Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie Played Key Role in Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Sequel

Penalty Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”

People are going absolutely gaga over the smutty Canadian hockey series “Heated Rivalry,” and who can blame them? The show follows Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), the captain of the Montreal Metros, who has a secret and torrid affair with his bitterest rival on the ice, Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). The action is just as hot whether it’s on or off the ice, and fans can’t get enough of this fantastic queer romance. Not only is it hot, exciting and full of hockey, but it also demands your full attention, which can’t exactly be said for many streaming shows these days. The success of the series means that actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are really blowing up, and some fans are just now realizing that Storrie was actually part of one of the most controversial comic book movies ever made.

In 2024, Storrie played a small but pivotal role in the highly anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” “Joker: Folie à Deux,” as an unnamed prisoner incarcerated alongside Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who eventually kills Arthur and reveals himself to be “the real Joker” by burning a smile on his face. That’s right, Storrie’s character killed the Joker, baby, and fans were furious. It’s a good thing that “Joker: Folie à Deux” is probably largely forgotten, and “Heated Rivalry” seems to be just getting started.

The ending of the second “Joker” film frustrated fans and haters of the first film, as it appeared that Fleck had finally realized some of the follies of his actions in the first film, only to be brutally killed by someone else taking on the mantle of the Joker. Phillips felt like it was perfect because he never wanted Phoenix’s Fleck to be “the” Joker, just “a” Joker; one in a long line of disgruntled and violent men. There’s probably some social commentary in there, but it feels pretty lost in the strange musical absurdity of the second part of “Joker”, which is a shame because Phillips almost seems to be onto something.

For his part, Storrie is actually quite scary and works well as the Joker inspired and then disappointed by Fleck, a copycat killer who destroyed his own creator. There’s nothing romantic about the anonymous character, however, meaning “Heated Rivalry” fans probably won’t feel the need to witness his performance unless they’re extremely die-hard. Personally, I’d rather watch the exciting hockey show than the crazy cartoon musical any day of the week. Some men just want to see the world burn, but the rest of us just want to see hockey players kissing.

“Heated Rivalry” is now streaming on Crave and HBO Max. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is also on HBO Max.