beetz also stars as Fleck’s partner Sophie Dumond.

The Joker is released in cinemas on October 4.