Anakin Skywalker and Arthur Fleck

For those of you who've seen the film Joker (2019), which is a portrait of the origins of the Batman antagonist from Detective Comics, I think there's an intriguing discussion to be had in comparing the character to the Anakin Skywalker we know and love from the prequel trilogy.

In this thread we're not going to be talking about who our favourite is, there is no need for a competition, we're instead going to be commenting on how the the films tackle the emergence of a villain, or an iconic villain, if you wish to be more precise. There is a lot to be said on how these two famous men fall from grace and capitulate into evil, as there are striking parallels and also differences. Joker is a character study, it's entirely about its main character, while the PT concerns itself with a much larger picture, especially in Episodes I and II. Those of you've participated in the Anakin's fall thread, will have plenty to say here.

A couple of things I'd like to note, before we begin:

Background: Both have poor origins. Arthur is working class, whilst Anakin is a child slave.

Family: Both characters have a very strong attachment to their mothers, while there is no father present

Mental illness: illuminated in Joker, implied at best in the Prequel Trilogy (psychologists have used Anakin in ROTS as a case study)

Friends: Arthur is depicted as a loner, whilst Anakin is shown to have a few in the TPM, though nobody in AOTC nor ROTS outside the Jedi Order

Talents: Arthur is fairly ordinary, while Anakin is shown to be a child prodigy in the pod race and in single-handedly destroying the Droid control ship during the Battle of Naboo.

Love life: Arthur and Anakin are clearly not Han Solo-style womanisers, they are somewhat awkward individuals. Arthur does have a casual hookup, while Anakin has a secret marriage.

The careers of Darth Vader as an enforcer in the Galactic Empire, and the Joker as a criminal mastermind in Gotham City, lie outside the bounds of this thread. However, Anakin's time as a padowan and Jedi knight count, as does Arthur's failed career as comedian. Their ends most definitely fall outside the limits, although I guess it's impossible to speak in depth about Anakin without referencing his eventual redemption.